Opportunity Information: Apply for 7200AA20APS00009
The Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX) opportunity is a USAID Annual Program Statement (APS) run by the USAID DDI Bureau Center for Education, working alongside USAID Missions and other Agency Bureaus and Independent Offices. Its overall purpose is to strengthen higher education capacity in partner countries by investing in people, institutions, and the broader higher education system in ways that help drive sustained, locally led development. HELIX is framed under USAID's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI), which signals an emphasis on building and widening partnerships and encouraging solutions that contribute to a country moving forward on its Journey to Self-Reliance.
Programmatically, HELIX is designed to support higher-education-connected approaches that build capacity and manage change. The opportunity explicitly includes a wide menu of eligible activity types, such as higher education partnerships, scholarships, exchanges, fellowships, internships, apprenticeships, work-based learning, applied research, communities of practice, and other related models of professional and institutional development. The common thread is that proposed solutions should create "meaningful change" at one or more levels: the individual level (skills, leadership, professional readiness), the institutional level (university or training institution performance, governance, programs, research capacity), and/or the system level (how higher education connects to workforce needs, innovation ecosystems, and national development priorities). In practical terms, HELIX is meant to fund initiatives where higher education is not just a setting, but a lever for broader development outcomes and local capacity to solve problems over time.
A key detail is that HELIX is not a standard Request for Applications (RFA) where applicants submit full proposals at any time. Instead, it operates as an umbrella APS that is activated through specific addenda. USAID posts addenda under the HELIX umbrella, and organizations respond to those addenda with Concept Notes. USAID then reviews those Concept Notes and decides whether to invite selected applicants to submit a Full Application. Importantly, concept notes or full applications that are not tied to an active addendum are not accepted. In other words, interested organizations cannot simply apply to "HELIX" in the abstract; they must track and respond to the specific, currently open HELIX addenda posted on grants.gov (or other specified USAID platforms).
From a funding and award standpoint, USAID anticipates making multiple awards under HELIX, typically in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements, and it does not set a predefined minimum or maximum number of awards. The source data lists an award ceiling of $60,000,000, suggesting that individual addenda or a portfolio of awards under the APS could collectively reach up to that amount, depending on USAID's priorities and available funds. The opportunity is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 98.001, and eligibility is described as "Unrestricted," indicating that a broad range of applicants may be able to compete, subject to the requirements and eligibility criteria stated in each specific addendum.
Administratively, the HELIX APS is identified on grants.gov as Funding Opportunity Number 7200AA20APS00009, created on April 3, 2020, with an original closing date shown as April 2, 2025. That closing date functions as the lifecycle end-date for the umbrella APS, but the real action occurs through time-bound addenda with their own deadlines and requirements. The description also points to an example addendum that was open at the time of the notice: the Higher Education Partnership for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (HEP-DRI), opportunity number 72038623RFA00006, which had a closing date of October 20, 2023. The takeaway is that prospective applicants need to monitor HELIX addenda regularly, because each addendum may target a different thematic area, geography, or development objective, and each will provide the specific instructions on what USAID wants to fund, what partners are needed, what outcomes are expected, and how selections will be made.Apply for 7200AA20APS00009
- The Agency for International Development in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX), A New Partnerships Initiative (NPI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2020-04-03.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.
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HELIX (Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange) - FAQs
1) What is the HELIX opportunity?
HELIX (Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange) is a USAID Annual Program Statement (APS) managed by the USAID DDI Bureau Center for Education, in coordination with USAID Missions and other USAID Bureaus and Independent Offices. Its purpose is to strengthen higher education capacity in partner countries by investing in people, institutions, and the wider higher education system to support sustained, locally led development.
2) What is the overall goal of HELIX?
The overall goal is to build higher education capacity in partner countries in ways that help drive long-term development led locally. HELIX is positioned so that higher education is treated as a lever for broader development outcomes and for building local capacity to solve problems over time.
3) How does HELIX connect to USAID's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI)?
HELIX is framed under USAID's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI). This signals an emphasis on building and widening partnerships and encouraging solutions that help a country move forward on its Journey to Self-Reliance.
4) Is HELIX a standard Request for Applications (RFA)?
No. HELIX is not a standard RFA where applicants can submit full proposals at any time. It is an umbrella APS that becomes actionable through specific addenda posted under the HELIX umbrella.
5) How do organizations apply for HELIX funding?
Organizations apply by responding to a specific, currently active HELIX addendum. The typical process described is: USAID posts an addendum, organizations submit Concept Notes responding to that addendum, USAID reviews Concept Notes, and selected applicants may be invited to submit a Full Application.
6) Can an organization submit a concept note or full application to HELIX without an active addendum?
No. Concept notes or full applications that are not tied to an active addendum are not accepted. Organizations cannot apply to "HELIX" in general; they must respond to a specific open addendum.
7) Where are HELIX addenda posted?
HELIX addenda are posted on grants.gov (or other specified USAID platforms, as indicated in the relevant addendum). Applicants are expected to track those postings and respond to the addenda that are open and relevant.
8) What types of activities are eligible under HELIX?
HELIX includes a wide menu of eligible activity types connected to higher education, including higher education partnerships, scholarships, exchanges, fellowships, internships, apprenticeships, work-based learning, applied research, communities of practice, and other related models of professional and institutional development.
9) What kind of change is HELIX trying to create?
Proposed solutions should create "meaningful change" at one or more levels: the individual level (skills, leadership, professional readiness), the institutional level (university or training institution performance, governance, programs, research capacity), and/or the system level (links between higher education and workforce needs, innovation ecosystems, and national development priorities).
10) Does HELIX only fund projects based at universities?
The description emphasizes that higher education should be more than just the setting; it should function as a lever for broader development outcomes. The opportunity is oriented toward higher-education-connected approaches that build capacity and manage change.
11) What is meant by "partner countries" in the HELIX description?
The opportunity is described as strengthening higher education capacity in partner countries. Specific geographies, target countries, or regions are expected to be defined in individual addenda, since each addendum can focus on different priorities.
12) Are there multiple awards under HELIX, or just one?
USAID anticipates making multiple awards under HELIX. The opportunity does not set a predefined minimum or maximum number of awards; award decisions depend on USAID priorities and available funding as reflected in specific addenda.
13) What kinds of award instruments are expected under HELIX?
USAID expects awards typically in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements, depending on the addendum and USAID's approach to implementing that activity.
14) What is the award ceiling listed for HELIX?
The source information lists an award ceiling of $60,000,000. This suggests that individual addenda or a portfolio of awards under the APS could collectively reach up to that amount, depending on USAID priorities and funds.
15) Does HELIX have "unrestricted" eligibility?
Yes. The opportunity lists eligibility as "Unrestricted," which signals that a broad range of applicants may be able to compete. However, applicants still need to meet the requirements and any additional eligibility criteria stated in each specific addendum.
16) What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for HELIX?
HELIX is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 98.001.
17) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for the HELIX umbrella APS?
The HELIX APS is identified on grants.gov as Funding Opportunity Number 7200AA20APS00009.
18) When was the HELIX APS created, and what is the closing date shown for the umbrella APS?
The HELIX APS was created on April 3, 2020. The original closing date shown is April 2, 2025. This date functions as the lifecycle end-date for the umbrella APS, while actual application opportunities occur through addenda with their own deadlines.
19) If the umbrella APS has a closing date, why do addenda matter?
The umbrella APS provides the overall framework, but the "real action" happens through time-bound addenda with their own requirements and deadlines. Applicants must respond to open addenda, not the umbrella APS alone.
20) Do HELIX addenda vary by theme or location?
Yes. The information notes that each addendum may target a different thematic area, geography, or development objective. Each addendum provides the specific instructions about what USAID wants to fund and how selections will be made.
21) What is an example of a HELIX addendum mentioned in the description?
An example addendum referenced is the Higher Education Partnership for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (HEP-DRI), opportunity number 72038623RFA00006, which had a closing date of October 20, 2023.
22) What should prospective applicants do to stay competitive for HELIX funding?
Prospective applicants should monitor HELIX addenda regularly on grants.gov (or other specified USAID platforms) and prepare to respond with Concept Notes to the addenda that are currently open and aligned with their capabilities.
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