Innovation

Forbes: In a brief interview with Maura O’Neill, Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor to the Administrator at the U.S.

The USAID Development Credit Authority (DCA) is an innovative model for development assistance that provides financial services and opportunities for underserved but creditworthy populations. By using private sector wealth to stimulate sustainable economic growth, DCA supports USAID's poverty reduction goals in base of the pyramid markets while supporting growth in developing economies. Since DCA was established in late 1999, more than 267 partial credit guarantees have facilitated over $2.3 billion of private capital debt financing in more than 64 countries.

In a series of innovative new partnerships, USAID has created an integrated strategy for identifying strategic partners to respond quickly to natural disasters, enabling USAID connections and expertise to leverage and mobilize private sector resources. These partnerships address each stage of USAID disaster relief: preparedness and mitigation, acute response, recovery, reconstruction, and transition.