In an effort to understand how USAID Missions and implementing partners are already contributing to increased country self-reliance, the Self-Reliance Learning Agenda (SRLA) team analyzed submissions from the annual Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Case Competition.  The analysis underscores the specific pathways that USAID and its partners have taken to support the Journey to Self-Reliance.  And, while the cases included in this paper are not representative, they mark the start of SRLA’s mandate to systematically track and learn how field staff are already helping countries increase their capacity and commitment for better development outcomes.