An initiative focused on African higher education was a collaborative effort linking USAID, HED, the Africa-U.S. Initiative. After launching a request for application in late 2008, HED received more than 250 application from various U.S. higher education institutions for 20 planning grants of $50,000 each. The response was so profound that USAID provided an additional 10 planning grants of the same amount. An August 2009 conference gained recognition for its goal to bring together several universities across the African continent and the United States to tackle topics like health, education and agriculture.