Designs for collaboration : a study of PVO/NGO umbrella projects in Africa

collaboration with private voluntary and nongovernmental organizations (PVO"s/NGO"s) is the umbrella project, which allows A.I.D. to finance the activities of several PVO"s/NGO"s under a single funding obligation and reduces management burdens. The pro"s and con"s of recent A.I.D. umbrella projects in Africa are examined in this study. The bulk of the report is devoted to an analysis of project design issues, including: A.I.D. and host government policy issues; project objectives and beneficiaries; the rationale for using an umbrella structure; project components, length, sectoral emphasis, and geographic focus; project management by A.I.D. and other agencies; needs, interests, roles of, and coordination among PVO"s/NGO"s; subgrant size and criteria; PVO/NGO training and technical assistance needs; information activities; and project financing and sustainability. An initial section details lessons learned. The study concludes that umbrella projects are a flexible mechanism for enlarging both PVO/NGO operations and A.I.D. outreach to target groups otherwise not easily reached, but that they also suffer from commonly repeated errors which reduce their impact and effectiveness. To function well, umbrella projects need a concerted level of inter-agency collaboration. This will require investments in local institution building as well as management adjustments on A.I.D."s part: traditional donor-contractor relationships are inadequate for umbrella projects.