USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA) | 72039125RFA00002

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72039125RFA00002

The USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA) is a USAID/Islamabad grant opportunity focused on improving how water is governed and managed in Pakistan, particularly in the face of two overlapping pressures: increasingly frequent and damaging floods, and ongoing water scarcity. The opportunity frames climate change as a major stress multiplier, noting that shifting and less predictable patterns of rainfall and runoff are making Pakistan's already fragile water balance harder to manage. Rather than treating flooding and scarcity as separate problems, the activity description emphasizes that both are tied to how decisions are made, how institutions coordinate, and whether systems for planning, financing, and service delivery are functional and inclusive.

A central theme of the opportunity is that some of the most persistent barriers in Pakistan's water sector are not only technical, but governance-related. The background highlights common bottlenecks documented in the literature, including narrow mandates and limited capacity among key water institutions, weak or ineffective operational procedures, fragmented responsibilities across agencies, lack of systematic planning, and inadequate financial systems. It also points to practical consequences of these weaknesses, such as poor coordination among stakeholders, limited and unreliable data for decision-making, inadequate water service delivery, and water systems that are financially unsustainable. These governance gaps are presented as major reasons floodwaters are mismanaged and why resilience investments in the water sector often underperform.

Within that broader governance focus, the opportunity identifies three areas that are described as critically important but under-resourced: management of hill torrents, urban groundwater recharge, and rural water storage. Hill torrents, which can cause sudden and severe flooding in vulnerable regions, require better planning, coordination, and locally workable mechanisms to reduce harm and capture potential benefits. Urban groundwater recharge is highlighted because cities facing water stress often depend heavily on groundwater, yet recharge and protection of aquifers are frequently overlooked or poorly governed. Rural water storage is included because communities need practical ways to retain water for dry periods and reduce vulnerability to rainfall variability, and doing so at scale typically depends on clear institutional roles, effective local participation, and sustainable financing and maintenance models. The opportunity suggests that improving governance is the common enabling factor that can make progress in each of these areas more durable and equitable.

IWGA is being solicited as a Cooperative Agreement, indicating USAID expects to have substantial involvement during implementation, typically through collaboration on technical direction, monitoring, and adaptive management. The funding opportunity number is 72039125RFA00002, and the activity is listed under CFDA 98.001. The award ceiling is USD 14,000,000, and the original closing date for applications is February 6, 2025. The opportunity category and activity category are listed as "Other," which often signals a cross-cutting program that may blend policy support, institutional strengthening, coordination mechanisms, and on-the-ground pilots rather than fitting neatly into a single sector label.

Eligibility is explicitly restricted to local Pakistani organizations or local Pakistani entities. This restriction aligns with the opportunity's emphasis on locally led, inclusive policy and implementation mechanisms, implying that applicants are expected to be rooted in Pakistan's institutional and community context and positioned to convene stakeholders, work with government counterparts, and build solutions that can be maintained beyond the life of the award. Overall, the IWGA opportunity is aimed at strengthening the rules, coordination, data use, institutional capacity, and financial foundations that determine whether Pakistan can manage flood risk and water scarcity more effectively under climate uncertainty, with particular attention to the neglected but high-impact areas of hill torrents, urban groundwater recharge, and rural water storage.

• The Pakistan USAID-Islamabad in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "USAID/Pakistan Inclusive Water Governance Activity (IWGA)" 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 2024-12-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-06. (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 $14,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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