00 - Annual Program Statement Impacts COVID-19 (2).pdf

U.S. Department of State

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of State

Program Office: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, International Programs Section

Funding Opportunity Title: 2020 TIP Office Annual Program Statement to Address Impacts of COVID-19

Announcement Type: 2020 TIP Office Annual Program Statement to Address Impacts of COVID-19

Funding Opportunity: SFOP0007233

Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number(s): 19.019

Deadline for Applications: June 30, 2021, 5:00pm EDT

FULL TEXT OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of State is rising daily to meet the historic challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, all over the world. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, traffickers continue to operate to ensure victims are not free to choose where they live, how they work, or who has access to their bodies.

Economic uncertainty, movement restrictions, lockdowns, and disruptions to state services have made the most vulnerable more vulnerable. Traffickers are capitalizing on the chaos of the pandemic, finding ways to increase their exploitation. As government and philanthropic efforts and resources are stretched to respond to the pandemic, financial support for anti-trafficking efforts is limited. The TIP Office is dedicated to supporting efforts to combat human trafficking, taking into account the everyday challenges in combating human trafficking due to the impacts of COVID-19 and government measures to counter it.

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in

Persons (TIP Office) announces an open competition for funding to address the impacts of COVID-19 on efforts to combat human trafficking and support government measures to counter human trafficking. Applicants are encouraged to propose activities that will help organizations and partner governments continue to combat trafficking in persons despite these challenges. Applicants are encouraged to note recommendations in the TIP

Report and link proposed activities to the recommendations.

The TIP Office will allocate up to $3.5 million for this initiative and plans to issue awards on a regular basis to address the rapidly changing needs and opportunities. Applicants may submit applications for no less than $100,000 to work in one or more countries that directly aligns with the programming priorities listed below. Applicants may submit more than one application, but note that the TIP Office will prioritize funding for applications that address the greatest need and are mostly likely to make a positive impact.

Applicants should not propose the same concept more than once under this funding opportunity. All applications selected for funding will be awarded pending the availability of appropriated funds.

The Annual Program Statement is an open-ended, annual funding opportunity to generate competition for new awards. The Annual Program

Statement is open for approximately one year (August 14 – June 30, 2021), during which U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations (including faith-based organizations), public international organizations, institutes of higher education, and for-profit entities can submit applications at any time. The TIP Office will evaluate any applications submitted against the evaluation criteria four times throughout the year on a quarterly basis as indicated in the below table:

Applications Received Before Estimated

Review Process

Anticipated

Award

Series 1 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on September 30, 2020

Oct – Dec 2020 December 2020

/ January 2021

Series 2 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on December 30, 2020

Jan – Mar 2021 March 2021

Series 3 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on March 30, 2021

Apr – Jun 2021 June 2021

Series 4 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on June 30, 2021

Jul – Sept 2021 September 2021

All applicants will be notified regarding their application status as soon as a decision is made.

Please reference the Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals, which includes guidance on preparing proposed project documents, as well as program design standards that must be incorporated into any program and or project design. Applicants must review and incorporate the Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals, including the program design standards. This guidance is available on the TIP Office website

(https://www.state.gov/guidelines-for-submitting-full-project-proposals-fp/), SAMS Domestic, and grants.gov.

Applications must be submitted via SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants). The final date for submitting an application under this funding opportunity is 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on June 30, 2021. Organizations having difficulties submitting applications near the deadline must open a ticket with the help desk to resolve the problem prior to the deadline. A ticket with the help desk can be opened by calling 1-(888)-313-4567 or logging a ticket through the ILMS

Self Service Portal (https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home). To be competitive under this funding opportunity, applicants must be fully responsive to all directions in this document. All questions related to applications under this funding opportunity MUST be sent to

JTIPGrants@state.gov.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 USC 7101 et seq.), as amended (TVPA), established the TIP Office in the U.S. Department of

State. The TIP Office leads the United States’ global engagement on the fight against human trafficking and seeks partnerships with foreign governments, civil society organizations, and multilateral organizations to combat modern slavery through the “3P” paradigm: prosecuting traffickers through victim-centered law enforcement, protecting trafficking victims through proactive identification and comprehensive, trauma-informed care, and preventing trafficking in persons. TIP Office programs and projects combat human trafficking—a crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purposes of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Forms of human trafficking include sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, bonded labor (also called debt bondage), domestic servitude, forced criminality, forced child labor, and the unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers.

https://www.state.gov/guidelines-for-submitting-full-project-proposals-fp/ https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fafsitsm.serivce-now.com%2Films%2Fhome&data=02%7C01%7CVerlaqueMR%40state.gov%7C4dc77b22448245fdc62b08d833fa443a%7C66cf50745afe48d1a691a12b2121f44b%7C0%7C0%7C637316497258315503&sdata=csaR8NfRpyw7WtLN9WCJNWF4MEJG%2B2pJEZco0D0W6wA%3D&reserved=0 mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov

The U.S. government defines “trafficking in persons” as:

Sex Trafficking – when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person to engage in a commercial sex act or when a trafficker causes a child who has not attained 18 years of age to engage in a commercial sex act.

Forced Labor – when a trafficker recruits, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains a person for labor or services by using force, fraud, or coercion.

Trafficking in persons does not require the movement of a person. Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and generally consistent with the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in

Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol), individuals may be trafficking victims regardless of whether they once consented, they participated in unlawful acts their traffickers compelled them to commit, someone transported them into the exploitative situation, or they were simply born into a state of servitude. The TIP Office will not support projects that use alternate definitions of trafficking.

The TVPA requires that the Department of State submit to Congress an annual report assessing the efforts of governments to address trafficking in persons. The annual TIP Report is the primary tool for the Department’s engagement with other governments on human trafficking and informs U.S.

policy and assistance priorities to combat this crime. The 2020 TIP Report is available at: https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report-2020/.

Since 2000, when the United Nations adopted the Palermo Protocol and the

United States enacted the TVPA, the number of parties to the Protocol has reached 178. In addition, 154 countries have criminalized all forms of trafficking, and many countries have established specialized law enforcement units, set up trafficking victim assistance mechanisms, and launched public awareness campaigns. Nonetheless, the number of victims identified and assisted and the number of traffickers investigated, prosecuted, and convicted remain low relative to the size of the problem; and governments face continued challenges in effectively implementing new anti-trafficking legal and policy frameworks.

The TIP Office works to address these challenges through its foreign assistance programs. Information on U.S. government anti-trafficking efforts is available at https://www.state.gov/j/tip/response/index.htm and a https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report-2020/ https://www.state.gov/j/tip/response/index.htm summary of international projects currently funded by the TIP Office is available at https://www.state.gov/j/tip/intprog/index.htm.

2020 Annual Program Statement to Address the Impacts of COVID-19

This annual program statement announces the beginning of an open, one-stage competitive process to award grants and cooperative agreements to address the impacts of COVID-19 on effort to combat human trafficking and support government measures to counter human trafficking. The Annual

Program Statement is open for approximately one year (August 14– June 30, 2021), during which U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations (including faith-based organizations), public international organizations, institutes of higher education, and for-profit entities can submit applications at any time. Applicants must submit separate applications for each country or regional priority proposed if pursuing multiple awards. Applicants should not propose the same concept more than once under this funding opportunity. Applicants are required to submit a project narrative, logic model, budget summary, and line-item budget in the templates available on SAMS Domestic. Applicants are highly encouraged to use the guidelines available on the TIP Office website and SAMS

Domestic when preparing applications.

Priorities for Funding

The TIP Office recognizes the pressures governments and civil society organizations are under to combat human trafficking and manage the impacts of COVID-19. As such, the TIP Office encourages applicants to propose innovative concepts to address the impacts of COVID-19 on efforts to combat human trafficking and support government measures to counter human trafficking. Applications are encouraged to note recommendations in the TIP Report and link proposed activities to the recommendations as best as possible. While the TIP Office highly recommends applicants develop and propose their own activities, below are a few examples of activities that could be proposed under this announcement.

Examples of activities may include, but are not limited to:

Activities that support research and analysis to identify how COVID-

19 and governments’ responses have impacted human trafficking trends at the local, national, regional, or global level;

Activities that support victim identification and screening efforts by:

https://www.state.gov/j/tip/intprog/index.htm o Assisting governments to better screen and identify victims of trafficking among communities made more vulnerable as a result of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders;

o Working closely with source and destination governments to increase human trafficking screening procedures in the workplace, particularly for migrant workers who face increased vulnerability to exploitation by traffickers as the economy reopens;

o Facilitating the safe self-identification of victims;

Activities that support collaborative cross-border case management with law enforcement by:

o Assisting governments with the repatriation of identified survivors of trafficking who may not have the capacity due to

COVID-19;

o Facilitating virtual court systems and witness testimony to support prosecutions during a time of decreased or closed state services, such as social distancing in courtrooms and witness testimony;

Activities that provide access to services and resources for victims and survivors that may have decreased as a result of COVID-19 and government responses;

Activities that respond to emerging evidence on increased types of trafficking as a result of COVID-19 by:

o Addressing the surge in traffickers using the internet to abuse of their victims by working with governments to identify and crack down on these types of cybercrimes.

Applicants should not propose the following activities:

Funding that solely requests resources and humanitarian support, such as funding for personal protective equipment, not directly related to combating trafficking;

Activities focusing on promoting the economy to improve employment opportunities for vulnerable populations, such as livelihood sustainability or micro-loans;

Activities solely focused on convening conferences or coordination events;

Stand-alone public awareness campaigns and/or public awareness events;

Activities that duplicate or supplant the efforts of local, state or federal authorities.

Funding for salaries or equipment for Government officials;

Activities to lobby for specific legislation or programs;

Study tours, individual scholarships, or exchange projects; and

Fundraising campaigns.

Applicants may propose their own countries or regions to work in, keeping in mind the TIP Office generally prioritizes foreign assistance in those countries assessed below Tier 1 and where governments demonstrate political will, but lack the economic resources or anti-trafficking expertise to effectively address the problem. Applicants may propose to work in one or more countries, but when selecting countries applicants should consider a country’s income level as indicated by the World Bank, tier ranking as indicated by the TIP Report, and other anti-trafficking funding.

The TIP Office may fund activities in developed countries, but the use of foreign assistance funding to benefit a developed country requires additional review. Applicants should ensure that inclusion of developed countries is responsive to the TIP Office's programming objectives. The TIP Office considers developed countries to be those designed as high income by the

World Bank using the gross national income (GNI) per capita (Atlas method https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519). The current threshold for high-income countries (based on 2016 data) is a GNI per capita of $12,236 or more.

Any funds awarded under this funding opportunity will be provided through a grant or cooperative agreement. While a typical grant provides for involvement between the agency and award recipient, a cooperative agreement provides for substantial involvement between the agency and the award recipient during the award’s period of performance. Substantial involvement by the TIP Office in this award will include the approval of all projects selected for sub-awards with funding awarded under this funding opportunity. Other examples of substantial involvement by the TIP Office may include, but are not limited to, reviewing and approving project materials, training curricula, and evaluation plans.

https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

Organizations eligible to apply include U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations (including faith-based organizations), for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and public international organizations (PIOs). For-profit organizations are not permitted to generate profits from grant-funded activities. U.S. government agencies may respond to this opportunity with applications for proposed projects that would be funded through an Interagency Acquisition Agreement. While foreign governments are not eligible to apply, governments may be beneficiaries of projects provided that funding does not pay salaries of government agency personnel and that such assistance is not restricted by U.S. law or policy.

Organizations currently receiving funds from the TIP Office may apply for additional funding under the present funding opportunity. The eligibility requirements for applying to this funding opportunity do not restrict applicants from receiving other sources of funding from the United States government, including funding from other bureaus within the Department of

State. However, related U.S. government funding must be identified in the application. Applicants should demonstrate experience administering successful projects—preferably in human trafficking or related areas and in the identified country or sub-region.

Under this funding opportunity, applicants may partner with other organizations in submitting application(s). Applicants partnering with other organizations must identify the prime applicant, and the applicant may designate one or more partner organizations as sub-recipients. Please note, all mandatory terms and conditions for a successful applicant also apply to any sub-awards awarded.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing, cost matching, and cost participation are not required to carry out a project under this funding opportunity. While not required, applicants can propose to include voluntary cost-share. Applications that include voluntary cost share will not be evaluated differently than other applications. Applicants voluntarily proposing cost share must read the instructions below regarding budget documents that are required to be submitted under this announcement. Applicants should list the cost share amount in the SF-424 under Section C - 8b and Section D - 14.

D. APPLICATION INFORMATION AND RESTRICTIONS

1. Address to Request Application Package

All applications must be submitted via SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do). The final submission date for an application to be submitted under this announcement is by 5:00p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on June 30, 2021. The TIP

Office will NOT accept applications or updated documents submitted by any other method, including email, fax, the postal system, delivery companies, couriers, or U.S. embassies. Applicants may submit more than one application to address different priorities; however, each application should only be submitted once.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to initiate electronic applications early in the application development process and to the application in advance of the deadline. This will aid in addressing any problems with submissions prior to the application deadline. No exceptions will be made for organizations that have not completed the necessary steps to submit applications on SAMS Domestic.

Applications Submitted Through SAMS Domestic

Organizations using SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do) for the first time must register on the SAMS Domestic site to create a New Applicant account as soon as possible. This application step must be completed before an application can be submitted.

To register with SAMS Domestic, follow the “create an account” link and complete the “SAMS Domestic User Registration Request” application form.

Users will receive an email requesting account verification. This verification step must be completed before an application can be submitted.

Please contact JTIPGrants@state.gov after the account has been created to ensure the account is associated with the correct organization. Electronic https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do applications submitted via SAMS Domestic must contain completed SF-424 online forms and documents specified in this funding opportunity.

To upload the application, go to SAMS Domestic, select “Apply, then

Funding Opportunities,” and select the “Office to Monitor and Combat

Trafficking in Persons Programs” funding opportunity. Select the “Apply

Here” button, enter the applicant organization’s information, and click Save.

Complete each section of the application in the corresponding section of the

Additional Documents to Be Submitted Tab: Online Standard Forms (SF-

424, SF-424 A, SF-424 B) and Project Narrative.

Please ensure that you select the box, “allow anyone in my organization to edit this proposal”, to ensure members of your organization have access to edit this proposal.

For assistance with SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do), please contact the ILMS Support Desk at 1-888-313-4567 (toll free for international callers) or submit a ticket using the ILMS Self Service Portal

(https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home). Customer Support is available

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note support hours may change on

Federal holidays. Please direct questions regarding the process of uploading applications to Customer Support. Technical difficulties not resolved by the

Support Desk by the time of submission must be fully documented and reported to the TIP Office at JTIPGrants@state.gov. Please do not contact any other U.S. Department of State personnel.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

To be considered for funding, all applications must address the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity. All required documents submitted must be written in the English language using documents with one-inch margins formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper only unless otherwise stated. All documents should use text that is black-colored and no less than 12 point in

Times New Roman font. The required project narrative template is set to a

27,000 character limit with 12 Times New Roman font. Any application that does not submit the required project narrative template with these font restrictions will fail the technical review. All budget figures should be in

U.S. dollars.

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Submission of PDF files will not be accepted and will result in automatic failure of the technical review.

Please reference the Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals when preparing an application. The document includes guidelines for proposed project documents, as well as program design standards, that must be incorporated into any application submitted under this funding opportunity. Applicants must review and incorporate the Guidelines for

Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals, including the program design standards. This guidance is available on the TIP Office website, SAMS

Domestic, and grants.gov.

Complete applications must include the following documents in the required templates (on SAMS Domestic) to be considered for funding:

Online Forms - SF 424, SF 424A, and SF 424B.

Project Narrative – Required template available on SAMS Domestic

(This has template 27,000 character limit).

Logical Framework – Required template available on SAMS

Domestic.

Budget Summary – Required template on SAMS Domestic.

Line-item Budget – Required template on SAMS Domestic.

Applications selected for funding will be required to submit additional documents, including, but not limited to, a project timeline, project budget narrative, project common performance indicators, resumes/CVs for key personnel of the project, letters of intent to cooperate on project activities (if applicable), certification of training requirement for victim assistance personnel (is applicable), and NICRA (if applicable).

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM –

Required

A valid Unique Entity Identifier [formerly the Data Universal Numbering

System (DUNS)] is not required for submission of an application on SAMS

Domestic; however, a valid UEI number is required for organizations selected for an award. Organizations should verify their UEI number or take the steps needed to obtain one as soon as possible. Instructions for obtaining a UEI number can be found at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

Please register with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) when submitting applications. Selected grantees will be required to have an active registration in SAM.gov. Although registration is not required prior to submitting an application via SAMS Domestic, all applicants should register at SAM.gov as soon as possible to avoid future delays. Organizations that have SAM.gov accounts must log in at least once every 13 months (395 days) to maintain an active registration. Please reactivate any accounts that have become inactive when submitting applications.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that it has an active registration in SAMS Domestic. Applicants are required to document that the application has been received in its entirety by SAMS Domestic. The

TIP Office bears no responsibility for disqualification that results from applicants not being registered before the due date, for system errors in

SAMS Domestic, or other errors in the application process.

4. Submission Dates and Times

This Annual Program Statement is open for a full year (August 14– June 30, 2021) for applications to be submitted on a rolling basis. The TIP Office will evaluate any applications submitted by the following four dates against the evaluation criteria:

Applications Received Before Estimated

Review Process

Anticipated

Award

Series 1 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on September 30, 2020

Oct – Dec 2020 December 2020

/ January 2021

Series 2 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on December 30, 2020

Jan – Mar 2021 March 2021

Series 3 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on March 30, 2021

Apr – Jun 2021 June 2021

Series 4 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on June 30, 2021

*All applicants will be notified regarding their application status as soon as a decision is made.

All applications must be submitted via SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do) and no applications will be considered for funding after 5:00p.m. Eastern Daylight

Time (EDT) on June 30, 2021. To be competitive under this funding opportunity, applicants must be fully responsive to all directions in this document.

5. Funding Restrictions

Construction

The TIP Office restricts the use of Federal assistance for construction purposes. Construction costs are defined as non-major costs for rearrangement and alteration or reconversion or renovation of facilities. Construction would include ordinary or normal alterations, restoration or rehabilitation such as any work that modifies buildings and/or grounds. This includes but is not limited to adding, replacing, modifying, relocating, removing, or painting doors, walls, windows, flooring or the alterations of ceilings, adding on to or dividing existing space or work on any building utility system, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, air conditioning, controls systems, fire alarms, fire sprinklers, security systems and telecommunication equipment. Federal assistance funds cannot be used for capital improvements unless specifically approved in advance by the TIP

Office.

Equipment and Supplies

Equipment is herein defined as an article of non-expendable, tangible, personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost in excess of $5,000. Please note that if equipment costs are included in an application, the organization must retain ownership of all equipment obtained throughout the lifetime of the federal award. (This includes any equipment funded with cost sharing or matching funds.) At the end of the award, you must complete federal SF-428 forms in order for the TIP Office Grants Officer to evaluate whether the item(s) be retained, sold, or disposed of without any further obligation to the Department of

State.

Supplies are herein defined as all tangible personal property other than those described in Equipment. Note that if there is a residual inventory of unused supplies exceeding $5,000 in total aggregate value upon completion of the project and the supplies are not needed for any other Federal award, your https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants entity must retain the supplies for use on other activities or sell them, but must, in either case, compensate the Department of State for its share. The amount of compensation will be computed in the same manner as for

Equipment.

Foreign assistance funds may not benefit countries or entities that are not eligible recipients of United States foreign assistance or for which there are applicable assistance restrictions. Applicants shall work with the

Department of State to ensure that any applicable restrictions and requirements are addressed prior to awarding any sub-awards.

In addition, applicants should refer to the U.S. Department of State Policy on the Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance

Services or Equipment, which is described under the “Administrative and

National Policy Requirements” section of this NOFO.

6. Other Submission Requirements

All applications under this funding opportunity must be submitted via

SAMS Domestic

(https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/ilms/portal_login.do). The TIP

Office will not accept application materials by email.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

Reviewers will evaluate applications based on their own merits. Reviewers will use the below evaluation criteria, which are based off the programming priorities and the Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals and Program Design Standards (https://www.state.gov/guidelines-for-submitting-full-project-proposals-fp/). Applicants must review the below criteria to fully understand how applications will be reviewed and evaluated for potential funding. The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications and are listed in order of descending priority. Parenthetical references are directly linked to the Program Design Standards Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Proposals (FP).

Quality of Project Idea

The project goal fits within TIP Office policy and programming priorities

(Alignment). The application demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of the country context and problem or problems that need to be solved.

Applicants demonstrate strong knowledge of human trafficking issues and the trafficking context in the country or sub-region where the project would take place. There is a logical or evidence-based connection between the program or project activities proposed and the change that is sought as well as the goal that is stated and the current context (Relevance). The goals and objective(s) reflect at least one element of systemic-level or institutional change; there is no assumption individual-level change will lead to institutional change (Maximize Contribution).

Project Planning and Ability to Make Change

The change stated is a difference external to the implementing partner

(Change). Objectives articulate one concept each (One Concept) and state the target population central to achieving change and activities engage those with the power to support/prevent the change (Target Population). As appropriate, applications obtain input and expertise from survivor employees/experts in developing the project and/or propose survivor-led organizations as sub-grantees or partners. The application incorporates the identification, assessment and management of key risk factors (included but not limited to physical safety, cyber security, programmatic operating environment, and organizational structure) (Plausibility). Ambiguous terms are clearly defined (Clarity).

Addressing Urgent Needs

The application demonstrates the urgent need for the proposed activities and how these anti-trafficking efforts directly link to the impacts of COVID-19.

The application clearly identifies a timeframe for how long the urgent need may persist and how this aligns with the proposed activities under the project.

Institutional Record and Capacity

The application establishes the applicants ability to implement the anti-trafficking project in the specific country or sub-region. For prior recipients of both TIP Office and other U.S. government funding, the TIP Office will consider the past performance on awards. For new applicants, the TIP

Office will evaluate the organizations potential to successfully implement a project. Applicant is able to adhere to the rules and regulations that govern

U.S. foreign assistance. Applicant identifies well-qualified key personnel to manage the project and oversee implementation.

Sustainability

The application’s activities promote sustainable intervention practices and build the capacity of local communities, including both local government institutions and civil society, to address human trafficking challenges in the future. Applications will also be evaluated on how well they promote, strengthen, and build the capacity of local institutions and on the extent to which activities are supported by sustainable local organizations that can effectively combat trafficking beyond the life of the award.

Local Partnerships

Public International Organizations and/or applicants not based in the proposed region describe any existing or proposed partnerships with in-country stakeholders. Applications demonstrate a clear understanding of the role that local organizations and institutions play in combating human trafficking and describe how they will coordinate with local partners to increase sustainability and to ensure programming is context appropriate. In cases where an applicant chooses not to partner with a local organization or institution the application must clearly explain why.

Coordination with Other Donors and Programs

The TIP Office encourages coordination among donors and implementers.

The application identifies related projects or activities that the applicant may already be implementing or planning. Information shall include a brief description of the programming, information on its funder, and a description of how the proposed project would complement and avoid duplicating current or planned activities.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

Applications include a theory of change that is clearly articulated (Clarity).

Project narrative explains how monitoring and evaluation will be carried out and who will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation activities.

External midterm and/or final evaluation or justification for why one is not included.

Budget Detail and Cost Effectiveness:

The overhead and administrative components of the application are well explained and justified. All costs should be necessary and appropriate to the execution of the project. The presentation of each line item and corresponding budget narrative demonstrates that the organization’s efforts will be consistent with sound financial management practices. If cost share is offered, it is shown and broken down into the required budget categories.

2. Review and Selection Process

This Annual Program Statement is an open-ended, annual funding opportunity to generate competition for new awards. It is open for a full year

(August 14– June 30, 2021) for applications to be submitted on a rolling basis. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year.

Applications will be reviewed four times throughout the year on the above dates.

The TIP Office will evaluate any applications submitted by the following four dates against the evaluation criteria:

Applications Received Before Estimated

Review Process

Anticipated

Award

Series 1 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on September 30, 2020

Oct – Dec 2020 December 2020

/ January 2021

Series 2 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on December 30, 2020

Jan – Mar 2021 March 2021

Series 3 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on March 30, 2021

Apr – Jun 2021 June 2021

Series 4 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT) on June 30, 2021

*All applicants will be notified regarding their application status as soon as a decision is made.

Applications will be screened to determine whether they meet the technical requirements stated in this announcement. Applications will be deemed ineligible during the technical review process and will not be considered for funding if they: (1) do not address the impacts of COVID-19 on trafficking in persons; (2) propose an activity not considered competitive under this funding opportunity; and/or (3) do not meet the technical review requirements listed in this funding opportunity.

Applications that pass the technical review will proceed to a programmatic content review by representatives of the TIP Office COVID-19 Working

Group and other U.S. Government colleagues with specific geographic and thematic expertise. Reviewers will consider each application based on its own merit in accordance with the evaluation criteria established in this funding opportunity. Following the technical and programmatic content review, representatives of the TIP Office COVID-19 Working Group will present recommendations to the Ambassador-at-Large of the Office to

Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons for consideration. Any applications submitted under this funding opportunity may be shared with other U.S. Government colleagues for potential funding.

Please note, with the exception of technical submission questions during the funding process, U.S. Department of State staff in Washington and overseas shall not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire review process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been transmitted. All questions related to the funding process and content of this funding opportunity must be submitted via email to JTIPGrants@state.gov.

3. Pre-Award Risk Assessment

Applicants will be subject to a TIP Office risk assessment process that may include a pre-award site visit. The assessment may consider a variety of risk factors, including: (1) financial stability of applicants; (2) quality of management systems and ability to meet prescribed management standards;

(3) past performance in managing previous federal awards, if applicable, including compliance with reporting requirements, and conformance to award terms and conditions; (4) reports and findings from available audits;

and (5) applicant ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements applicable to non-federal entities.

4. Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)

For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold on any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity may include, over the period of performance (see

§200.88 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants:

i. That the Federal awarding agency, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. §2313);

ii. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM; and,

iii. That the Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.205

Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

5. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

The TIP Office anticipates making a decision on applications on a quarterly basis and will notify all applicants of their application status at that time through JTIPGrants@state.gov. Shortly after applications are selected, the

Program Advisors at the TIP Office will work with the selected organization(s) to clarify aspects of their application and award the funds.

All funding decisions are conditional until a final award is signed by both the TIP Office and the applicant selected to receive the award.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

Following the internal review process, applicants can expect to hear from the

TIP Office via email regarding the status of their application. An email stating that an applicant was chosen for further consideration does not authorize the organization to begin performance. All selected applications are conditional until the funds have officially been authorized and awarded by the grants officer.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Standard Terms and Conditions: Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include: 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, Certifications and

Assurances, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions, all of which are available at: https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/pages/home.aspx. Note the U.S Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions.

Anti-Prostitution Policy and Requirements: Grantees are required to agree to the following conditions prior to a grant being awarded:

1. None of the funds made available herein may be used to promote, support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution. Nothing in the preceding sentence shall be construed to preclude assistance designed to combat trafficking in persons, including programs projects for prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers and others who profit from trafficking in persons, by ameliorating the suffering of, or health risks to, victims while they are being trafficked or after they are out of the situation that resulted from such victims being trafficked.

2. The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this award.

Training Certification: All organizations receiving funds must agree to the following:

“This organization hereby certifies that, to the extent practicable, persons or entities providing legal services, social services, health services, or other assistance have completed, or will complete, training in connection with trafficking in persons.” The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this award. TVPA sec. 107A(b)(1) (22 U.S.C. 7105A(b)(1)).

Special Provision for Performance in a Designated Combat Area: Each federal assistance award within areas of combat operations or future contingency operation, as designated by the Secretary of Defense, over https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/pages/home.aspx

$150,000 or providing for performance over 30 days must be registered in the Department of Defense maintained Synchronized Pre-deployment and

Operational Tracker (SPOT) system. Each federal assistance award shall be registered in SPOT before personnel deployment. Requirements are fully outlined in the award agreements for recipients.

Leahy Vetting Requirement: This requirement applies to training or other assistance to be furnished to any unit or individual member of the security forces of a foreign country. Leahy vetting is required when training or assistance is provided to foreign security forces, including when such assistance is provided under a grant or cooperative agreement. Department guidance provides the following information on the type of personnel who are considered security forces and thus must be vetted under Leahy:

“The Leahy amendment refers to the ‘security forces of a foreign country.’ It makes no distinction between military and civilian. The key is whether the individual is a member of a security force unit. In broad terms, any division or entity (to include an individual) authorized by a State or political subdivision (city, county, etc.) to use force (including but not limited to the power to search, detain, and arrest) to accomplish its mission would be considered a security force. ‘Security forces’ thus could be units of law enforcement or the military. Prison guards, customs police, border police, tax police, and the coast guard would be examples of the types of units included in the category of ‘security forces.’ Members of these types of units should be considered as subject to the Leahy Amendment and be vetted either as individuals or as part of the unit being trained. Examples of persons who are not considered ‘security forces’ include: government bureaucrats, prosecutors, judges, civilian members of NGOs, international organizations or task forces and forensic lab workers.”

Leahy Vetting requirements will be fully outlined in the award agreements for recipients. The vetting process may take considerable time, and applicants should plan training activities with sufficient time for vetting to be completed. All successful applicants, including prior grantees, will be required to complete a new Leahy Vetting training module prior to the award of new projects.

Executive Order Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in

Persons in Federal Contracts:

Any applicant’s hiring process must be consistent with the U.S.

government’s regulations on preventing human trafficking among federal contractors and grantees, specifically:

U.S. law and regulations expressly prohibit federal contractors, subcontractors, grantees, sub-grantees, and their agents/employees from engaging in certain trafficking-related practices, such as misleading or fraudulent recruitment practices; charging employees recruitment fees; and destroying or confiscating employees' identity documents, such as a passport or a driver’s license.

See 22 U.S.C. § 17104(g) (as amended by recent TVPRA); Federal

Acquisition Regulation, 48 C.F.R. § 52.222-50 (Combating Trafficking in

Persons); see also Federal Acquisition Regulation, 83 FR 65466 (Dec. 20, 2018) (Combating Trafficking in Persons—Definition of “Recruitment

Fees”).

U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security: Applicants are encouraged to review the goals of the U.S. National Action Plan on

Women, Peace, and Security for their relevance to applications. In particular, Outcome 3.3 of the Plan provides guidance on efforts to combat trafficking:

“Engage with international and/or civil society organizations to ensure that standard operational procedures are in place to prevent human trafficking, especially among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including appropriate assistance and procedures for unaccompanied minors, to identify potential trafficked persons, and to refer survivors to appropriate service providers. As appropriate, provide support to international and civil society organizations to set up emergency care services for trafficking survivors”

And:

“Promote establishment of local coalitions or taskforces comprised of relevant government authorities and civil society organizations to combat human trafficking as part of the justice reform measures in post-conflict areas.”

U.S. Department of State Policy on Disabilities: The U.S. government has made a commitment to protect and advance human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people, including persons with disabilities. To that end, the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) seeks to ensure that every person living with a disability can benefit from the same access and protections, in the United States and abroad.

U.S. Department of State Policy on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) Individuals: In preparing applications, applicants are reminded that the Department’s priorities for advancing LGBTI equality abroad are to eliminate violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Advancing the human rights of LGBTI people, as with our support for other marginalized or vulnerable people, complements and reinforces other U.S. foreign policy priorities, including strengthening civil society, promoting the rule of law, supporting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls, protecting refugees and asylum seekers, and furthering anti-trafficking efforts, among others. Due to these intersections, violations or abuses of the human rights of LGBTI people often also have negative implications for other U.S. foreign policy priorities.

U.S. Department of State Policy on the Prohibition on Certain

Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment:

Grantees are prohibited from obligating or expending grant funds for covered telecommunications equipment or services to: (1) procure or obtain, extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain; (2) enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure; or (3) obtain the equipment, services, or systems. Covered telecommunications equipment and services mean any of the following: (i) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei

Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities); (ii) For the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security…