CLA (Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting)

What is collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA)?

CLA (Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting) is USAID's framework for integrating three core principles into program design and management. Collaboration means intentionally working with partners, stakeholders, and communities: involving them in decisions and learning, not simply informing them. Learning means systematically generating, analyzing, and using evidence about what is working and why. Adapting means using that evidence to adjust program strategies, approaches, and activities. CLA operationalises adaptive management: it embeds responsiveness and evidence-use into the DNA of programming, rather than treating them as separate evaluation activities. CLA is now required in most USAID funding, and has been adopted by other development organizations.

Why does CLA matter?

Programs designed in an office with perfect logic models often fail in practice because contexts are unpredictable and assumptions are wrong. CLA recognises this reality and builds in mechanisms to test assumptions, learn quickly, and course-correct. Without CLA, programs run their planned activities regardless of whether they are working. With CLA, programs constantly ask: Is this approach effective? What is unexpected happening? What do partners think? Should we adjust? This requires embedding collaboration structures (joint planning, steering committees), learning practices (rapid feedback, reflection), and adaptation mechanisms (review cycles, decision-making protocols) from the start. USAID's CLA requirement reflects evidence that adaptive programs achieve better results in uncertain environments.

How does CLA work in practice?

A donor-funded livelihoods program builds CLA into its design: a quarterly reflection process where program staff, partners, and community leaders review progress, share unexpected learnings, and decide together whether activities should continue, expand, or shift. If pilot farmer trainings show low uptake, the team might adapt the schedule, content, or delivery method. A health program structures monthly reflection calls with district health officers to surface problems before they become crises. An education program establishes a community feedback mechanism where students and parents can report quality concerns, which feed into monthly adaptation reviews. In each case, CLA is not an evaluation add-on - it is how the program operates. This enables fast learning and mid-course adjustment without waiting for an endline evaluation.