MSP co-invests with the private sector through milestone-based partnerships, to create shared value from the alignment of core business interests and development goals. MSP mitigates the risk of the private sector to invest, innovate, and engage in areas outside their normal business practices to unlock market-led solutions for addressing specific USAID development objectives at scale. Through a competitive process, MSP evaluates partnership grant activities for their ability to mobilize significant and responsible private investment; to pilot or expand an innovation or practice that can address a development problem; and to contribute to industry-influencing learning. Following a consultative co-development process to refine initial concepts, MSP issues performance-based grants to implement ​two to three-year partnerships. Central to MSP's approach is an upfront strategic focus ​on opportunity identification; a drive to use and to iterate on relationship management best practices; and an emphasis on brokering productive relationships between its corporate partners and other market actors to ensure continuity and scale of the piloted investment or business practice beyond the partnership lifecycle.  MSP also looks to maximize learn-by-doing synergies with MSP’s global Learning Agenda.

Register for co-investment notices, view current opportunities, and learn how to apply at www.mspgrants.com. Read about MSP's partnership approach (PDF). 

MSP is a demand-driven mechanism. USAID Missions and Operating Units can buy into MSP to support any stage of the program cycle where they seek to deploy market systems development (MSD) or private sector engagement (PSE) approaches. MSP prioritizes Feed the Future target and aligned countries and offers a range of core services, including PSE and MSD, analytical and other services, generating evidence and learning, and capacity building around MSD and PSE. MSP is managed by the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security’s Center for Agriculture-Led Growth.

If you are an interested Mission or Operating Unit, contact the MSP COR Kristin O’Planick or Alternate COR Katie Hauser to discuss our consultative scope development process.