DECfinder: Preserving Development Knowledge for the Future
DECfinder gives you access to over 111,000+ curated documents from USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) — including evaluations, reports, and project insights from decades of U.S. development work around the world.
Designed for development professionals, DECfinder makes it easier to locate credible evidence, trace project histories, and build on past implementation and learning.
Key Features
From the DEC’s larger archive of over 200,000 documents, DECfinder includes a focused collection of 111,000+ records—specifically selected for their relevance to program design, evaluation, and learning. These include final reports, assessments, design documents, audits, and strategic materials most valuable for evidence-based decision-making.
Locate relevant documents by theme, region, or keyword — designed to get you to what you need, faster.
Free to use. Logging in lets you bookmark documents, save searches, and build a personal repository for future reference.
Globalwaters.org Resource Library
We’ve expanded DECfinder to include the full Globalwaters.org resource collection — a curated archive of 1,069 documents focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
This library captures years of work across USAID-supported WASH programs, including technical briefs, case studies, learning notes, strategies, and implementation guidance.
Whether you’re designing a program, conducting research, or looking for practical tools, this collection brings valuable WASH knowledge into reach — all in one place.
Browse the Globalwaters collection using filters by topic, region, or document type.
Why DECfinder?
To ensure that decades of USAID learning remain accessible, usable, and relevant for today’s challenges.
The documents in DECfinder span decades of USAID-supported work across the globe. Explore records by country or region to trace project histories, surface local insights, and build on prior investments.
| Location | # of Documents |
|---|---|
| 380 | |
| 2003 | |
| 4229 | |
| 376 | |
| 31 | |
| 11 | |
| 3 | |
| 184 | |
| 273 | |
| 2 | |
| 98 | |
| 110 | |
| 125 | |
| 407 | |
| 1674 | |
| 46 | |
| 3 | |
| 125 | |
| 5 | |
| 28 | |
| 8 | |
| 19 | |
| 8 | |
| 2640 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 83 | |
| 13 | |
| 2 | |
| 372 | |
| 438 | |
| 39 | |
| 1570 | |
| 408 | |
| 726 | |
| 1037 | |
| 1 | |
| 23 | |
| 347 | |
| 778 | |
| 327 | |
| 336 | |
| 763 | |
| 579 | |
| 20 | |
| 103 | |
| 1077 | |
| 85 | |
| 259 | |
| 92 | |
| 1166 | |
| 315 | |
| 133 | |
| 346 | |
| 317 | |
| 245 | |
| 1162 | |
| 14 | |
| 1 | |
| 1089 | |
| 98 | |
| 18 | |
| 956 | |
| 21 | |
| 112 | |
| 58 | |
| 39 | |
| 211 | |
| 14 | |
| 3 | |
| 105 | |
| 127 | |
| 1151 | |
| 1250 | |
| 60 | |
| 1 | |
| 463 | |
| 15 | |
| 1132 | |
| 3621 | |
| 1709 | |
| 41 | |
| 3 | |
| 19 | |
| 123 | |
| 51 | |
| 1987 | |
| 61 | |
| 98 | |
| 0 | |
| 62 | |
| 1 | |
| 31 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 58 | |
| 19 | |
| 2 | |
| 419 | |
| 620 | |
| 785 | |
| 25 | |
| 1907 | |
| 185 | |
| 9 | |
| 131 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 2135 | |
| 506 | |
| 114 | |
| 380 | |
| 1620 | |
| 26 | |
| 1 | |
| 1892 | |
| 17 | |
| 108 | |
| 263 | |
| 1 | |
| 2842 | |
| 4387 | |
| 51 | |
| 905 | |
| 4 | |
| 438 | |
| 26 | |
| 359 | |
| 1095 | |
| 63 | |
| 1806 | |
| 284 | |
| 3334 | |
| 32 | |
| 2 | |
| 307 | |
| 427 | |
| 58 | |
| 3 | |
| 2 | |
| 233 | |
| 1 | |
| 205 | |
| 4290 | |
| 6 | |
| 37 | |
| 402 | |
| 2 | |
| 434 | |
| 1 | |
| 1202 | |
| 43 | |
| 62 | |
| 780 | |
| 1688 | |
| 1 | |
| 169 | |
| 30 | |
| 1456 | |
| 7 | |
| 1 | |
| 360 | |
| 39 | |
| 100 | |
| 3 | |
| 890 | |
| 13 | |
| 667 | |
| 126 | |
| 209 | |
| 60 | |
| 18 | |
| 949 | |
| 1264 | |
| 385 | |
| 3 | |
| 1834 | |
| 22 | |
| 3 | |
| 108 | |
| 12 | |
| 1020 | |
| 967 | |
| 1507 | |
| 8 | |
| 130 | |
| 25 | |
| 310 | |
| 18 | |
| 1 | |
| 138 | |
| 78 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 18 | |
| 2406 | |
| 4 | |
| 567 | |
| 19 | |
| 170 | |
| 364 | |
| 1 | |
| 2279 | |
| 3622 | |
| 353 | |
| 5 | |
| 85 | |
| 5 | |
| 84 | |
| 3 | |
| 2 | |
| 307 | |
| 615 | |
| 1202 | |
| 3 | |
| 455 | |
| 9 | |
| 93 | |
| 144 | |
| 84 | |
| 4 | |
| 6 | |
| 9 | |
| 1567 | |
| 200 | |
| 24 | |
| 338 | |
| 78 | |
| 167 | |
| 8 | |
| 58 | |
| 470 | |
| 1342 | |
| 124 | |
| 365 | |
| 294 | |
| 810 | |
| 923 | |
| 23 | |
| 11 | |
| 1125 | |
| 5 | |
| 797 | |
| 15 | |
| 566 | |
| 6 | |
| 4 | |
| 147 | |
| 125 | |
| 211 | |
| 1770 | |
| 1413 | |
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
| 232 | |
| 245 | |
| 74 | |
| 30 | |
| 676 | |
| 223 | |
| 83 | |
| 4 | |
| 27 | |
| 2238 | |
| 11 | |
| 5 | |
| 31 | |
| 6 | |
| 103 | |
| 891 | |
| 176 | |
| 38 | |
| 93 | |
| 718 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1358 | |
| 706 | |
| 7 | |
| 43 | |
| 11 | |
| 6 | |
| 26 | |
| 7 | |
| 438 | |
| 23 | |
| 1734 | |
| 916 |
The Legacy of the DEC
For more than 60 years, USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) was the largest online collection of development knowledge. Until very recently, the DEC contained over 168,000 documents capturing insights from USAID projects around the world. From detailed program reports to evaluations and research, the DEC documented what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Created in 1975, the DEC was designed to be more than just a repository of documents. It was a practical tool for development agencies, civil society organizations, and researchers looking for practical wisdom and lessons learned to improve their programs. It helped people learn from past projects, avoid mistakes, and build stronger solutions to development challenges.
Support the Mission to Preserve Knowledge as a Public Good
Keeping DECfinder running takes resources — from hosting costs to technical upkeep. If this platform has been useful to you, consider supporting us.
Your contribution helps us preserve decades of development insights and ensures this vital resource remains available to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide.
Knowledge should never be lost — with your help, it won’t be
A comprehensive search tool that preserves and provides access to over 110,000 publicly available DEC documents, ensuring this rich history remains accessible to all.
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