EAP NOFO Gender in the FAS - FINAL 4.26.17 .pdf

United States Department of State

Bureau of East Asia Pacific Affairs (EAP)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Promoting Gender Equality in Decision-Making in the U.S. Freely Associated States

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity, EAP-EAPAQM-17-005.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.124

Funding Amount: $109,000

Application Deadline: June 26, 2017

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asia Pacific Affairs (EAP) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that promote gender equality in political representation, and other leadership and decision-making roles in the

U.S. Freely Associated States (FAS): Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the

Marshall Islands (RMI), and Republic of Palau.

Under the Compacts of Free Association, the United States invests significant resources to support health, education, and infrastructure development in the FAS. Women remain a largely untapped resource to advance development in the FAS.

Research has shown there is strong evidence that when women are able to make decisions and shape policies (i.e., exercise leadership), they can influence the responsiveness of institutions to men and women alike, thereby having a positive impact on development (McLeod 2015).

Women legislate differently than men and are more inclined to enact policies and measures that advance the concerns of women, families and communities (McLeod).

In the FAS, few women hold leadership positions or elected office. FSM has not elected a woman to national office, and only three women each have been elected in RMI and Palau, including RMI President Hilda Heine—the first ever female leader of an independent Pacific

Island country. While women are better represented in the civil service, they are underrepresented in leadership positions. There are no legal barriers to women becoming leaders, but social barriers persist. Women have limited access to networks, employment, financial resources, and higher education, preventing them from assuming greater leadership roles. An additional factor across the Pacific, including in the FAS, is the high incidence of domestic violence. These obstacles constrain women’s choices and agency and limit their ability to participate in and contribute to development.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following goals:

1. Enhance the role of women through public outreach and education for both men and women about human rights and the societal benefits of gender equality and women’s empowerment. This could include programs to enable discussion on gender norms, develop curriculum and/or outreach to public schools and colleges, public information campaigns featuring prominent women leaders, and sports diplomacy programs targeted at girls.

2. Build the resources and tools available to women and girls to increase their personal and political agency to enable change, and to empower women in the practice of transparent and ethical government leadership. Could include support for women’s organizations, mentorship and leadership training for aspiring and existing women leaders, and training for women on access to finance, political advocacy, and campaigning.

3. Address the root causes that keep women from pursuing work outside the home or higher education; e.g., training or support services on financial resources, applying to college, entrepreneurialism, and business skills.

Projects are limited to Pacific Island countries eligible to receive Economic Support Funds:

Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau.

Projects should preferably be regional in scope, to promote connections and build an effective network of women across the Micronesian region. Projects should have the potential to have an immediate effect leading to long-term improvements in women’s political participation and promoting good governance and gender attitudes towards women in leadership and decision making roles. Projects preferably should demonstrate sustainability, such as the ability to leverage additional and/or continued funding beyond EAP resources. EAP encourages innovative and creative approaches, rather than projects that simply duplicate or add to efforts by other entities. This does not exclude projects from consideration that clearly build off existing successful projects in a new and innovative way. EAP also strives to ensure its projects advance the rights and uphold the dignity of the most vulnerable or at risk populations.

The authority for this funding opportunity is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA).

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

EAP anticipates having approximately $109,000 available to support one successful application submitted in response to this NOFO, subject to the availability of funding.

EAP may issue an award resulting from this NOFO to the applicant whose application conforming to this NOFO are the most responsive to the objectives set forth in this NOFO.

The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, (d) accept alternate applications, and

(e) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (though it is not under obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

Applications should be no more than $109,000. Applicants should expect and award date no later than September 30, 2017. EAP suggests applicants propose a period of performance between one to two years.

EAP anticipates awarding either a grant or cooperative agreement depending on the application’s risk factor, or the needs of the program, which is determined by the grant officer for applications that are successful. If it is determined to award a cooperative agreement, EAP expects to be substantially involved during the implementation of the cooperative agreement. Examples of substantial involvement can include:

1) Approval of the Recipient’s annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the cooperative agreement;

2) Concurrence on the substantive provisions of potential sub-awards, and coordination with other cooperating agencies;

3) Other approvals that will be included in the award agreement.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1 Eligible Applicants

EAP welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO); public international organizations; and private, public, or state institutions of higher education.

C.2 Cost Sharing or Matching

Providing cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not an eligibility requirement for this

NOFO.

C.3 Other

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management

(SAM)(www.sam.gov) 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 Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Excluded Parties List System in

SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D.1 Address to Request Application Package

Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials needed to apply on www.grants.gov under the announcement title “Promoting Gender Equality in Decision-Making in the U.S. Freely Associated States,” funding opportunity number EAP-EAPAQM-17-005.

Please contact the EAP point of contact listed in section G if requesting reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or for security reasons. Please note: reasonable accommodations do not include deadline extensions.

D.2 Content and Form of Application Submission

For all application documents, please ensure:

1) All documents are in English and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided

(please note: the Department of State, as indicated in 2 CFR 200.111, requires that

English is the official language of all award documents. If any documents are provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version);

2) All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;

3) All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,

4) All documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.

Captions and footnotes may be 10 point Times New Roman font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.

Complete applications must include the following:

1. Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, as directed on Grants.gov;

completed and signed SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”(if applicable) (which can be found with the solicitation on Grants.gov);

2. Your organization’s most recent audit (A-133 audit, if applicable, or standard audit).

3. Table of Contents (not to exceed one [1] page in Microsoft Word) that includes a page numbered contents page, including any attachments.

4. Executive Summary (not to exceed two [2] pages in Microsoft Word) that includes:

a) The target country/countries and thematic area;

b) Name and contact information for the project’s main point of contact;

c) The total amount of funding requested and project length;

d) A statement of work or synopsis of the project, including a concise breakdown of the project’s objectives, activities, and expected results; and,

e) A brief statement on how the project is innovative, sustainable, and will have a demonstrated impact.

http://www.grants.gov/

5. Proposal Narrative (not to exceed ten [10] pages in Microsoft Word). Please note the ten page limit does not include the Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Attachments, Audit, Detailed Budget, Budget Narrative, or Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA). Applicants are encouraged to submit multiple documents in a single Microsoft

Word or Adobe file, (i.e., Table of Contents, Executive Summary, and Proposal Narrative in one file).

6. Detailed Line-Item Budget (in Microsoft Excel) that includes three [3] columns including the request to EAP, any cost sharing contribution, and total budget (see below for more information on budget format). A summary budget should also be included using the

OMB approved budget categories (see SF-424A as a sample). Costs must be in U.S.

dollars. Detailed line-item budgets for sub-awardees should be included in additional tabs within the excel workbook.

7. Budget Narrative (in Microsoft Word) that includes substantive explanations and justifications for each line item in the detailed budget spreadsheet, as well as the source and a description of all cost-share offered. For ease of review, EAP recommends applicants order the budget narrative as presented in the detailed budget. Personnel costs should include a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of key staff, base salary, and percentage of time devoted to the project. The budget narrative should provide additional information that might not be readily apparent in the detailed-line item budget, not simply repeat what is represented numerically in the budget, i.e. salaries are for salaries or travel is for travel.

8. Attachments (not to exceed thirteen [13] pages total, preferably in Microsoft Word) that include the following in order:

a) Logic model – Page 1-2

b) Narrative of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan – Pages 3-4.

c) Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Indicator Table – Pages 5-9. This section can be up to four pages long if necessary.

d) Timeline of the overall proposal – Page 10: Components should include activities, evaluation efforts, and project closeout.

e) Additional optional attachments – Page 11-13: Attachments may include further timeline information, letters of support, memorandums of understanding/agreement, etc. Letters of support and MOUs must be specific to the projects implementation (e.g. from proposed partners or sub-award recipients) and will not count towards the page limit.

9. If your organization has a NICRA and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest

NICRA should be included. This document will not be reviewed by the panelists, but rather used by project and grant staff if the submission is recommended for funding and therefore does not count against the submission page limitations. If your proposal involves subawards to organizations charging indirect costs, please submit the applicable

NICRA). If your organization does not have a NICRA per 2 CFR 200. 414(f) the organization can elect to charge the de minimis rate of 10% of the modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68. The budget narrative should indicate what costs will be covered using the 10% de minimis rate.

Please note: EAP retains the right to ask for additional documents not included in this NOFO.

Additionally, to ensure all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the EAP Review Panel will review the first page of the requested section up to the page limit and no further. EAP encourages organizations to use the given space effectively.

Additional information that successful applicants may be asked to submit after notification of intent to make a Federal award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, may include:

1) Written responses and any revised application documents addressing any conditions or recommendations from the EAP Review Panel;

2) Completion of the Department’s Financial Management Survey, if receiving EAP funding for the first time;

3) Submission of required documents to register in the Payment Management System managed by the Department of Health and Human Services if receiving EAP funding for the first time, unless an exemption is provided;

4) Other requested information or documents included in the notification of intent to make a

Federal award or subsequent communications prior to issuance of a Federal award.

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

Applicants must have an active registration in SAM (www.sam.gov) prior to submitting an application, must prove a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, formerly referred to as a

DUNS number, and must 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 the U.S. government.

The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards.

SAM is the Federal government's primary database for complying with FFATA reporting requirements. OMB designated SAM as the central repository to facilitate applicant and recipient use of a single public website that consolidates data on all federal financial assistance.

Under the law, it is mandatory to obtain a UEI number and register in SAM.

SAM requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM and to also maintain its active registration in SAM.

No entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM is eligible for any assistance or can participate in any activities in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement

Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR Part 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR Part 1989 Comp.,

p. 235).

http://www.sam.gov/

EAP may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time EAP is ready to make an award, EAP may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a

Federal award to another applicant.

An exemption from this requirement may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if the applicant’s identity must be protected due to possible endangerment of their mission, their organization’s status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant.

Please note: foreign organizations will be required to register with the NATO Support Agency

(NSPA) to receive a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code in order to register in SAM. NSPA will forward your registration request to the applicable National

Codification Bureau (NCB) if your organization is located in a NATO or Tier 2 Sponsored Non-

NATO Nation. (As of January 2015, NATO nations included Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America; and Tier

2 nations included Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Israel, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Serbia, and Singapore.)

NSPA and/or the appropriate NCB forwards all NCAGE code information to all Allied

Committee 135 (AC/135) nations, which as of January 2015 also included Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Montenegro, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South

Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

D.4 Submission Dates and Times

Applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), on , June 26, 2017 on www.grants.gov under the announcement title Promoting Gender Equality in

Decision-Making in the U.S. Freely Associated States” funding opportunity number “EAP-

EAPAQM-17-005.”

Grants.gov automatically logs the date and time an application submission is made, and the

Department of State will use this information to determine whether an application has been submitted on time. Late applications are neither reviewed nor considered unless the EAP point of contact listed in section G is contacted prior to the deadline and is provided with evidence of system errors caused by www.grants.gov that is outside of the applicants’ control and is the sole reason for a late submission. Applicants should not expect a notification upon EAP receiving their application.

If ultimately provided with a notification of intent to make a Federal award, applicants typically have two to three weeks to provide additional information and documents requested in the notification of intent. The deadlines may vary in each notification of intent and applicants must adhere to the stated deadline in the notification of intent.

D.5 Funding Restrictions

EAP will not consider applications that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization. No entity listed on the Excluded Parties List

System in SAM is eligible for any assistance.

Project activities that provide training or other assistance to foreign militaries or paramilitary groups or individuals will not be considered for EAP funding given purpose limitations on funding.

Restrictions may apply to any proposed assistance to police or other law enforcement. Among these, pursuant to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended(FAA), no assistance provided through this funding opportunity may be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country when there is credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. In accordance with the requirements of section 620M of the

FAA, also known as the Leahy law, project beneficiaries or participants from a foreign government’s security forces may need to be vetted by the Department before the provision of any assistance.

Federal awards generally will not allow reimbursement of pre-Federal award costs; however, the grants officer may approve pre awards cost on a case by case basis. Generally, construction costs are not allowed under EAP awards.

D.6 Other

All application submissions must be made electronically via www.grants.gov.Please note: the

Grants.gov registration process can take 10 business days or longer, even if all registration steps are completed in a timely manner.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that it has an active registration in

Grants.gov and that an application has been received by Grants.gov in its entirety. EAP bears no responsibility for applicants not being registered before the due date or for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted. Reasonable accommodations may, in appropriate circumstances, be provided to applicants with disabilities or for security reasons.

Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in the applicable solicitation and these instructions.

Grants.gov Applications

Applicants must submit applications through www.grants.gov. Please be advised that completing all the necessary registration steps for obtaining a username and password from Grants.gov can take more than two weeks

Please refer to the Grants.gov website for definitions of various "application statuses" and the difference between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from Grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days.

Grants.gov Helpdesk:

For assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

Should an applicant experience technical issues, contacted the applicable helpdesk, and is not receiving timely assistance (e.g. if you have not received a response after 2 days of contacting the helpdesk), you may contact the EAP point of contact listed in section G, who may assist in contacting the appropriate helpdesk but an applicant should document their efforts in contacting the help desk. Also, applicants may contact the EAP point of contact listed in section G if experiencing technical issues with grants.gov that may result in a late submission.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

E.1 Criteria

Evaluators will judge each application individually against the following criteria, listed below in order of importance, and not against competing applications.

Quality of Project Idea (35 points)

Applications should be responsive to the NOFO, appropriate in the country/regional context, and should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to EAP’s mission of promoting human rights and democracy. EAP prioritizes innovative and creative approaches rather than projects that simply duplicate or add to efforts by other entities. This does not exclude projects that clearly build off existing successful projects in a new and innovative way from consideration. In countries where similar activities are already taking place, an explanation should be provided as to how new activities will not duplicate or merely add to existing activities and how these efforts will be coordinated.

Project Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives (25 points)

A strong application will include a clear articulation of how the proposed project activities contribute to the overall project objectives, and each activity will be clearly developed and detailed. A comprehensive monthly work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and the logistical capacity of the organization. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measurable results-focused and achievable in a reasonable time frame. A complete application must include a logic model to demonstrate how the project will have an impact on its proposed objectives.

Applications should address how the project will engage relevant stakeholders and should identify local partners as appropriate. If local partners have been identified, EAP strongly encourages applicants to submit letters of support from proposed in-country partners.

Additionally, applicants should describe the division of labor among the direct applicant and any mailto:support@grants.gov local partners. If applicable, applications should identify target areas for activities, target participant groups or selection criteria for participants, and the specific roles of subawardees, among other pertinent details. In particularly challenging operating environments, applications should include contingency plans for overcoming potential difficulties in executing the original work plan and address any operational or programmatic security concerns and how they will be addressed.

Institution’s Record and Capacity (15 points)

EAP will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Applications should demonstrate an institutional record of successful democracy and human rights projects, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past grants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's objectives.

Cost Effectiveness (10 points)

EAP strongly encourages applicants to clearly demonstrate project cost-effectiveness in their application, including examples of leveraging institutional and other resources. However, cost-sharing or other examples of leveraging other resources is not required and does not need to be included in the budget. Inclusion in the budget does not result in additional points awarded during the review process. Budgets however should have low and/or reasonable overhead and administration costs and applicants should provide clear explanations and justifications for these costs in relation to the work involved. All budget items should be clearly explained and justified to demonstrate its necessity, appropriateness, and its link to the project objectives.

Please note: If cost-share is included in the budget then the recipient must maintain written records to support all allowable costs that are claimed as its contribution to cost-share, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. In the event the recipient does not meet the minimum amount of cost-sharing as stipulated in the recipient’s budget, EAP’s contribution may be reduced in proportion to the recipient’s contribution.

Multiplier Effect/Sustainability (7 points)

Applications should clearly delineate how elements of the project will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant. A good multiplier effect will have an impact beyond the direct beneficiaries of the grant (e.g. participants trained under a grant go on to train other people, workshop participants use skills from a workshop to enhance a national level election that affects the entire populace). A strong sustainability plan may include demonstrating continuing impact beyond the life of a project or garnering other donor support after EAP funding ceases.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation (8 points)

Complete applications will include a detailed plan (both a narrative and table) of how the project’s progress and impact will be monitored and evaluated throughout the project.

Incorporating a well-designed monitoring and evaluation component into a project is one of the most efficient methods of documenting the progress and results (intended and unintended) of a project. Applications should demonstrate the capacity to provide objectives with measurable outputs and outcomes and engage in robust monitoring and assessment of project activities.

The quality of the M&E plan will be judged on the narrative explaining how both monitoring and evaluation will be carried out, who will be responsible for those related activities.

E.2 Review and Selection Process

EAP strives to ensure each application receives a balanced evaluation by an EAP Review Panel.

All applications for a given solicitation are reviewed against the same seven criteria, which includes quality of project idea, project planning/ability to achieve objectives, institution’s record and capacity, inclusive programming, cost effectiveness, multiplier effect/sustainability, and project monitoring and evaluation.

The EAP Review Panel generally includes representatives from EAP, as well as other representatives from the Department of State, U.S. embassies, other U.S. government agencies, and may include additional panelists from partner governments, academia, or the private sector.

EAP Review Panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to enhance the proposed project, which must be addressed by the applicant before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of EAP funds, conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and project activities.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

F.1 Federal Award Notices

EAP will provide a separate notification to applicants on the result of their applications.

Successful applicants will receive an email requesting that the applicant respond to panel conditions and recommendations. This notification is not an authorization to begin activities and does not constitute formal approval or a funding commitment.

Final approval is contingent on the applicant successfully responding to the panel’s conditions and recommendations, being registered in required systems, including the U.S. government’s

Payment Management System (PMS), unless an exemption is provided, and completing and providing any additional documentation requested by EAP or AQM. Final approval is also contingent on Congressional notification requirements being met and final review and approval by the Department’s warranted grants officer.

The notice of Federal award signed by the Department’s warranted grants officers is the sole authorizing document. If awarded, the notice of Federal award will be provided to the applicant’s designated Authorizing Official electronically.

F.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal

Awards set forth in 2 CFR Chapter 200 (Sub-Chapters A through F) shall apply to all non-

Federal entities, except for assistance awards to Individuals and Foreign Public Entities (for more information on these exceptions, see Chapters 5, Federal Assistance to Individuals, and 6, Federal Assistance to Foreign Public Entities Directive.) Sub-Chapters A through E shall apply to all foreign organizations, and Sub-Chapters A through D shall apply to all U.S. and foreign for-profit entities.

The applicant/recipient of the award and any sub-recipient under the award must comply with all applicable terms and conditions, in addition to the assurance and certifications made part of the

Notice of Award. The Department’s Standard Terms and Conditions can be viewed at https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/Pages/TermsandConditions.aspx

F.3 Reporting

Applicants should be aware that EAP awards will require that all reports (financial and progress) are provided to EAP on a quarterly basis. The Federal Financial Report (FFR or SF-425) is the required form for the financial reports and must be submitted in PMS.

Narrative progress reports should reflect the focus on measuring the project’s impact on the overarching objectives and should be compiled according to the objectives, outcomes, and outputs as outlined in the award’s Scope of Work (SOW) and in the Monitoring and Evaluation

(M&E) Statement. An assessment of the overall project’s impact, should be included in each progress report. Where relevant, progress reports should include the following sections:

Relevant contextual information (limited);

Explanation and evaluation of significant activities of the reporting period and how the activities reflect progress toward achieving objectives, including meeting benchmarks/targets as set in the M&E plan. In addition, attach the M&E plan, comparing the target and actual numbers for the indicators;

Any tangible impact or success stories from the project, when possible;

Copy of mid-term and/or final evaluation report(s) conducted by an external evaluator; if applicable;

Relevant supporting documentation or products related to the project activities (such as articles, meeting lists and agendas, participant surveys, photos, manuals, etc.) as separate attachments;

Description of how the Recipient is pursuing sustainability, including looking for sources of follow-on funding;

Any problems/challenges in implementing the project and a corrective action plan with an updated timeline of activities;

Reasons why established goals were not met;

Data for the required F Framework indicator(s) for the quarter as well as aggregate data by fiscal year using the SF-PPR-B: Project Indicators or other mutually agreed upon format approved by the Grants Officer. Evaluation indicators from the Foreign

Assistance Framework can be found at http://www.state.gov/f/indicators/ ;

Proposed activities for the next quarter;

Additional pertinent information, including analysis and explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs, if applicable.

http://www.state.gov/f/indicators/

A final narrative and financial report must also be submitted within 90 days after the expiration of the award.

Please note: delays in reporting may result in delays of payment approvals and failure to provide required reports may jeopardize the recipients’ ability to receive future U.S. government funds.

EAP reserves the right to request any additional programmatic and/or financial project information during the award period.

G. CONTACT INFORMATION

For technical submission questions related to this solicitation, please contact Garrett Barnicoat at BarnicoatGE@state.gov.

For assistance with Grants.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

With the exception of technical submission questions, during the solicitation period U.S.

Department of State staff in Washington and overseas shall not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been transmitted.

H. OTHER INFORMATION

Applicants should be aware that EAP understands that some information contained in applications may be considered sensitive or proprietary and will make appropriate efforts to protect such information. However, applicants are advised that EAP cannot guarantee that such information will not be disclosed, including pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other similar statutes.

The information in this NOFO is binding and may not be modified by any EAP representative.

Explanatory information provided by EAP that contradicts this language will not be binding.

Issuance of the NOFO and negotiation of applications does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government. EAP reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the project evaluation requirements.

This NOFO will appear on www.grants.gov,