Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean

US Agency for International Development Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (USAID LAC), a civilian sub-agency within USAID, administers development assistance funding and technical-service contracts supporting democracy, governance, health, economic growth, and humanitarian programs across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Bureau executes both contract and grant activity, though with markedly different cadences and scales. On the contract side, USAID LAC has issued 82 awards cumulatively since 1998, generating $140 million in combined potential value with $72.5 million obligated. Recent contracting volume is minimal: one award each in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and three awards in 2024, closing with an award dated September 20, 2024. The 41 distinct prime contractors span development firms, academic institutions, and individual consultants; competitive concentration is highly fragmented, with Chemonics International, Inc. leading recent activity at $15 million potential value across a single award, covering only 11% of recent contract potential value. The remaining five recent awardees each hold individual single awards ranging from $11 thousand to $165 thousand. Ninety-nine percent of contract awards carry no set-aside designation; one small-business award is on record.

Grant activity dominates the Bureau's footprint. USAID LAC has awarded 88 grants since September 2009, obligating $508 million in federal dollars with a combined total (including non-federal share) of $510.4 million. Grant cadence has stabilized at eight awards in both 2023 and 2024, down from a peak of 14 in 2020 (5 in 2021, 5 in 2022). The most recent grant award closed October 1, 2024. Among 62 distinct grant recipients, recipient concentration is moderately concentrated. By award count over the last five years, the top five recipients hold 48% of recent awards: Pan American Development Foundation, Inc. leads with four awards totaling $27.7 million federal dollars, followed by Freedom House, Inc. (two awards, $13.3 million) and Outreach Aid To The Americas Inc. (two awards, $3.7 million). By federal dollars, the top five account for 19% of the recent obligation: Family Health International dominates at $29.1 million (one award), Pan American Development Foundation at $27.7 million (four awards), and Consortium For Elections & Political Process Strengthening at $21.5 million (one award). Grants are structured predominantly as Cooperative Agreements (65% of awards) with Project Grants accounting for the remainder (35%).

No recent contract opportunities or grant opportunities are reported against the Bureau.