These are the definitions for terms used in this part. Different definitions may be found in Federal statutes or regulations that apply more specifically to particular programs or activities.

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Activity means a set of actions through which inputs—such as commodities, technical assistance, training, or resource transfers—are mobilized to produce specific outputs, such as vaccinations given, schools built, microenterprise loans issued, or policies changed. Activities are undertaken to achieve objectives that have been formally approved and notified to Congress.

Agreement Officer means a person with the authority to enter into, administer, terminate and/or closeout assistance agreements subject to this part, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of USAID. An Agreement Officer can only act within the scope of a duly authorized warrant or other valid delegation of authority. The term “Agreement Officer” includes persons warranted as “Grant Officers.” It also includes certain authorized representatives of the Agreement Officer acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the Agreement Officer.

Apparently successful applicant(s) means the applicant(s) for USAID funding recommended for an award after merit review, but who has not yet been awarded a grant, cooperative agreement or other assistance award by the Agreement Officer. Apparently successful applicant status confers no right and constitutes no USAID commitment to an award, which still must be executed by the Agreement Officer.

Award means financial assistance that provides support or stimulation to accomplish a public purpose. Awards include grants, cooperative agreements, and other agreements in the form of money or property in lieu of money, by the Federal Government to an eligible recipient. The term does not include: Technical assistance, which provides services instead of money; other assistance in the form of loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, or insurance; direct payments of any kind to individuals; contracts which are required to be entered into and administered under procurement laws and regulations.

Branding strategy means a strategy the apparently successful applicant submits at the specific request of an USAID Agreement Officer after merit review of an application for USAID funding, describing how the program, project, or activity is named and positioned, as well as how it is promoted and communicated to beneficiaries and cooperating country citizens. It identifies all donors and explains how they will be acknowledged. A Branding Strategy is required even if a Presumptive Exception is approved in the Marking Plan.

Commodities mean any material, article, supply, goods or equipment, excluding recipient offices, vehicles, and non-deliverable items for recipient’s internal use in administration of the USAID-funded grant, cooperative agreement, or other agreement or subagreement.

Date of completion means the date on which all work under an award is completed or the date on the award document, or any supplement or amendment, on which USAID sponsorship ends.

Marking plan means a plan that the apparently successful applicant submits at the specific request of a USAID Agreement Officer after merit review of an application for USAID funding, detailing the public communications, commodities, and program materials and other items that will visibly bear the USAID Identity. Recipients may request approval of Presumptive Exceptions to marking requirements in the Marking Plan.

Principal officer means the most senior officer in an USAID Operating Unit in the field, e.g., USAID Mission Director or USAID Representative. For global programs managed from Washington but executed across many countries such as disaster relief and assistance to internally displaced persons, humanitarian emergencies or immediate post conflict and political crisis response, the cognizant Principal Officer may be an Office Director, for example, the Directors of USAID/W/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and Office of Transition Initiatives. For non-presence countries, the cognizant Principal Officer is the Senior USAID officer in a regional USAID Operating Unit responsible for the non-presence country, or in the absence of such a responsible operating unit, the Principle U.S Diplomatic Officer in the non-presence country exercising delegated authority from USAID.

Program means an organized set of activities and allocation of resources directed toward a common purpose, objective, or goal undertaken or proposed by an organization to carry out the responsibilities assigned to it. Projects include all the marginal costs of inputs (including the proposed investment) technically required to produce a discrete marketable output or a desired result (for example, services from a fully functional water/sewage treatment facility).

Public communications are documents and messages intended for distribution to audiences external to the recipient’s organization. They include, but are not limited to, correspondence, publications, studies, reports, audio visual productions, and other informational products; applications, forms, press and promotional materials used in connection with USAID funded programs, projects or activities, including signage and plaques; Web sites/Internet activities; and events such as training courses, conferences, seminars, press conferences and the like.

Suspension means an action by USAID that temporarily withdraws Federal sponsorship under an award, pending corrective action by the recipient or pending a decision to terminate the award. Suspension of an award is a separate action from suspension under USAID regulations implementing E.O.’s 12549 and 12689, “Debarment and Suspension.” See 2 CFR part 780.

Unrecovered indirect cost means the difference between the amount awarded and the amount which could have been awarded under the recipient’s approved negotiated indirect cost rate.

USAID means the United States Agency for International Development.

USAID Identity (Identity) means the official marking for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) comprised of the USAID logo or seal and new brandmark with the tagline that clearly communicates our assistance is “from the American people.” In exceptional circumstances, upon a written determination by the USAID Administrator, the definition of the USAID Identity may be amended to include additional or substitute use of a logo or seal and tagline representing a presidential initiative or other high level interagency Federal initiative that requires consistent and uniform branding and marking by all participating agencies. The USAID Identity (including any required presidential initiative or related identity) is available on the USAID Web site at http://www.usaid.gov/branding and is provided without royalty, license or other fee to recipients of USAID funded grants or cooperative agreements or other assistance awards.