DOS-CPT-202001 Opportunity Funds.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY SOUTH AFRICA PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Funding Opportunity Title: 2020/2021 EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program

Funding Opportunity Number: DOS-CPT-202001

Announcement type: Cooperative Agreement

CFDA Number: 19.022

Deadline for Applications: May 7, 2020

Total Amount Available: $90,000

Contact:

For questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-

4726. For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, please contact the Grants

Administrator: capetowngrants@state.gov

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project focused on promoting U.S. higher education opportunities for high-achieving, financially disadvantaged South African students. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

Priority Region: Project activities must take place in South Africa and the United States and be directed at South African audiences/participants.

Program Objectives:

This project supports the U.S. Mission to South Africa’s 2020/2021 EducationUSA Opportunity

Funds Program (OFP), which assists highly qualified students who wish to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degree program at an accredited post-secondary institution in the

United States, and who are likely to be awarded full financial aid from such U.S. colleges and universities, but lack the financial resources to cover the up-front costs. U.S. Government-sponsored Opportunity Funds provide qualified students with financial support for the costs of required standardized admission tests, university or college application fees, international and domestic airfare, visa fees, SEVIS fees, and settling-in allowances.

The grantee will be expected to work in close coordination with the U.S. Mission to South

Africa’s Public Affairs Sections and EducationUSA advisors located in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. EducationUSA Advisors are part of the U.S. Department of

State’s network to promote U.S. higher education and offer accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United

States.

Organizations interested in bidding on this grant are asked to submit a proposal to administer the

Opportunity Funds Program for the U.S. Mission to South Africa for the 2020-2021 academic year cycle. This project consists of managing two phases of the program:

Phase One: Create a procedure to identify and select no more than an estimated 40 high achieving, but low-income students from across South Africa who would be eligible for mailto:capetowngrants@state.gov

Opportunity Funds. These are students whose academic record would qualify them to be accepted and receive financial aid to attend a U.S. higher education institution. Coordinate and pay for the required standardized U.S. admission tests for these selected students, and prepare them, either virtually or in person, for these U.S. admission tests. If necessary, pay for domestic travel and per diem costs to enable them to get to the nearest testing site. In addition, the grantee will offer virtual or in person advising to the selected students on all aspects of the U.S.

university or college application process, including school selection, financial aid, essay writing, and other elements that make up a strong application. The grantee will also cover university/college application expenses, including financial aid applications. Throughout this phase, the grantee will work closely with the EducationUSA advisors in Cape Town, Durban and

Johannesburg.

Phase Two: Out of these 40 students in phase one, manage the pre-departure and travel logistics for an estimated 20 OFP students whose applications to U.S. universities or colleges have been successful. This includes arranging for and paying U.S. visa and SEVIS fees, South African domestic airfare and per diem where necessary for U.S. Consulate visa appointments, airfare to their U.S. institution, and settling-in allowances or other expenses related to beginning their U.S.

tertiary program. The grantee will coordinate visa appointments at our Consulates with respective EducationUSA advisors. In partnership with the EducationUSA advisors, the grantee will also offer virtual or in-person pre-departure briefings to ensure students know what to expect before they travel.

The grantee will be expected to demonstrate strong knowledge of the U.S. higher education system and the application process, as well as an understanding of the South African basic and higher education systems. In addition, the grantee should be able to demonstrate experience in project and financial management and accounting, as well as monitoring and reporting. The grantee will have excellent communication skills and be expected to regularly share progress and outcomes with the EducationUSA advisors and Coordinator.

Participants and Audiences:

The intended audience is high achieving, low income South African high school and university students.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 18 months

Number of awards anticipated: one award

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $80,000 to a maximum of $90,000

Total expected funding: $90,000

Type of expected funding: FY20 Fulbright Hays funding

Anticipated program start date: June 15, 2020

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

This award will be a cooperative agreement. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates will be substantially involved in approving the grantee’s process to identify eligible Opportunity Fund students. The U.S. Mission will engage with the grantee to ensure virtual training and support by the grantee to Opportunity Funds students is accurate and up-to-date. Mission South Africa will provide access to the Mission’s American Spaces for events, gatherings, and other activities for high school and university students and parents, and provide access to the EducationUSA social media platforms for outreach and to amplify the OFP. The grantee will be expected to participate in monthly EducationUSA advisor calls, and provide oral debriefs, and report challenges or achievements to the EducationUSA Coordinators located in the Public Affairs

Section of the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town.

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 18 months or less.

The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The following United States and South African organizations are eligible to apply:

● Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations;

● Public and non-profit educational institutions.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost-sharing is not required.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must have organizational representation (i.e. a pre-existing office) in South Africa.

All organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun &

Bradstreet and CAGE/NCAGE number, as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. See

Section D 1, number 6 for information on applying.

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award

Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

http://www.sam.gov/ https://sam.gov/ https://sam.gov/

Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible for further consideration.

Application forms must be submitted to capetowngrants@state.gov

Applications are accepted in English only. Final grant agreements will be concluded in English.

Applications must include a detailed budget spreadsheet and budgets must be submitted in U.S.

dollars.

All pages must be numbered, and all Microsoft Word documents must be formatted in single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman Font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

Documents submitted by disc, portable hard drive, cloud-based file sharing service, or other mechanisms will not be reviewed.

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization.

Application forms required below are available at https://www.grants.gov/

1. Content and Form of Application Submission

The following documents are required:

1. Mandatory application forms

● SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations)

● SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

2. Summary Page: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program.

3. Proposal: The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below.

● Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed project, including project objectives and anticipated impact.

● Introduction to the Organization applying: A description of past and present operations, particularly those in U.S. or South African higher education preparation and training showing ability and knowledge to carry out the project, including experience managing budgets, working with youth, arranging travel logistics, and engaging with higher education officials. Also include experience with any previous grants from the U.S. Embassy in South Africa and/or U.S. government agencies.

● Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the project is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable.

● Project Activities, Method, Timeline and Locations: Describe the project activities and how they will help achieve the goals and objectives. Include a timeline and the locations and methods of planned activities and events.

mailto:capetowngrants@state.gov https://www.grants.gov/

● Target audiences and participants: Describe how you will promote this project to target audiences and what process you will use to identify high achieving, low income

South African students who are eligible to receive Opportunity Funds.

● Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the project, demonstrating knowledge of the U.S. higher education system and the application process (including standardized testing); an understanding of the

South African basic and higher education system; and budget and travel management experience. What proportion of their time will key personnel spend in support of this project?

● Project Partners: List the names and type of involvement of any key partner organizations and sub-awardees.

● Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time-frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the project be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant? Include output and outcome indicators.

4. Budget Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget form (listed above), use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H below for further information. For the purpose of this budget proposal, please work with the estimate of 40 students in the total OFP cohort, and 20 students who receive admissions to U.S.

institutions.

5. Attachments:

● 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program.

● Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner, if applicable.

● If your organization has a NICRA and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file (this only pertains to U.S. based organizations).

● Official permission letters, if required, for program activities.

6. Required Registrations:

All organizations applying for grants must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

● Unique entity identifier from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)

● NCAGE/CAGE code

● www.SAM.gov registration

Step 1: Apply for a DUNS number and an NCAGE number (these can be completed simultaneously)

DUNS application: Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet. If your organization does not have one already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866-705-5711 or visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

NCAGE application: Application page here:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx

Instructions for the NCAGE application process:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NC

AGE.pdf

For NCAGE help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423

For NCAGE help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766

Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil for any problems in getting an NCAGE code.

Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE Code and DUNS number, proceed to register in SAM.gov by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

For information about SAM registration, please contact the Federal Service Desk at www.fsd.gov, or by telephone at 866-606-8220 (toll free) or 334-206-7828

(internationally), for free help. DUNS, CAGE/NCAGE, and SAM registration are no-fee registration processes. No payment is required. The Embassy of the United States in

South Africa and its Consulates are unable to provide guidance or technical support with these registration processes.

SAM supporting Federal Service Desk can help with:

● Creating an account

● Assigning roles to an account

● Entity Registrations

● Exclusions

● Searching for data in SAM

2. Submission Dates and Times

Applications are due before midnight South Africa time, on May 7, 2020.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

A Grant Review Committee will review all eligible applications. The guiding principle in evaluating and rating each application is:

● Will the desired outcomes of the project be achieved?

● Are the goals and objectives well understood, and is the plan of action likely to succeed?

● How will success be measured?

Here are some of the factors the Grant Review Committee will consider when making this assessment:

Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and has the internal controls in place to manage federal funds. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.

Applicants must demonstrate their capacity for:

● Project management https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf mailto:NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil https://www.sam.gov/ http://www.fsd.gov/

● Communication – written and oral

● Monitoring and evaluation processes

● Financial integrity

● Appropriate staffing

● Capacity to award sub-grants at a national level

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Budget: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities.

Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure project success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The proposal includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured.

2. 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;

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.

4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

The successful recipient will be notified by June 1, 2020, with the anticipated award date to be by June 15, 2020.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

The grant award or cooperative agreement will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email. The recipient may only start incurring program expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grants Officer.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S.

government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Payment Method: Payment will be made by EFT. For South African bank accounts, the exchange rate on the date of the transaction will be used.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

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.

3. Reporting

Reporting Requirements: Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The award document will specify how often these reports must be submitted. It is anticipated that reports will be due within thirty days of each three-month period, and within ninety days of the final completion of the award period.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

For questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-

4726.

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, please contact the U.S. Consulate Cape

Town Grants Administrator: capetowngrants@state.gov.

H. OTHER INFORMATION

Guidelines for Budget Justification https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/pages/home.aspx

Personnel and Fringe Benefits: Describe the wages, salaries, and benefits of temporary or permanent staff who will be working directly for the applicant on the program, and the percentage of their time that will be spent on the program.

Travel: Estimate the costs of travel and per diem for this program, for program staff, consultants or speakers, and participants/beneficiaries. If the program involves international travel, include a brief statement of justification for that travel.

Equipment: Describe any machinery, furniture, or other personal property that is required for the program, which has a useful life of more than one year (or a life longer than the duration of the program), and costs at least $5,000 per unit.

Supplies: List and describe all the items and materials, including any computer devices, that are needed for the program. If an item costs more than $5,000 per unit, then put it in the budget under Equipment.

Contractual: Describe goods and services that the applicant plans to acquire through a contract with a vendor. Also describe any sub-awards to non-profit partners that will help carry out the program activities.

Other Direct Costs: Describe other costs directly associated with the program, which do not fit in the other categories. For example, shipping costs for materials and equipment or applicable taxes. All “Other” or “Miscellaneous” expenses must be itemized and explained.

Indirect Costs: These are costs that cannot be linked directly to the program activities, such as overhead costs needed to help keep the organization operating. If your organization has a

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, attach a copy of your latest NICRA. Organizations that have never had a NICRA may request indirect costs of 10% of the modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68.

“Cost Sharing” refers to contributions from the organization or other entities other than the U.S.

Embassy. It also includes in-kind contributions such as volunteers’ time and donated venues.

Alcoholic Beverages: Please note that award funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.