?? New Theory of Change Fundamentals Online Course on Learning Lab!

The USAID Learning Lab team is excited to announce the addition of the Theory of Change Fundamentals course to our training library! The course presents the USAID theory of change framework for programmatic and operational uses by all Agency staff and implementing partners. Co-developed by USAID's Bureau for Planning, Learning, and Resource Management in the Offices of Strategic and Program Planning and Learning, Evaluation, and Research, the course is designed to serve as an ongoing resource to inform activity planning and management, and monitoring, evaluation, and CLA.?

After you take the course, visit the other great resources the site has to offer on theory of change, and see recent additions to the topic from the Learning Lab community below! Learn More

Share Your Perspective on Upcoming Themes!

September: Partnering Approaches and Peer Learning | Whether under the umbrella of Private Sector Engagement, Co-Creation, or Locally Led Development, there are many approaches development professionals use to enhance peer learning, improve development outcomes, and elevate the voices of nontraditional actors and local partners across the USAID Program Cycle. What methods have you used in your work to enhance partnerships??

October: 10 Years of the CLA Case Competition?| Join the USAID Learning Lab team as we celebrate ten years of continuous learning for improved development outcomes. The month will culminate in the announcement of winners and finalists for the milestone 2024 Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Case Competition!?

Send us your thoughts by tagging us on LinkedIn or submit a blog, resource, or event to Learning Lab!

What We're Excited About This Month

1. The Theory of Change Workbook: Use Cases for Climate Change Programming from Iraq and Bolivia | By Carla Liera, Stockholm Environment Institute | This blog delves into two use cases of the Theory of Change Workbook to revisit an existing Theory of Change (TOC) and to formulate a new ToC for a project proposal. It also provides a Spanish-language TOC narrative from programming in Bolivia.?
2. Theory of Change Revision Guide | By USAID/Vietnam and Social Impact | The Theory of Change Revision Guide supports implementing partners in Vietnam and elsewhere to more effectively review, reflect upon, and revise their theories of change. The guide poses questions, for a variety of levels and scenarios, to teams participating in a TOC revision process to help them have better conversations and take appropriate action.?
3. MEL Practitioner Guide: Engagement and Inclusion in Theory of Change Design - Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Descendants in Latin America | By Hannah LaPalombara with support from Germán Flores and Fabiola Aguilar Borjas, Development Professionals Inc | This in depth guide provides practical guidance for ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants are engaged and included in theories of change for democracy, human rights, and governance activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. This guide can be adapted to apply for other marginalized ethnic or racial communities.

Mark Your Calendars!

Join the second annual Local Capacity Strengthening Learning & Feedback Forum happening in October! The forum will take place virtually over six days between Tuesday, October 1 and Thursday, October 10, and will collect candid feedback from partners on the Local Capacity Strengthening Policy’s implementation and guide future implementation. All public sessions will include live simultaneous translation into Kiswahili, Arabic, French, Spanish, and interpretation in ASL. Sessions will also be recorded and posted after the event.

In Case You Missed It!

• Read this blog by Monalisa Salib, from Social Impact, about how to hire CLA-savvy senior staff and check out the accompanying resource.??
• Read this blog by Emily Janoch and Jay Goulden, from CARE, on why investing in equality helps progress for sustainable development goals.?
• Read this blog by Andrew Koleros, Sean Mulkerne, Mark Oldenbeuving, Danielle Stein, on how to make theories of change as easy as ABC.
• Read this blog by Ha Anh Nguyen, with USAID Learns, on using creative ways to help teams reflect on data and overcome data fatigue.

Check out this resource by Kasia Hatcher and Lynne Franco, with EnCompass, on fast tracking Mission-wide transition.

Connect with Us!

Send a comment, idea, or submission to [email protected]. Don't forget to follow us and listen to our newest podcasts!

Blogs | CLA Toolkit | Evaluation Toolkit | Monitoring Toolkit | Program Cycle Overview | What is CLA