USAID cooperative agreement no. 118-A-00-97-00282-00 with the International Research & Exchanges Board to provide support for the sustaining partnerships into the next century (SPAN) program

and Russian partners in USAID/Russia focus areas. SPAN will fund existing partnerships that support the following USAID/Russia strategic objectives (SOs): (1) tax reform geared to a decentralized market economy (SO 1.2); (2) private enterprise development (SO 1.3); (3) a robust and market-supportive financial sector (SO 1.4); (4) citizen"s economic and political participation (SO 2.1); (5) legal system reform (SO 2.2); (6) improved social benefits and services (SO 3.2); and (7) environmental health (SO 3.3). SPAN will award a maximum annual amount of $100,000 to qualifying partnerships. Any partnership operating for longer than 1 year will receive a decreased level of funding for 2 years and beyond. This graduated funding, combined with the minimum 50% matching contribution required of funded partnerships, should help phase out dependence on USAID funding. Finally, the SPAN will make a strong effort to reach potential partnerships outside of Moscow and the large cities. To foster networking among its beneficiaries, SPAN will conduct three workshops and set up a listserve of all the SPAN partners. Information and accomplishments of the program will be disseminated via a brochure, a WWW page, the listserve, and through the collection and cataloguing of all products produced by SPAN partnerships.