Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) II Activity | RFA 663 17 000001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA 663 17 000001

The Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) II Activity is a USAID/Ethiopia education funding opportunity designed to improve early-grade literacy at national scale. Its central aim is to help advance USAID/Ethiopia's broader target of improving the reading proficiency of 15 million children, aligning directly with Ethiopia's Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) under Development Objective #3, "Improved Learning Outcomes." In practice, the opportunity is structured around strengthening how reading and writing are taught and supported, especially in the early grades, while also ensuring the system can better serve children who face heightened barriers to learning.

READ II places grade 1 to grade 4 students, teachers, and communities at the heart of the effort as the primary beneficiaries. Grade 5 to grade 8 students and teachers, along with youth, are treated as secondary priorities, signaling that the program is mainly built to lock in foundational literacy early, but still recognizes the need for continuity and support in later grades. The activity is not limited to classroom instruction alone; it also emphasizes the role of families and communities in supporting children's reading development, which is often essential for sustained gains in literacy.

Two cross-cutting priorities run alongside the main literacy goal. First, READ II seeks to demonstrate interventions that can measurably prepare vulnerable learners for learning. This includes students affected by chronic hardship as well as those facing sudden disruptions. Second, the activity is expected to support the rollout of a more structured gender approach, with an explicit focus on improving grade retention and grade progression for both boys and girls at key grades in targeted regions or zones. The gender component is framed as practical and results-oriented, emphasizing improvements that can be observed through progression and retention data, not just participation.

A defining feature of READ II is its strong emphasis on government partnership and system capacity. Ethiopia's Ministry of Education is positioned as a central guiding actor, and much of the leadership development and capacity building is intended for education staff working at decentralized levels, particularly within zones and woredas, as well as Regional Education Bureaus. This signals that the program is designed not only to deliver services, but also to strengthen the education system's ability to manage, lead, and sustain reading improvements over time through local and regional structures.

While early-grade reading and writing improvement is the dominant technical focus, READ II also highlights a commitment to working with the Ministry of Education to address the needs of learners affected by dire poverty, conflict, or emergency-related events. The language emphasizes being responsive and systematic, suggesting an intent to build approaches that can function under stress, adapt to disruptions, and improve education services for children whose learning is most at risk due to instability or crisis conditions.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, the opportunity was released by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Ethiopia mission in Addis Ababa, as a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement mechanism. The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA 663 17 000001, with CFDA listing 98.001. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant entity types, subject to any clarifications in the full notice. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $99,000,000, reflecting a large, multi-year style investment typical of national or near-national education programming. The notice was created on March 14, 2017, with an original closing date of May 15, 2017.

Overall, READ II can be understood as a large-scale literacy and education systems strengthening activity that prioritizes early-grade reading outcomes while intentionally integrating support for vulnerable learners and a structured gender approach to keep children in school and moving successfully through key grades. It is designed to operate hand-in-hand with Ethiopian education authorities, with a heavy focus on building leadership and operational capacity at regional and local levels so improvements in reading instruction and student outcomes can be sustained and expanded.

• The Agency for International Development, Ethiopia USAID-Addis Ababa in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) II 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 Mar 14, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 15, 2017. (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 $99,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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