We recently concluded a series of analyses of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s assistance funding. We have now turned our attention to its acquisition mechanism — which covers contract funding — to see how much the agency spent and who got the most money.
Based on USASpending data, USAID obligated $5.9 billion on contracts in the fiscal year that ended in September 2022 — 16.6% of the $36.4 billion USAID obligated in FY 2021-22.
The amount obligated is around the same, in real terms, as in the previous fiscal year. However overall USAID spending has been increasing, largely as a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This means the percentage of USAID funding obligated through contracts, as a proportion of the total, has been falling in recent years. The proportion obligated through cooperative agreements has also been dipping, while obligation through grants has been increasing.