Embassy Lome-FY21-Annual Program Statement.pdf

U.S. EMBASSY LOME SMALL GRANT PROGRAM

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY LOME, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Title: U.S. Embassy Lome, PAS Annual Program Statement

Funding Opportunity Number: PAS-SGP-FY2021

Deadline for Applications: July 30, 2021

CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs

Total Amount Available: $62,000.00* (*pending availability of funds and/or the amount determined by PAS)

Maximum for Each Award: N/A (*pending amount determined by PAS)

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy in Lome-Togo through this Notice of Funding Opportunity is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small

Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

Purpose of Small Grants: PAS Lome invites proposals for programs that strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Togo through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to:

• Academic and professional lectures, seminars and speaker programs;

• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions;

• Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;

• Professional and academic exchanges and programs;

Priority Program Areas:

Programs should support at least one of the following ICS goals:

Goal 1 – Advance Peace and Security

✓ Promote Peace and Social Cohesion in Togo o Assist state institutions at all levels, local communities to carefully monitor developments in Togo to detect threats to peace and security

• Performance Indicators:

Number of governments, local authorities and coomunities supported violet free training o Help establish early warning systems in fight against violent extremism

• Performance Indicators:

Number of mechanisms and strategies established to monitor and oversee conflicts

Number of actions taken to prevent disputes from arising or escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of conflicts as they arise o Entrepreneurship and vocational education to alleviate poverty

• Performance Indicators:

Number of people trained for financial independence

Number of initiatives taken to reduce poverty

Goal 2 - Promote Trade and Economic Growth

✓ Stimulate economic growth and employment o Provide youth with skills needed to start, run and grow their own

Businesses

• Performance Indicators:

Number of youths trained

Number of established Businesses

Number of successful entrepreneurs and or Businesses o Establish Public-private partnerships for economic growth

Number of partnerships established

Business growth performances

Number of jobs created as mean of fighting poverty and unemployment in Togo

Goal 3 - Strengthen Governance and Democratic Institutions

✓ Promote Accountable, Transparent, and Responsive Governance o Assist state institutions at all levels in delivering on the mandates of their offices, fulfilling public trust, and providing public goods and services through transparent and citizen-responsive governance

Number of government officials receiving U.S. government supported anti-corruption training o Support the ability of civil society and independent and open media to provide oversight and foster government accountability

Number of U.S. government-assisted media sector civil society organizations (CSOs) and/or institutions that serve to strengthen the independent media or journalists

Number of non-state news outlets assisted by the U.S.

government

Number of mechanisms for external oversight of public resource use supported by USG assistance.

✓ Support Democratic Processes and Promote Strong Democratic

Norms o Promote politically engaged and informed citizenries, active civil society organizations, organized labor, independent and open media, and representative political parties

• Performance Indicator:

Number of CSOs receiving U.S. government capacity building assistance, grants, and training engaged in advocacy interventions

Goal 4 - Support Opportunity and Development

✓ Support Opportunity and sustainable development o Expand educational opportunities for all

• Performance Indicator:

Number of youths including girls to attend schools

Number of students to finish Primary and secondary schools o Empowering Women, minorities and persons with disabilities

• Performance Indicator:

Number of people trained for financial independence and automatization.

Number of initiatives taken to mitigate gender-based discrepancies and to advance women and persons with disabilities’ socio-economic rights

Participants and Audiences: All Audiences

The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:

• Programs relating to partisan political activity;

• Charitable or development activities;

• Construction programs;

• Programs that support specific religious activities;

• Fund-raising campaigns;

• Lobbying for specific legislation or programs

• Scientific research;

• Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or

• Programs that duplicate existing programs.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 3 to 12 months

Number of awards anticipated: N/A (dependent on amounts)

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $2,500 to a maximum of $15,000.00

Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2021 Public Diplomacy Funding

Anticipated programs start date: January 2021

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award, or Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation.

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from U.S. and Togo as follows:

• Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience

• Individuals

• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions

• Governmental institutions

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not required.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet, as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a DUNS number or be registered in SAM.gov.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package

Application forms required below are available at Embassy Lome, Public Affairs

Section, and www.grants.gov

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

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.

Content of Application

Please ensure:

• The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity http://www.grants.gov/

• All documents are in English

• All budgets are in U.S. dollars

• All pages are numbered

• All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and

• All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New

Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

The following documents are required:

1. Mandatory application forms

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1

• SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals) at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-individual-

• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) at

• SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) at

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 (4 pages maximum): 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 program, including program objectives and anticipated impact.

• Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or

U.S. government agencies.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1

• Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed

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

• Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.

• Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal. Include a logic model as appropriate.

• Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.

• Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program?

• Program Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees.

• Program 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 program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant?

• Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

4. Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H. Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions below for further information.

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 your organization has a NICRA and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file.

• Official permission letters, if required for program activities

• Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

(NOTE: This section is required and not optional, except for NOFOs targeting applications from individuals instead of organizations)

Required Registrations:

All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

• Unique Identifier Number 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/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=81407B1F03F2B

DB123DD47

D19158B75F. http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

NCAGE application: Application page here 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%20NS

PA%20NCAGE.pdf

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

For 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, proceed to register in SAM by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

4. Submission Dates and Times

The Public Affairs Section will accept proposals throughout the year and will review proposals according to the following schedule:

• Proposals received between October 1 and December 31 will be reviewed by

January 15, with responses going out by January 30 http://www.sam.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=81407B1F03F2BDB123DD47 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=81407B1F03F2BDB123DD47 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx 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/

• Proposals received between January 1 and March 31 will be reviewed by

April 15, with responses going out by April 30

• Proposals received between April 1 and June 30 will be reviewed by July 15, with responses going out by July 30

• Proposals received between July and August will be reviewed in September at the discretion of the review panel and pending availability of funds

Applications may be submitted for consideration at any time before the closing date of July 30, 2021. No applications will be accepted after that date.

NB: If you are not called for further steps within 3 weeks, your application was not successful.

5. Funding Restrictions

Funds under this notice cannot be used for construction programs, vehicle purchases or any other than defined in this funding opportunity.

6. Other Submission Requirements

All application materials must be submitted by email to LomePDGrants@state.gov

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below.

Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – 15 points: The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.

Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants – 10 points: 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.

mailto:LomePDGrants@state.gov

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15 points: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Embassy priorities – 10 points: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy Lomé’s priority areas or target audiences.

Budget – 10 points: 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 – 10 points: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured.

Sustainability – 10 points: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.

Gender Balanced Proposals – 10 points: Project team MUST be gender balanced: 50% female, 50% male

American Content* – 10 points: Projects must detail what American content will be used in the proposal. (* = may take the form of American partners, speakers, American themes or materials, resources or inviting U.S. Embassy staff to participate in/speak at grant-funded activities.)

2. Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications.

3. 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.

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: Payments will be made in at least two installments, as needed to carry out the program activities.

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.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/. 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.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact PAS at: LomePDGrants@state.gov

Note: We do not provide any pre-consultation for application related questions that are addressed in the NOFO. Once an application has been submitted, State

Department officials and staff — both in the Department and at embassies overseas

— may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.

H. OTHER INFORMATION

Guidelines for Budget Justification

Personnel: 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. 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.

https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/ mailto:LomePDGrants@state.gov

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. However, reasonable amount can be charged for events unless it’s for operational or administrative cost.

COVID-19 Guideline: This is a reminder for each applicant to take into account covid-19 as part their program risk assessment and to provide a detailed strategy on how they intend to prevent the spread of the virus during their program activities.