US Mission in El Salvador

USAID El Salvador, a sub-agency of the U.S. Agency for International Development, administers development assistance contracts and grants to support humanitarian and economic-development initiatives in El Salvador. The sub-agency funds both procurement and direct assistance, with activity spanning humanitarian aid, capacity building, and infrastructure development through both contract awards and cooperative grants.

USAID El Salvador has issued 231 federal contracts totaling $653.4 million in combined potential value since 2006, with $553.9 million obligated to date. Recent annual award volume has been uneven: 15 awards in 2021, 15 in 2022, 27 in 2023, 18 in 2024, and 3 recorded in 2025. The most recent contract award closed in February 2025. Across the contract portfolio, 83 distinct prime contractors have been awarded. Contract competition is highly fragmented by award count — the top five awardees hold 54 percent of recent awards — but with smaller dollar concentration among the top three: Palladium International LLC and Creative Associates International, Inc. lead by potential value at $53.6 million and $40 million respectively, followed by DAI Global LLC at $27.3 million. Notably, domestic and foreign undisclosed awardees collectively account for 14 awards, suggesting activity through implementing organizations and local partners. Nearly all awards (98 percent) carry no set-aside designation; small-business set-asides account for only 2 percent of awards combined.

USAID El Salvador has obligated $914.5 million in federal grant dollars across 61 grant awards since 2007, with combined federal and non-federal share reaching $930 million. Grant award volume has grown steadily: 3 awards in 2020, 5 in 2021, 7 in 2022, 8 in 2023, and 10 in 2024. The most recent grant award closed in November 2024. Among 46 distinct grant recipients, award concentration is highly fragmented — the top five recipients hold only 20 percent of recent awards by count. By federal dollars, grant recipients are similarly fragmented; the top five recipients account for 17 percent of federal dollars obligated. Pact, Inc. leads by federal obligation at $49.6 million, followed by Save The Children Federation, Inc. at $35 million and DAI Global LLC at $32.1 million. The grant portfolio is dominated by Cooperative Agreements, which constitute 79 percent of awards; Project Grants make up the remaining 21 percent.