Evaluation of the institutional development support grant program : support to PL 480 Title II cooperating sponsors

The ISGP was developed by the Bureau for Food and Humanitarian Assistance to replace and consolidate predecessor Outreach and Development Grants. During the period FY89-FY91, some $20 million was granted to the following CS's: CARE, Food for the Hungry International, Catholic Relief Services, Adventist Development Relief Associations, Save the Children Federation, and World Share. A coordinating Food Assistance Management (FAM) project was also funded. The program is succeeding. ISGP has contributed substantially to the expansion and improved use of food in the development programs of CS's. CS's believe the most important ISGP contribution has been to fill gaps in their funding of food assistance activities, while A.I.D. believes ISGP's most significant contributions have been improvements in the design and institutionalization of developmental food aid by CS's. However, specific impacts are difficult to attribute solely to ISGP funding because ISGP funds usually have been blended with funds from other sources, especially at the field level; nor have PVO monitoring and evaluation efforts been very specific. The ISGP's most significant weakness has been the lack of a detailed prior assessment of the problems it is to help solve. Also, the grants to some CS's were larger than they were able to absorb. ISGP financial support will be needed indefinitely to enable CS's to maximize the efficiency and development impact of their food assistance and to support CS innovation. Several specific recommendations are made.