WWII75 Grant Announcement_06012020.docx

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR THE

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD)

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES ACQUISITION DIRECTORATE (WHS/AD)

COMMEMORATION OF 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE

END OF WWII

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (OASD PA) is announcing the potential availability of funding for the purpose of commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. As outlined in Public Law 115-433, the Department of Defense is the lead component for the national commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The objectives of the program are:

(1) To thank and honor veterans of World War II, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action;

(2) To educate the public about the history of World War II and highlight the service of the Armed Forces during World War II and the contributions of Federal agencies and governmental and nongovernmental organizations that served with, or in support of, the Armed Forces;

(3) To pay tribute to the contributions made on the home front by the people of the United States during World War II;

(4) To recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by the Allies of the United States during World War II;

(5) And to remember the Holocaust, the annihilation of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime, and to pay tribute to the Allied troops who liberated Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

All programs and/or initiatives must be dignified and show a sensitivity and appreciation for the solemnity of war and the losses suffered by many. The Government intends to award grants to multiple entities. Awards are anticipated to be made to the Applicant(s) whose proposals contain plans that appropriately fulfil the Government’s program objectives. Proposals must include programs and/or initiatives which fulfill one or more of the above objectives of the program. Proposals that thank and honor veterans of World War II and educate the public on the history of WWII and highlight the service of the Armed Forces are highly encouraged. State and local governments and not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to apply. As outlined in Public Law 115-433, the commemoration program ends on December 31, 2021.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is seeking to award a number of successful candidates by 30 Sep 2020. The total available funds for grants under this announcement is expected to individually range between $10,000.00 and $1,000,000.00. It is anticipated that several awards will result from this FOA. It is expected that most awards will have a period of performance of up to one year. Some candidates have already been identified for grant awards and must submit their proposals through this announcement.

This funding opportunity will result in grants and/or cooperative agreements. If an award results in a cooperative agreement, the Government will have substantial involvement in the project as outlined in Appendix 1 of this announcement.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants—Proposals for this FOA may be submitted for non-profit organizations and non-profit organizations collaborating with a state or local government. Non-profit organizations must submit proof of their 501(c) (3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. Non-profit organizations collaborating with a state or local government must provide a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by both parties.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching— There is no cost sharing or match requirement.

3. Other— This funding opportunity will be a two-step process. LOIs will be subject to a general review to determine if the project aligns with DoD’s objectives to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. If selected the candidate will be invited to submit a proposal for a technical merit and programmatic review. More than one LOI will be accepted for consideration, but only one proposal application from the submitting organization will be allowed under this announcement.

Organizations which receive a grant must display the official World War II 75th Anniversary Commemoration Seal during their programs and/or in their publications. The seal can be downloaded at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/WWII75. Organizations must sign a subsequent agreement prior to receiving grant funding. All organizations must agree to the following terms:

· The WWII75 Seal may not be changed or modified in any way.

· The WWII75 Seal may not be used in any manner that may imply endorsement.

· The WWII Seal may not be used to support fundraising activities.

· The WWII Seal may not be used in proximity to or in connection with political messages, symbols, or other content, or in any other way that might suggest the Department of Defense approves of and/or endorses any religious or political messages or views.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package - This announcement contains the information to be submitted for the LOI and how to submit an application through Grants.gov. See Appendix 2 for more information in submitting applications through Grants.gov.

2. All Letters of Intent (LOI) and Proposals must be submitted in Word, Page size, 8.5 inches x 11.0 inches (approximately 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm).

3. Content and Form of Application Submission.

Letter of Intent (LOI) Content - (10 pages total, excluding reference documents and resumes) Candidates should submit a letter of intent to include the following information:

· General Information

· Provide all points of contact information for the organization. This should include name, title/role, email, and phone number.

· Provide background information of the organization to include their mission statement/purpose of their organization and reason they would like to participate in this funding opportunity.

· Provide information for the designated Lead Project Manager and qualifications. Lead Project Managers shall meet the following minimum qualifications.

· At least 4 years’ experience with either: veterans or historical organizations, commemoration programs, public education programs, or related work experience

· Experience/familiarity with working with the DoD (funding requests, joint programs or initiatives

· Must have specific plan for creating public programs or initiatives that will satisfy commemoration requirements

· Provide statement if the organization has experience/familiarity working with DoD. Details are requested to be provided in the narrative below.

· Collaborators and Key Personnel (KP)

· Provide the name, organization, and role of all collaborators and key personnel who will support the proposed project. This can include but is not limited to consultants, collaborators, and sub-recipients/sub-awardees that will assist supporting the proposed project.

· Describe KP role(s) for the proposed project and expertise each individual will contribute to the proposed project. Explain how the team’s experience is appropriate and complementary for achieving project goals. Provide where the project will take place and be managed.

· Narrative

· Provide a description of the proposed project to include the following:

· State the objective the proposed project will meet as identified in the project description of this funding announcement.

· State how the project is relevant to the objective.

· Provide a brief description of the project plan. Candidates should include ideas and plans for execution which the proposed work is based. Provide milestones, objectives, and potential performance goals, and potential accomplishments.

· Provide a brief description of plans for the proposed project and how the candidate will accomplish the proposed project and the ability to complete within the recommended period of performance.

· Address any impacts that COVID-19 may have on the milestone schedule and accomplishing performance objectives under the proposed project. This could include any foreseen delays, revision of plans, outcomes, and an alternate solution(s).

· If the project is for an event, provide information for the organization’s ability to secure facilities. If collaborating with a state or local city, provide the ability to secure a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Also include information with the ability to secure other collaborators and/or consultants, if required.

· Describe briefly how the project will be executed to include using the team’s experience and knowledge supporting projects similar to the one proposed. Include if the organization and/or KP have experience working with DoD events and/or projects. How will the organization potentially use the official World War II 75th Anniversary Commemoration Seal?

· Provide past performance information for projects similar to the one proposed. This should include working with DoD, list of projects, dates, outcomes, dollar values, and POCs.

· Provide an estimated budget. Provide the estimated total budget with timeline to expend the funding over the performance period of the proposed project. Sub-awards and contracts may not be more than 30% of the total estimated budget.

· Describe the relevance and impact is this project is successful to the extent to which the project will benefit the public in celebrating the commemoration for the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII.

· Provide any supporting documentation to include but not limited to list of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and resume of the Project Manager that demonstrates meeting the minimum qualifications.

If selected, applicants will be required to submit a proposal through Grants.gov. Proposals will not be accepted by mail or in person. Any proposals that are submitted through Grants.gov and were not requested will not be reviewed or subject to an award.

· Proposal Contents – (no more than 30 pages, excluding required forms) Each proposal submission must include the completed proposal package provided in Grants.gov. for this funding opportunity. The submissions package shall be submitted by the Authorized Organizational Representative.

The proposal package includes the following required components:

· SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance

· SF424A – Budget Information – Non Construction Programs

· SF424B – Assurances – Non Construction Programs

· Independent Audit- submit one (1) copy of its most recent independent audit.

· Indirect Cost Rate Agreement - submit one (1) copy of its most recent Predetermined Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (negotiated with the Federal Government Agency having cognizance over the Applicant (i.e., Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Naval Research, etc.).

· Procurement Procedures - submit one (1) copy of the Applicant’s organizational procedures for the award for subcontracting support of the contemplated effort.

· Management/Concept Plan - provide a narrative detailing the project contemplated under the award. The plan should explain the objectives, measurable goals, and planned procedures of the contemplated project under the award. The plan should include: an outline of the project’s objectives and measurable goals, a list of actions to achieve the measurable goals and objectives, descriptions of the roles and time commitments of personnel and participants involved in the project, as well as how these roles might change throughout the project, procedures to acquire and maintain equipment, a timeline for various stages of the project, a process to handle possible project modifications and consideration of the project’s broader impacts. In addition, please provide any impacts due to COVID-19 and an alternative solution.

May Be Required

· For awards over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT), federal awarding agencies must determine if an applicant is qualified to receive an award based on past performance and integrity issues. FAPIIS, a web-enabled application may be used to collect the grantee performance information including Terminations for Material Failure to Comply, Recipient Not Qualified Determinations, DoD Determination of Contractor Fault and Administrative Agreements during the performance of this grant. Once records are completed in FAPIIS, they become available in the Federal Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) where they are used to support future acquisitions. Applicants who have faced criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings must provide mandatory disclosures to FAPIIS, via SAM.gov. This applies when an NFE is administering a federal award exceeding $10M at any given time.

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR §25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR §25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. An award will not be made to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time WHS is ready to make award, WHS may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis to make an award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times

1. Letter of Intent (LOI) Submissions There are two submission dates for LOI’s. All LOI’s must be submitted by the authorized personnel to the WHS Mailbox: WHS MC AD Mailbox OSD_Grants@mail.mil by19 June 2020 12:00PM EST. Key Personnel identified in the LOI should be the same as those intended for the subsequent proposal submission. If any changes are necessary after submission of the LOI, the authorized personnel must contact Kellie Buck, kellie.e.buck.civ@mail.mil. A change in the Key Personnel after submission of the LOI will be allowed only at the discretion of the Grants Officer.

Proposal Submissions All proposal submissions must be submitted to Grants.gov by 31 Jul 2020, 5:00PM EST. If selected for a proposal submission, candidates will be notified. Proposals will be due three weeks from notification.

The LOI and full proposal submission process should be started early to avoid missing deadlines, which will result in proposal rejection. No grace periods will be granted. Applicants must be familiar with Grants.gov requirements, including the need for an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration and a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

Proposals may be rejected due to the following:

· Proposal was submitted by an ineligible organization

· Submission of a proposal for which a letter of invitation was not received.

· Project Management Plan/Concept is missing.

· Budget is missing.

· Personnel from proposing or collaborating organizations are found to have contacted persons involved in the review process to gain protected evaluation information or to influence the evaluation process.

· The proposal fails to conform to this Funding Opportunity description to the extent that appropriate review cannot be conducted.

· Page size is larger than 8.5 inches x 11.0 inches (approximately 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm).

· The Lead Program Manager does not meet the minimum qualifications.

· Sections exceeding the specified page limits will have any pages after the limit removed before review.

· Documents not requested will be removed.

Once receiving submissions, all applicants will receive an acknowledgment from WHS AD.

This announcement is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs”.

The following funding restrictions apply below.

· The maximum period of performance is 1 year.

· Projects must be prepared to begin no later than 22 Sep 2020.

· The anticipated total costs (direct and indirect) should budget for the entire period of performance. Indirect costs are to be budgeted in accordance with the organization’s negotiated rate. No budget will be approved by the Government exceeding the stated total costs or using an indirect rate exceeding the organization’s negotiated rate.

· All direct and indirect costs of any sub-award (sub-grant or sub-contract) must be included in the total direct costs of the primary award.

· The applicant may request the entire maximum funding amount for a project that may have a period of performance less than the maximum 1 year.

· Regardless of the period of performance or number of collaborators proposed, the applicant may not exceed the maximum allowable total costs.

For this award mechanism, direct costs may be requested for (not all-inclusive):

· Salary, including contract personnel (Federal salaries paid by the parent organization may not be reimbursable)

· Equipment

· Event and project-related subject costs

· Travel costs as related to the specific project. This will be determined on a case by case basis.

· Public relations and website maintenance

· Administrative support

E. Application Review Information Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Selection information

All proposals will be subjected to a peer review for technical merit and program review for recommendations based on available funding, technical merit, and relevance to supporting the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the end of WWII.

All review processes are conducted confidentially to maintain the integrity of the merit-based selection process. Personnel at the applicant or collaborating organizations are prohibited from contacting persons involved in the review process to gain evaluation information or to influence the evaluation process. Violations of these prohibitions will result in rejection of the organization’s proposal. Violations by applicants that compromise the confidentiality of the review process or are otherwise improper may also result in suspension or debarment from Federal awards.

1. Technical Review:

To determine technical merit, the evaluators’ present intent is to evaluate Full Proposals according to the following criteria, but the government reserves the right to reconsider in light of its needs. To be considered for funding, proposals must address one or more of the priority areas, listed above in the Program Description. Proposals will be scored and ranked based on how well each proposal addresses the program priority areas and the requested elements listed in the Application and Submission section above. High priority, well justified projects that address all of the requested proposal elements will receive higher scores.

Full proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

· Project/Planning Objectives

· Impact/Outcomes

· Personnel and Facilities

· Budget

· Alternate Solutions

· Proposal Clarity

2. Programmatic Review:

To make funding recommendations, evaluators will use the following criteria:

· Ratings and evaluations of the peer reviewers (e.g., the scored scientific review)

· Relevance to the mission of DoD and objectives of this announcement

· Relative innovation and impact

· Proposed project timelines The above considerations are not listed in any order of importance. Other factors taken into consideration may include the critical nature of the project, alignment to DOD’s initiative, and availability of funding.

F. Federal Award Information Once the successful applicant has been selected, awardees will be notified by WHS AD of their award. WHS AD will provide an awardee with a Pre-Award letter which will outline costs and authorization to begin performance. Performance prior to award will be at the non-Federal entity’s own risk. The notice of the Federal award signed by the grants officer is the authorizing document.

Reporting for this grant opportunity is as follows:

· Quarterly, annual, and final technical progress reports, will be required.

· Reports are to include financial status, and dissemination and implementation plan.

· In addition to written progress reports, in-person presentations may be requested.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) Grant Office Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD) Kellie Buck, Grants Officer Email: kellie.e.buck.civ@mail.mil

Grants.gov Contact Center Questions related to proposal submission through the Grants.gov portal should be directed to the Grants.gov Contact Center, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (closed on U.S. Federal holidays).

H. Other Information This is a new program initiative and is expected to focus on the priority areas. It has not been determined if due to delays from COVID-19, if future opportunities will be available.