International Disasters
The Denton Program

Overview

The Denton Amendment is a commodities transportation program that is jointly administered by U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. It allows for the transport of humanitarian goods on a space available basis using U.S. Military transportation. The program was initially created to use the extra space on U.S. cargo aircraft that were flying supplies into Central America. Although the program expanded to include most areas of the world, the likelihood of obtaining transportation decreases as the distance to the country increases. Since Denton is a space available program, it is impossible to predict when transportation will materialize; therefore, no guarantees can be made regarding completion of a shipment.

Program Purpose and Objectives

To put the empty space on U.S. Military transport to good use by providing humanitarian relief transportation for non-governmental organizations or private citizens, at little or no cost to themselves.

Program Guidelines

The donor should always keep in mind that the Denton Program offers free transportation on a space available basis. It cannot be undertaken at any cost to the U.S. Government other than the cost of transportation itself. Applications in which the donor seeks financing for any cost other than the military transport, such as storage or local transportation, will not be approved. Following is a synopsis of the four stages of the Denton Program.

Denton Program Web Site  http://www.dentonfunded.com/

• The donor must identify an in-country consignee and/or local contact/recipient, who will:
  • Secure the approval of the host government by arranging with a destination customs official to obtain either duty-free entry or provide tariffs for entry
  • Ensure compliance with all legal requirements in the destination country
  • Receive and take possession of cargo on arrival
  • Distribute cargo to the beneficiaries.
• All prospective donors must complete an application for U.S. military space available transportation.
• A destination country "Duty Free Certification" and a "Consignee Affidavit" must be obtained by you and forwarded to USAID/Washington before processing of an application will take place.
• USAID will communicate with the destination country to ensure the cargo will be accepted. Depending on the workload and responsiveness of the host government in the destination country, this process may take several weeks, perhaps months.
• USAID and DOS will determine whether the application is consistent with U.S. foreign policy objectives.
• Your application will be formally approved (or disapproved) by USAID/DoD and you will be notified.

Note: Applications in which the donor seeks financing for any cost other than U.S. military transport, such as storage or local transportation, will not be approved.