December 3, 2004

Dear Friend:

We are pleased to invite your organization to submit an application for funding from Operation Day's Work - USA.

Operation Day's Work - USA (ODW) is a national student leadership organization. Through ODW, students in U.S. middle and high schools learn about developing countries and then use what they have learned to make a difference through community service. Annually, ODW students select a project to fund related to education and study the project country, its people, culture, etc. We are writing to invite you to compete for this funding.

Annually, ODW students select a project to fund related to education. Students in U.S. middle and high schools study the project country, its people, their culture, etc. We are writing to invite you to compete for this funding.

A unique feature of our program is that ODW students review and study the grant proposals and then vote on which project would most effectively help their peers. In the spring, students will organize a workday in each participating school to raise funds for the project they have collectively selected. This past school year, after much learning and thoughtful consideration, ODW students voted to help students in Sierra Leone by providing support towards bringing back a positive life to the communities through economic development that included encouragement, support and provisions for a clean, safe and healthy learning environment. The winning project was submitted by Life for Relief and Development located in Southfield, Michigan.

You will notice the attached application is not a formal RFA. The International Youth Foundation (IYF) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are in partnership to support and assist the students of Operation Day's Work. ODW students will determine which proposal to fund.

To be considered to work with ODW, proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be designed and implemented in partnership with a developing country NGO;
2. Must begin no later than September 2005;
3. Must directly benefit children aged 10-18;
4. Must be closely related to education;
5. Must have tangible results;
6. Must contain a project timeline and a detailed budget; and,
7. Must identify the beneficiaries of the project and the number to benefit.

Budget - The estimated budget for the proposed project should be no more than $30,000 and must be disbursed within one year (ODW-USA support will not exceed one year). Since new schools will be joining ODW before the project application deadline, these budget estimates may be revised.

All applications for ODW funding must be received by January 5, 2005.

The ODW students will review applications at their respective schools and discuss which proposed projects best meet the ODW criteria. Each school will then make a final selection and submit their vote to the ODW Coordinator for a final tally. The application that receives the most votes will be the focus country for that school year.

Please review the attached application. We encourage you to explore our homepage http://www.usaid.gov/odw/ to learn more about this exciting initiative. If you have questions, contact Susan Saragi at ssaragi@usaid.gov. The Operation Day's Work students look forward to receiving your application. Please keep in mind, the ODW students are your Grant Application audience.

Sincerely,

Joseph Fredericks	Jack Boyson
Chief, Public Information, Production and On-Line Services Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs USAID	ODW Program Officer International Youth Foundation