Accessible and Quality Basic Education (AQBE) | 72030623RFA00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72030623RFA00001

The Accessible and Quality Basic Education (AQBE) opportunity is a USAID/Afghanistan funding announcement for a single, large-scale education activity designed to improve safe and equitable access to quality learning in Afghanistan. Issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Afghanistan (USAID/Afghanistan, USAID-Kabul), the award will be made as a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means USAID expects to stay actively involved during implementation through substantial involvement in planning, coordination, and key technical decisions. The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding under CFDA 98.001, with an estimated maximum award amount (ceiling) of USD 79,250,000 and an expected total of one award.

The core purpose of AQBE is to expand and strengthen learning opportunities for primary-school-aged girls and boys and to support secondary-school-aged learners as well, with a strong emphasis on safety, equity, and learning quality. USAID frames this as an activity that should be delivered in a phased and flexible way, meaning applicants are expected to design programs that can adapt to changing conditions on the ground, respond to evidence as it emerges, and sequence interventions over time rather than relying on a rigid, one-size-fits-all plan. The solicitation also signals a preference for approaches that are holistic, linking classroom learning with student well-being, community support systems, and pathways that keep students moving through the education system.

AQBE is organized around four interlocking result areas. The first is improving the delivery of quality instruction, particularly in foundational skills, while also strengthening educators' ability to support student well-being. In practice, this result area points to work such as teacher coaching, provision of structured pedagogy and learning materials, classroom observation and feedback, and practical strategies for helping children learn in difficult circumstances, including psychosocial support and protective learning environments. The emphasis is not only on academic skills like literacy and numeracy but also on ensuring educators can recognize and respond to barriers that prevent children from learning safely and consistently.

The second result area focuses on reinforcing community school management and strengthening family engagement to sustain access to safe public education and community-based education. This highlights that access is not just a supply-side issue of having a classroom or a teacher; it is also shaped by local trust, community oversight, and family decisions about whether children can attend. The grant therefore encourages interventions that build effective local management structures, improve communication between schools and families, and create shared responsibility for safe, continuous learning, particularly in settings where formal systems are strained or where community-based models are essential to reaching children.

The third result area aims to increase the transition rate of community-based education (CBE) students into public schools. Community-based education often serves as an entry point for learners who cannot easily reach or enroll in public schools, so USAID is signaling that AQBE should not treat CBE as an isolated endpoint. Instead, it should create pathways that help students move successfully into the formal public system when and where feasible. That typically implies alignment of curricula and learning assessments, documentation of learning progress, coordination with local education authorities, and support for students and families during the transition so children do not drop out when moving from one modality to another.

The fourth result area is sustained secondary education engagement and learning opportunities for adolescent girls. This explicitly elevates continued learning for girls at the secondary level as a priority outcome of the activity. The wording suggests a focus on keeping adolescent girls engaged academically through whatever safe and feasible modalities are possible in the operating environment, which may include nontraditional or flexible learning approaches, targeted academic support, community engagement to reduce barriers, and structured opportunities that allow girls to continue building skills even when formal secondary schooling access is disrupted.

Across all four result areas, the solicitation stresses that success depends heavily on early and ongoing engagement with community leaders and parents. USAID is essentially making community buy-in and participation a central implementation requirement rather than a supporting detail. The four result areas are presented as a framework for phased and mutually reinforcing interventions, meaning applicants should show how educator support, community governance, transition pathways, and secondary engagement for girls connect to each other and build toward sustained access and learning. The overall intent is a coherent program that helps children continue learning safely, with adaptability built in from the start.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity number is 72030623RFA00001. The announcement was created on July 5, 2023, with an original closing date of August 7, 2023, though applicants are instructed to consult the official application package for the exact deadline details. Eligibility is described as not restricted, indicating a broad range of qualified organizations may apply, subject to the additional eligibility guidance in the full notice.

• The Agency for International Development, Afghanistan USAID-Kabul in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Accessible and Quality Basic Education (AQBE)" 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 Jul 05, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 07, 2023 See the package for more information on the closing date and time.. (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 $79,250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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