Amendment 1 NOFO No. 72067424APS00001.pdf

Issue Date: December 06, 2023

Subject: Amendment 1 of Notice of Funding Opportunity NO.

72067424APS00001, Southern Africa Regional Investigative Journalism Activity – South Africa Addendum

New Submission date: January 12, 2024 at 17H00 PM South African Time

Dear Applicant:

The purpose of this Amendment #01 is to provide USAID responses to all questions received from prospective applicants and extend the deadline date for the concept notes.

The United States Agency for International Development Mission to Southern Africa (USAID/SA) hereby issues Amendment No. 01 to Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) No.

72067424APS00001, Southern Africa Regional Investigative Journalism Activity – South Africa Addendum. Under this amendment, the following changes are being made to the NOFO:

● The deadline date for submission of concept notes is being extended to January 12, 2024 at 17H00 PM on South African Time.

● Questions received from the prospective applicants and USAID responses are hereby provided and attached as enclosure 1 to this Amendment #01.

All other terms and conditions of the subject NOFO and the addendum remain unchanged.

Sincerely, George Boateng Agreement Officer USAID/Southern Africa

Enclosure: (1) USAID Responses to Questions

ENCLOSURE (1): USAID Responses to Questions Received under NOFO NO.

72067424APS00001.

Applicants Question / Comment USAID Response/Comment

Can the subawards be from Zim, DRC or Tanzania

The eligibility requirement only applies to the prime applicant. The subawards or other consortium partners can be from any country.

All subawards must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number – not a full registration from System for Award Management (www.SAM.GOV).

Co – creation – would there be a limit to how many people can attend / would the subs be invited to the co-creation?

The specific requirements for the co-creation will be communicated to the invitee at the time. It will be limited to the prime, but depending on the number of people it could be more, but the letter will spell out clearly who and how many people can attend.

When will the co-creation be? Co-creation is anticipated to take place between February and March 2024.

One award to 1 group / consortium over 5 years for 8 mil?

USAID anticipates issuing one (1) award to one entity or one (1) group of entities.

Do you know how many people usually apply?

The number of applications differs for each NOFO that is published.

Deadline to be extended? The deadline date for submission has been extended to January 12, 2024.

Are applicants allowed to change the proposed between the time of concept notes and full applications.

For the concept notes, applicants are required to submit a high-level summary budget while with full applications a detailed budget will be required. An applicant may change their proposal during the full application if it wishes. m

Are we expecting cost share? At this stage no cost share is required but should this change, USAID will amend the NOFO accordingly.

We are an international civil society organization with a wholly-registered South

African entity and a staff and Board made up of nationals from countries on the African continent. We are currently talking to potential partners with a view to submitting a concept note for the Southern Africa Regional Investigative Journalism Activity – South Africa APS No.72067424APS00001.

We have three questions regarding eligibility for the award. Section V. of the call for concept notes defines the term “Local Entity” as an entity that:

(1) is legally organized under the laws of;

(2) has as its principal place of business or operations in;

AND

(3) is

(A) majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of;

and

(B) managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of a country receiving assistance.

For purposes of this definition, “majority-owned” and “managed by” include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.

Questions:

The local entity is required to be legally organized in one of the eligible countries and the majority owned individuals or the

1) Regarding point (3) (B); if a local entity which is legally registered under the laws of South Africa, undertakes a part of the USAID-funded project work in, for example, Mozambique, is it sufficient for the local entity to be majority-owned and managed by South Africans or should there also be a certain number of Mozambican citizens on the local entity?

2) What is meant by “either directly or indirectly”? Do the words “or indirectly” suggest that an influential person, who is not on the organization’s governing body, but who exercises power and has influence and important management responsibilities, could also be regarded as part of the governing body for the purpose of the above definition?

3) Should the governing body be divided equally between citizens from countries eligible for this funding opportunity and countries elsewhere on the continent, would a local entity registered in South Africa still be eligible for the award?

governing body be citizens of that country where the entity is organized. The successful applicant is expected to be able to perform the work within the SADC region or the countries that will eventually be agreed upon by USAID and the applicant.

Or indirectly in this context refers to somebody who is in the organization’s governing body or part of the majority owned individual that has indirect power to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.

NO, the majority owned individuals or the governing body be citizens of the country where the entity is legally organized.

We note however that as per Section V, Eligibility Information; ‘Eligibility for this funding opportunity is restricted to local entities in selected countries in the SADC region, excluding Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.’

Does this eligibility criteria apply to sub organizations, as well as to lead organizations? We are interested to be part of a consortium application as a sub (supporting another organization, a local entity, which would lead). We have a country office in Zambia, we are registered there as an INGO, rather than as a local entity.

The eligibility requirement applies to the Prime applicants only. There are no eligibility requirements for anticipated subawards or partners. International organizations are allowed to be subawards under the anticipated activity.

In the sub-section about Geographic Areas it says:

"Applicants may propose activities in selected countries in the SADC region.

Mozambique is part of the SADC countries

Applicants should propose criteria for country selection, prioritizing countries under USAID’s Regional Development and Cooperation Strategy for Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa)...."

Does it mean that countries like Mozambique are not eligible to apply or to benefit from this funding?

What exactly does the above phrasing mean?

and not one of the excluded countries, therefore eligible entities in Mozambique are welcome to apply for funding under this

NOFO.

Applicants are expected to propose activities in selected countries in the SADC region.

However, applicants are encouraged to prioritize countries under USAID’s Regional Development and Cooperation Strategy for Southern Africa which are (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa).

I work for a local media NGO in Malawi and would like to establish if Malawi eligible to apply for a grant

Malawi is part of the SADC countries and not one of the excluded countries, therefore eligible entities in Malawi are welcome to apply for funding under this NOFO.

Can applicants modify the objectives listed in the NOFO or propose new ones in line with the NOFO?

Applicants may propose modifying objectives to achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results in the NOFO.

Could you please clarify what is expected as part of the “notional budget” (p. 11 of APS Addendum)? Should applicants provide a summary budget for the proposal?

Does the summary budget need to specify how the funding would be divided among consortium partners?

A high-level budget summary that only indicates the overall cost categories is required. No detailed information is required at this stage.

Are the attachments outlined under p. 12 of the APS Addendum applicable to all consortium members, or only to prime applicants?

The attachments are only required for the prime applicant at this stage.

In attachment #1, “statement of USAID assistance received during the preceding five-year period,” could applicants include funding received from other U.S.

Government donors?

Only USAID funding assistance is required. If your organization did not receive any, please state so.

Under Objective 1, could potential counterparts include newsrooms who have not traditionally focused on investigative reporting?

Applicants may propose counterparts and should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Under Objective 1, can state-owned media Applicants may propose counterparts and newsrooms be included as potential counterparts?

should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Under Objective 1, could "networks" include civil society organizations and/or think tanks?

Applicants may propose counterparts and should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Under Objective 1, could journalism students/journalism programs at universities be included as potential counterparts?

Applicants may propose counterparts and should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Under Objective 3, could addressing/proposing domestic whistle-blower protection legislation be a potential area of development?

Applicants may propose activities and should articulate the proposed activities will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Under Objective 3, could government officials be included as potential counterparts?

Applicants may propose counterparts and should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Regarding the submission of attachments for the concept note: for applicants applying as part of a group/consortium, should past performance, institutional capabilities and supporting information be submitted for all organizations? or only the organization designated as the "prime" organization?

Past performance is required for the prime applicant but may include past performance for the subawards and/or partners to indicate the experience of the whole consortium.

We have a local entity registration which is underway and will be completed by December 2023. We therefore understand that we are eligible to apply for Phase 1 of this NOFO. Your confirmation of our eligibility is hereby welcomed.

To be an eligible entity under this NOFO, the entity must be legally organized in one of the eligible countries at the time of submitting the application.

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that USAID will use to evaluate the success of the funded projects?

Applicants should propose indicative measures to monitor and evaluate results.

Final performance indicators will be determined through consultation between the successful applicant and USAID.

Are there specific thematic areas or topics within investigative journalism that USAID is particularly interested in or prioritizing for this grant?

Applicants may propose thematic areas or topics in line with the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Are the thematic areas the final decision of the grantee?

Decisions on support for specific thematic areas, such as content grants, will be made through co-creation between the applicant and USAID. Supported news organizations and journalists will retain sole control over editorial decisions, including the stories and contents selected.

“Co-design of project description” - how does USAID define project description?

In this instance, “Project Description” means the Scope and Objectives of the resulting project.

Can you provide more details on the budgetary limitations and guidelines, especially concerning indirect costs and overhead expenses?

At this stage a detailed budget is not required, and thorough guidelines will be provided with a budget template at a later stage in the procurement process.

Is there flexibility in reallocating funds between budget lines during the project's lifecycle?

Yes, there is some flexibility but further guidance about detailed budget will be provided at a later stage of the procurement process.

Are annual budgets required to be filed before the start of the new year?

At this stage a detailed budget is not required, and thorough guidelines will be provided with a budget template at a later stage of the procurement process.

Is the grant award paid to the grantee directly, who then has to make allocations to collaborators?

USAID relationship will be with the successful prime applicant and therefore funds will be transferred to the successful prime applicant. The successful prime applicant will be responsible for managing the relationship with its subawards and/or partners.

Is the award made in five annual instalments?

Further guidance on funds transfer will be provided to the successful applicant at the appropriate time.

What is USAID’s expectation regarding the scope and nature of regional collaborations?

Applicants should propose regional collaboration to achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

What is the expectation with regard to reach of collaborations - do all or most of the SADC countries need to be involved in at least one project, whether training, capacity building or actual investigative journalism?

Applicants should propose countries for activity implementation within SADC and propose criteria justifying their country selection.

Are there any preferred or recommended partner organizations or networks within the Southern Africa region?

Applicants may propose counterparts and should articulate how engaging with the proposed counterparts will achieve the goals, objectives, and expected results described in the NOFO.

Does final choice of partner organizations lie with grantee?

The relationship between partners or subawards is expected to be managed by the prime applicants. However, USAID do review the proposed partners/ subawards and provide an approval. This review and approval are done at the full application stage.

What are the specific reporting requirements, both financial and programmatic, for grant recipients?

Further guidance of the required reporting will be provided at the full application stage of this procurement process.

Are there any specific compliance standards or audits the project must undergo?

Yes, the successful applicant will be subjected to some compliance standards and audit that will be part of the agreement.

However, this will be discussed during the full application stage.

How does USAID ensure the editorial independence of the news organizations it funds?

USAID will include specific language in the agreement to protect the grantee and sub-grantees from editorial interference.

Will editorial independence be specifically mentioned in the grant award contract?

Yes. USAID will include specific language in the agreement to protect the grantee and sub-grantees from editorial interference.

Are there examples of past successful transitions to sustainability that you can share?

USAID follows guiding principles for sustainability to enable media organizations to continue serving their communities beyond USAID funding, including developing diverse revenue streams and operational reserves, sound management and governance structures, and effective business operations.

What kind of technical support does USAID provide to grant recipients, if any?

USAID rarely provides technical support to achieve the objectives, but Applicants are encouraged to propose training and capacity building under the activity for the Prime and subawards. USAID does provide technical support in terms of compliance with USAID rules and regulations.

Are there opportunities for capacity building or training provided by USAID?

USAID rarely provides technical support to achieve the objectives, but Applicants are encouraged to propose training and capacity building under the activity for the Prime and subawards. USAID does provide technical support in terms of compliance with USAID rules and regulations.

Are all final decisions with regard to external training and capacity building made by the grantee?

Yes, but all anticipated training and capacity building must be proposed in the full application for USAID consideration.

In the spirit of co-creation, can partners not otherwise eligible to receive an award under this APS addendum submit concepts to participate in cocreation as potential collaborators?

Organizations not eligible to receive an award under this NOFO may be included as consortium partners in a concept submitted by an eligible organization.

[END OF ENCLOSURE 1]