Principles of voluntarism and informed choice guide USAID’s family planning program. These principles are articulated in program guidelines and a number of legislative and policy requirements that govern the use of U.S. family planning assistance. The requirements fall into two general categories:

Voluntarism and Informed Choice
USAID is committed to ensuring that women and couples in developing countries have access to voluntary family planning services and are free to make informed decisions about their reproductive lives.

Restrictions on Support for Abortions
There are several legislative and policy restrictions relating to abortions.

USAID takes these family planning requirements very seriously and works with Missions and partners to ensure compliance with the family planning requirements in their programs. USAID’s family planning program is subject to certain restrictions on the use of funds, which are implemented through standard provisions inserted in all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts that include family planning activities. The current standard provisions for Voluntary Population Planning Activities, including both mandatory and supplemental requirements, for cooperative agreements and grants are available in the USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 303. The current standard provisions that apply to contracts are found Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directive 08-01.

For Assistance Awards (Cooperative Agreements and Grants):

• Standard Provisions for U.S. NGO Recipients [PDF, 762KB]
• Standard Provisions for non-U.S. NGO Recipients [PDF, 803KB]

For Contracts:

• Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directive (AAPD 08-01) [PDF, 59KB]

Additional Resources:

• Family Planning and Abortion Legal and Policy Requirements eLearning Course

Contact us for more information on Family Planning.