Consultant – Central America Donor and Partnership Landscape Analysis – Remote

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps’ programming in Central America is currently limited to Guatemala, where it has over 20 years of programming and deep connections to rural communities, and has carried out rural development, food security, water security, health, land conflict mediation, land formalization and violence prevention activities with funding from a multitude of institutional and private donors. Given the high levels of humanitarian need and mixed migration flows throughout Central American countries, the need to develop more robust, multi-country focused programming has become apparent. Mercy Corps is currently seeking registration in Honduras – where Mercy Corps had a presence until 2004 – and El Salvador, with ambitions to also expand beyond these geographies. Humanitarian needs range widely, but in general span from the need for multipurpose cash assistance to purchase basic needs, access to essential health services, and protection and psychosocial support. Target communities in need include individuals on the move, including Central Americans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Colombians, Ecuadorians and other migrants moving north from South America, through the Darien Gap into Panama, and northward towards the US border. Supporting longer term economic development, job creation, violence prevention focused on youth in urban areas, and other development interventions supporting origin communities are also priorities for Mercy Corps.

In line with Mercy Corps’ global and country-level Pathway to Possibility (P2P) strategies, the Americas regional team is in the process of refining its regional strategy to advance P2P’s strategic outcome areas – food security, water security, economic opportunities, and peace and governance – in Central America in a way that addresses the shifting socio-economic, political, and governance environment, and effectively meets community needs and donor priorities. To ensure that this process is evidence-based, responsive to community needs, and complements rather than duplicates existing humanitarian and development work in the region, the team seeks a robust donor and partnership landscape analysis that will inform decision-making at the country and regional levels about where to prioritize Mercy Corps’ expansion activities.

Purpose / Project Description:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide insight about recent and future trends in the institutional donor landscape in Central America and seek new partnership models to help Mercy Corps better access and mobilize resources to expand Mercy Corps’ footprint in Central America, and address the wide range of humanitarian and development needs and priorities in the region. Analysis should focus broadly on opportunities to support: communities experiencing acute and/or protracted humanitarian crises, such as internal and/or cross-border migration or displacement, food insecurity, and lack of access to basic needs; agricultural producers and smallholders farmers; youth, women, ethnic minorities and other traditionally marginalized and underserved populations.

In particular, findings should address the following questions:

• Which sectors, approaches, department-level geographies, and participants are most important to the largest donors in the region?
• What, if any, gaps exist in programming in the region that donors seem interested in funding? Are there donor priorities that Mercy Corps and other implementing partners are not addressing that our emerging country operations could have a value add?
• Who are the most active implementers and how does Mercy Corps compare to these peer organizations in terms of programming (sectors, size, reputation) and funding?
• What key partners and/or partnership models (e.g. consortia, local partner-led) are needed to seek USAID and European funding in Central America?
• What are the most common funding instruments (cooperative agreements, grants, contracts) used by institutional donors in the region? Is there a relationship between usage of certain instruments and technical sectors or geographic areas?
• What funding is the organization not equipped to pursue and what does this mean for the portfolio’s growth potential?

The Consultant will drive the process to collect, analyze, and synthesize whatever data best answers these questions, working closely with relevant Mercy Corps team members, as well as drawing on external connections via exploratory meetings, engagement with peer organizations, and pre-existing contacts.

Consultant Objectives:

The Consultant’s overall objective is to collect and synthesize data around recent/future institutional donor funding priorities and local and international partner landscape to help the Americas team refine its strategy. Mercy Corps will expect, at a minimum, the following information to be provided:

• A market mapping and review of major donor strategies and objectives over the past 3 years with details around their overall strategies and target sectors and participants
• A quantitative review of historical foreign assistance data from the past 3 years to identify major donor funding levels, funding instruments, and supported projects and associated implementing partners
• A mapping of donor strategies for the coming 2-3 years, with projections based on past trends as well as available information on future plans and accompanying recommendations for regional leadership on how to incorporate these findings into the team’s fundraising strategy

Consultant Activities:

The consultant should engage in activities as required to produce the information listed above, which could include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting quantitative analysis on funding trends from major donors over the past 3 years, including the number of grants/contracts awarded, their dollar amount, the number of grantees/contractors, and the geographic distribution of these funding opportunities by year
• Conducting relevant external (including regional donor representatives, local partners, peer organizations) and internal interviews and summarizing/analyzing findings, including through travel to the region as appropriate.

Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to submit:

• A planned approach (including a comprehensive methodology), to be submitted to regional leadership for approval no later than 1 week after the start of the consultancy;
• A bi-weekly update report that captures major progress and planned steps;
• A final comprehensive report (estimated 20 pages) that synthesizes the data, provides a forecast for donor priorities in the coming years, and lays out concrete recommendations for the Americas based on these findings and the regional strategy
• A PowerPoint presentation that highlights key takeaways from the report

Timeframe / Schedule:

Up to 90 days, beginning in January 2024

The Consultant will report to:

Deputy Regional Director, Americas Region

The Consultant will work closely with:

Americas Regional Director, Americas Technical Director, Guatemala Country Representative and Senior Program Manager, Americas Regional Team, Global Technical Advisors and Program Quality Advisors, consortium partners and peer organizations, as appropriate.

Application Process:

Please submit a cover letter and CV.

Required Experience & Skills:

• MA/S or equivalent in international development, political or social science management or other relevant fields;
• Deep knowledge of Latin America, including the international humanitarian and development sector in the region;
• 10 years experience in roles including fundraising, strategy development, donor relations;
• Exceptional analytical and conceptualization skills, with a focus on data, functional mapping;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Experience with international institutional donors;
• Fluency in English and Spanish required;
• Good knowledge of Mercy Corps is preferred.
• A consultant with a clear understanding of the shifting dynamics in Central America, the diverse types of donors, and deep knowledge of landscape and market analysis will be best to implement the project. S/he should be ready to work collaboratively with the team on the ground as well as the global team.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.