The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. foreign aid agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty.

Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004, MCC is changing the conversation on how best to deliver smart U.S. foreign assistance by focusing on good policies, country ownership, and results.

MCC is advancing American values and interests by reducing global poverty through economic growth. The MCC model fulfills this mission by focusing on policy reforms, economic growth opportunities that deliver tangible results and shared learning on what is and is not working. This approach makes development assistance more effective, improves the lives of the world’s poor and creates the markets of the future, with whom companies can do business and trade.

MCC forms partnerships with some of the world’s poorest countries, but only those committed to:

• good governance
• economic freedom
• investments in their citizens

MCC provides these well-performing countries with large-scale grants to fund country-led solutions for reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth. MCC grants complement other U.S. and international development programs.There are two primary types of MCC grants:
 

• Compacts are large, five-year grants for countries that pass MCC’s eligibility criteria.
   
• Threshold programs are smaller grants awarded to countries that come close to passing these criteria and are firmly committed to improving their policy performance.

 

The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the USAID Administrator serve on the MCC board along with four private sector representatives.

Achievements

MCC has approved over $8.4 billion in MCC Compact and Threshold Programs worldwide that support country-determined projects in such sectors as:
 

• Agriculture and Irrigation
• Transportation (Roads, Bridges, Ports)
• Water Supply and Sanitation
• Access to Health
• Finance and Enterprise Development
• Anticorruption Initiatives
• Land Rights and Access
• Access to Education

 

Compact Countries

 

 Armenia

 Mali

 Benin

 Moldova

 Burkina Faso

 Mongolia

 Cape Verde

 Morocco

 El Salvador

 Mozambique

 Georgia

 Namibia

 Ghana

 Nicaragua

 Honduras

 Philippines

 Jordan

 Senegal

 Lesotho

 Tanzania

 Madagascar

 Vanuatu

 

Threshold Program Countries 

 

 Albania

 Paraguay

 Burkina Faso

 Peru

 Guyana

 Philippines

 Indonesia

 Rwanda

 Jordan

 Timor-Leste

 Kenya

 Tanzania

 Kyrgyz Republic

 Saõ Tomé and Principe

 Liberia

 Uganda

 Malawi

 Ukraine

 Moldova

 Zambia

 Niger 

 

Impact

The aggressive implementation of compacts and threshold programs is promoting growth opportunities, opening markets, raising the standard of living, and creating a more prosperous future for some of the world’s poorest people:
 

• Nearly 150,000 farmers have been trained, 3,878 enterprises assisted, and $66 million in agriculture and rural loans disbursed. Over 82,000 hectares of land are under production.
   
• More than 895 kilometers of roads are complete in seven countries, and over 2,400 kilometers of roads are under construction in 11 countries. Rehabilitated roads will reduce travel time and increase access to markets.
   
• Close to 60,000 students are participating in MCC-funded educational activities. 833 instructors have been trained in three countries, and over 200 educational facilitites constructed in five countries.