USAID/Dominican Republic Early Grade Reading and Remediating Education Activity | RFI 720517 22 USAID READING

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFI 720517 22 USAID READING

The USAID/Dominican Republic Early Grade Reading and Remediating Education Activity is described through a Request for Information (RFI), not a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). In practical terms, that means USAID is gathering input from the public and potential partners, but it is not promising that a formal competition will be launched, that an award will be made, or that any costs associated with responding will be reimbursed. USAID also makes clear it is not obligated to buy or fund the services described, is not required to use any information it receives, and is keeping flexibility to change its approach later. This kind of RFI is often used to test the market, refine activity design, and understand what approaches and capabilities exist before deciding whether and how to solicit applications.

If pursued as an actual program, the central goal would be to improve early grade reading outcomes in the Dominican Republic, specifically increasing the number of students who can read at grade level. The target group is learners in grades 1 through 3, with a strong emphasis on supporting children returning to school in the post-COVID-19 context. The activity is framed around two connected needs created or intensified by the pandemic: learning loss (especially in foundational literacy) and the social-emotional challenges that can block learning, such as stress, disengagement, anxiety, and difficulties re-adjusting to classroom routines. As a result, the activity is not only about teaching reading skills, but also about incorporating support that helps children feel safe, regulated, and ready to learn.

A major feature of the concept is remedial or "catch-up" education. This typically refers to structured interventions designed to bring students who have fallen behind back to expected proficiency levels, often through targeted instruction, additional practice time, diagnostic assessment to identify specific skill gaps, and differentiated teaching strategies. The wording suggests USAID is interested in approaches that can rapidly rebuild foundational reading skills in the early grades, where phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension form the base for all later learning. The activity is also positioned to respond to changing conditions by allowing remote and hybrid education services as needed, acknowledging that disruptions may continue and that the system may need flexible delivery models that work both in-person and at a distance.

Beyond remediation, the activity is meant to build on prior USAID investments, particularly the accomplishments of the USAID Read Program. The intent is not to start from scratch, but to leverage what has already been developed, tested, and learned to raise reading proficiency across all learners in the targeted geographic areas. This includes a longer-term education system objective: enabling students to move forward successfully through their education and reducing repetition rates (students repeating grades), which are often linked to weak early literacy. In other words, improving early grade reading is presented as a strategy to improve overall educational progression and efficiency, not just a narrow literacy outcome.

From the opportunity data provided, the activity falls under the Education sector and is associated with CFDA number 98.001 (USAID foreign assistance). The anticipated funding instrument type, if it becomes a funded opportunity, is a cooperative agreement, which usually implies substantial involvement by USAID during implementation compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is listed as discretionary and shows an award ceiling of up to USD 20,000,000, indicating the potential scale of the activity, although the RFI language emphasizes that no award is guaranteed. The listed eligibility is "unrestricted," meaning that, if a solicitation were eventually issued, it may be open to a wide range of applicants rather than limited to a narrow applicant class, though final eligibility rules would only be confirmed in a formal NOFO. The issuing office is USAID Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), and the RFI reference number is RFI 720517 22 USAID READING, with a posted date of March 21, 2022 and an original closing date of April 11, 2022 for information submissions.

Overall, this RFI signals USAID interest in a sizeable early-grade literacy and learning recovery effort in the Dominican Republic that combines foundational reading improvement, targeted remediation for learning loss, and social-emotional supports for young learners, with built-in flexibility for remote or hybrid delivery. The focus on grades 1-3 and on reducing repetition rates reflects the broader development logic that strong early reading is a gateway skill that shapes long-term educational outcomes.

• The Dominican Republic USAID-Santo Domingo in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID/Dominican Republic Early Grade Reading and Remediating Education Activity" 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 2022-03-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-11. (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 $20,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for RFI 720517 22 USAID READING

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