"An Effective U.S. Foreign Assistance Program: Reflections From The Advisory Committee On Voluntary Foreign Aid"

USAID has had a long history of funding U.S. non-governmental organizations, in part because they have used their political muscle to obtain legislative mandate for public-private partnerships with civil society, in part because Republican administrations which have been in power for 20 of the last 28 years have had an ideological commitment to such partnerships, and in part because the partnerships provide a cost effective means for the government to provide humanitarian assistance (especially in poor nations with weak government systems). The Advisory Committee On Voluntary Foreign Aid -- with 30 members who are all private citizens -- has advised the Agency on its work with PVOs for many decades. This report, obviously written to inform the incoming administration, appears to endorse some of the suggestions made by others and to add a focus on NGOs.