The CORE Initiative received a Leader with Associate (LWA) Cooperative Agreement from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Under the LWA Cooperative Agreement, the CORE Initiative receives funding from USAID/Washington into the Leader and from other U.S. Government agencies (USAID missions and regional bureaus, CDC, etc.) through Associate Awards.

An Associate Award is a stand alone agreement or grant from any U.S. Government agency for the CORE Initiative to carry out a specific scope of work. An Associate Award is not a sub-award, but is a new agreement between the agency and the Leader.

A mission, bureau, or other agency that issues an Associate Award develops and negotiates a specific program description. The Associate Award is managed directly by the awarding agency, providing the agency with full technical and financial oversight of the program. Since the CORE Initiative has already secured the LWA Cooperative Agreement via a competitive process, agencies can create Associate Awards without going through another competitive process.

The Associate Award Mechanism Offers Many Advantages for the Field Office:

• The awarding agency designates its own Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO), who directly manages the Associate Award.
• All program and financial reports are submitted directly to the awarding agency.
• The awarding agency provides a budget for the Associate Award that is separate from the Leader budget.
• There is no ceiling on the total amount of funding that can be provided under an Associate Award.
• Under an Associate Award, an organization can implement projects and activities lasting up to 10 years from the start date of the Leader Award.

How to Develop an Associate Award:

1. The awarding agency develops a program description or scope of work (SOW) with the CORE Initiative.
2. The awarding agency obtains written concurrence from the CTO for the Leader Award to ensure that the SOW falls within the scope of the Leader Award.
3. After receiving concurrence from the CTO for the Leader, the awarding agency's Contracting Office sends a short description or scope of work and requests the CORE Initiative to submit a complete proposal.
4. The awarding agency's Agreement Officer and technical team review the CORE Initiative's proposal and requests changes as necessary.
5. Once a final proposal is agreed, the awarding agency's Contracting Office issues a Cooperative Agreement or grant to the Leader Award.
6. The CORE Initiative implements the program as specified in the Associate Award and submits all project and financial reports directly to the designated CTO in the awarding agency for the life of the project.

U.S. Government agencies, including USAID missions and bureaus, interested in pursuing an Associate Award should contact the CTO listed below. All Associate Awards must be negotiated and finalized before the end of the Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement, or January 26, 2008. Associate Award activities may continue through January 26, 2013.

Contact at USAID/Washington 
Megan Petersen (CTO), GH/OHA
RRB.5.10.100
U.S. Agency for International Development
Washington , DC 20523-3700
Telephone: (202) 712-1683
Fax: (202) 216-3409
mpetersen@usaid.gov