Local Works Guidance 2020

This approach is centered on the idea that local actors, including individuals, communities, networks, organizations, private entities, and governments, are best positioned to identify and address their own development challenges. To achieve this goal, USAID's Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment, Office of Local Sustainability (E3/LS), works with Missions to operationalize the Local Works program. Local Works provides technical support and funding to Missions to expand and deepen relationships with local actors throughout the Program Cycle. This approach enables local actors to sustainably resolve development challenges and facilitates learning that benefits the entire Agency. The Local Works program has five-year discretionary funds, which provide Missions with more time and greater freedom to pursue locally led programming and experiment with innovative operational approaches. With these funds, Missions can launch new programming with local partners, adapt existing programming to be more locally led and sustainable, and apply systems approaches to enable local actors to achieve sustainable outcomes and self-reliance. The Local Works program is guided by five overarching principles, which inform E3/LS' work in locally led development. These principles include listening to local actors, understanding local systems, being patient, supporting local leadership, and experimenting, learning, and sharing. These principles are aligned with the Agency's Journey to Self-Reliance, the USAID Policy Framework, the Local Systems Framework, the 5Rs Framework in the Program Cycle, and ADS 201 "Program Cycle Operational Policy." Missions participating in the Local Works program contribute to learning that addresses key challenges and opportunities in supporting locally led development. E3/LS facilitates knowledge capture, exchange, and learning among Missions doing locally led development. The following learning priorities are not exhaustive, but rather a starting point for Mission submissions: * Acquisition and assistance, including reducing management burden and barriers to entry for new and local partners * Feedback mechanisms that improve the flow of information among local constituents, partners, and USAID * Systems-based analytical approaches to better understand complex environments and the role of USAID in local systems * Participatory decision-making, including locally led priority-setting and collaborative design * Mobilizing local resources, including community philanthropy and partnerships with the local private sector, faith-based organizations, government, civil society, and academia * Strengthening local networks, including understanding and supporting existing networks of local actors * Locally led approaches to design, monitoring, evaluation, and learning that prioritize local definitions of success Local Works supports programs that strengthen the performance of local actors and local systems to achieve and sustain demonstrable results. This approach is not about building an individual organization's ability to receive and manage U.S. funding directly, but rather strengthening the system of local institutions and actors to interact and function effectively to drive system change and become more self-reliant over time.