FINAL NOFO - Advancing Criminal Justice System (Armenia) 6-7-2024.pdf

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.U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Announcement Type: Request for Federal Assistance Award Applications

Funding Opportunity Title: Advancing Criminal Justice System Reforms in Armenia

Funding Opportunity Number: OFOP0001459

Program:

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Office – U.S. Embassy Yerevan

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:

19.703 - Criminal Justice Systems

Total Funding Available: $2,500,000 U.S. Dollars

Funding Source: Post-Funds

Application Ceiling: Up to $2,500,000 U.S. Dollars

Application Floor: At least $2,300,000 U.S. Dollars

Anticipated Number of Awards: 1 award

Initial Project Implementation Length: 24-30 months

Estimated Project Start Date: September 2024

NOFO Issuance Date: June 7, 2024

Deadline for Submission of Questions: June 28, 2024 by 11:59 PM EST via email

Deadline for Submission of Applications:

July 23, 2024 by 11:59 PM EST via www.grants.gov

Assistance Type: Cooperative Agreement

Applicant Types and Eligibility Categories:

Organizations only.

Refer to Section C: Eligibility Information for more information.

INL Points of Contact:

Kristina Afoyan (AfoyanK@state.gov) – GOR Rachel Cook (CookRM3@state.gov) – PO Marco Horta (hortama@state.gov) - GO http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:AfoyanK@state.gov mailto:CookRM3@state.gov mailto:hortama@state.gov

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BUREAU MISSION

The mission of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is to keep Americans safe by countering crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is at the forefront of responding to these challenges, uniting these overarching themes through our foreign assistance programs, diplomatic engagement, and policy coordination.

INL’s foreign assistance programs are essential to advancing U.S. policy objectives. INL programs advance the following strategic goals:

1. Disrupt and reduce illicit drug markets and transnational crime to protect American lives and U.S. national security.

2. Combat corruption and illicit financing to strengthen democratic institutions, advance rule of law, and reduce transnational crime and its enablers.

3. Strengthen criminal justice systems to support stable, rights respecting partners.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

F. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

APPENDIX A: PERFORMANCE MONITORING PLAN

APPENDIX B: PROJECT RISK ANALYSIS

APPENDIX C: BUDGET AND BUDGET NARRATIVE

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A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Overview: The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S.

Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to advance criminal justice system reforms in Armenia by increasing access to justice. These include increasing public confidence in case outcome, strengthening legal defense mechanisms and public advocacy, institutionalizing technical and legal skills training for criminal justice officers, and upholding the rights of the most vulnerable individuals in Armenia.

Priority Region/Countries: Armenia

Project Purpose: The purpose of this project is to build Armenians' confidence in the criminal justice sector through tangible reforms that are relevant to the public’s experience with the justice system. The theory of change is that these reforms will assist Armenia with its goal to increase transparency and accountability across justice systems and demonstrate to Armenians that human rights, democracy, and anti-corruption reforms remain a priority.

With this NOFO, INL seeks a partner to implement sustained institutional change in targeted areas of the justice sector identified by INL as well as the ability to rapidly respond to emerging needs and observations in the field crucial to INL’s overarching desired results, objectives, and success of this program. We seek a collaborative, creative, data-driven, and iterative approach that will deliver results and ensure implementation on the ground is effective. INL encourages applicants to maximize available expertise and supports proposals that include sub-grantees. Applications must explain how the proposed sub-grantee's specific expertise is suited to meet project goals and how the sub-grantee will be integrated into the overall program.

The ideal program prioritizes cross-cutting storytelling and metrics to provide a range of stakeholders, including INL, with data, visuals, videos, reports, and other media to effectively explain program activities, findings, details, and results, and to support INL’s ability to iterate and refine project approaches to deliver desired results.

This program seeks expertise in both subject matter and data-driven project delivery and execution, as outlined below. More details about each can be found in the Project Requirements and Project Goals and Suggested Activities sections (Pages 6- 7).

Problem Statement: Armenia’s 2018 popular revolution ushered in a reformist government with an anti-corruption agenda. Armenia remains committed to a democratic path that respects the rule of law and human rights and has advanced several reforms across the justice sector. Yet most Armenians are not able to adjudicate civil or criminal matters in a transparent and timely manner, limiting both the experience and perception of democratic reforms. Armenia’s Chamber of Advocates and the Public Defender’s Office face growing caseloads that are testing these institutions’ ability to provide effective legal defense, which is constitutionally guaranteed for both criminal and civil matters. These limitations are acute for vulnerable and low-income populations. Victims of crimes face serious obstacles during the investigation and prosecution of cases in addition to the inconsistent treatment of the witnesses involved in such cases. Pre-trial detention is inconsistently applied despite alternatives like house arrest or electronic monitoring for lower-risk detainees. Finally, a lack of public trust in the judiciary, large caseloads, and limited opportunities to build technical and legal skills pose significant challenges to judges who seek to increase their effectiveness and reduce delays.

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Project Vision The vision is Armenia increases transparency and accountability across justice systems by prioritizing human rights, democracy, and anti-corruption reforms that facilitate timely and fair case adjudication for all citizens.

In support of the U.S. Embassy Yerevan’s Integrated Country Strategy (ICS), this project will contribute to strengthening democratic systems, institutions, and processes by advocating for and reinforcing democratic values, norms and principles including the rule of law and equal access to justice. Project goals and objectives will contribute to supporting Armenia as it seeks to protect and uphold the rights of the most vulnerable individuals in society. The project should ultimately increase public confidence in fair case outcomes while reducing potential harm to victims and witnesses of crime; reduce Armenia’s significant pre-trial detention population; strengthen legal defense services particularly for the most vulnerable populations; and increase the judiciary’s effectiveness while improving public trust in justice sector professionals.

Because there are multiple current programs in judicial reform area, INL is focusing this project on the Chamber of Advocates and Public Defender’s Office to support a focused, but systems-aware program that will complement other investments. In addition to public defense and advocacy, this program includes specific projects to reduce pre-trial detainees and develop legislation and systems to support victims and witnesses because these are crucial public touchpoints with the justice system and therefore important indicators for Armenia’s reform efforts.

INL welcomes additional recommendations to advance this project vision alongside the Goals, Objectives, and Activities outlined in the illustrative Change Map outlined below, but reserves final approval, as detailed below.

Program Requirements:

Wrap-around Service:

This program seeks wrap-around program service, with the grantee/grantee (“grantee”) budgeting travel, M&E, reporting, personnel, and relevant field office support from the cooperative agreement award. Coordination, information management, and time management are crucial to the success of this program.

M&E:

Rigorous attention to the monitoring and evaluation of impact will enable INL to demonstrate the results and the relevance this program to INL and to partner countries. The implementing team must work in close cooperation with INL in both Yerevan and Washington, D.C. Regular reporting of progress will ensure that the work of the Program is visible and understood among partners, INL, and interagency stakeholders, to ensure resources are targeted to where they are most effective and are most needed.

Implementor will regularly report project development, design, and outcome details to INL for M&E purposes, education, and partner coordination/information sharing.

Program Management Approach

• Iterate to Improve

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To improve program outcomes, INL requests a project management approach that will enable INL to be regularly informed about the results of implementation in the field so INL can work with implementor(s) and Armenian partners to iterate and respond with improved program or project design quickly. The goal is to build in a collaborative feedback response and make space to modify project approaches or activities to achieve project results.

• Coordination and Collaboration

1. Coordination and De-confliction of Projects: Program coordination and de-confliction of projects will be done with INL Program Officer, U.S. Embassy INL representatives, other U.S. government partners, and other donors as appropriate.

Coordination details to be discussed at the project kick-off.

2. Buy-in and local ownership: where appropriate, programming should be designed to sustainably build partner-country capacity.

3. Routine reporting to INL GOR, which includes:

a. Establishing least one coordination call per month during which the implementor will review the Change Map and project indicators to report progress and next steps. The implementor will also take notes and distribute the call read-outs and action items to INL Yerevan and the INL Program Officer.

Program Execution Deliverables

1. In executing program goals and activities, provide INL and relevant stakeholders with on-demand data, graphic visuals, videos, reports, short training summaries (ASDARs) and other media to explain program activities, findings, details, and results.

• This includes, but is not limited to, the required Change Map or equivalent and the required Illustrative Performance Indicator Reference Sheet

• INL requests hard-copy booklets, brochures, or other summary report documents to provide to partners and relevant stakeholders on an annual basis.

• Applicants must identify a designated M&E point-of-contact who is able to respond to short-term (within three day) requests from INL for time-sensitive reporting.

2. Develop a Project Dashboard

• The purpose of the Dashboard is to highlight key data and storytelling materials. An example of this is a website that includes photos and videos from events, interactive graphics and charts, and other relevant program information.

• Preferably includes capability for both a public and an internal-facing site.

• INL must retain full access to website materials and data even if project ends.

3. Mechanism to Respond to Emerging Needs Quickly

• INL seeks a program that includes flexibility to respond rapidly to emerging needs related to the Program Goals and activities outlined below. This mechanism may include a designated budget or may be integrated into other parts of the project budget.

Project Goals and Objectives and Suggested Activities:

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The outline below suggests the direction and specific types of projects INL is looking for in this cooperative agreement to advance project goals. Recognizing the grantee may bring additional ideas or perspectives on how to achieve these stated goals, grantee is welcome to propose activities in its proposal. Grantee will coordinate with INL and INL GOR on all final project design, implementation, and evaluation activities.

Priority INL Projects

Goal #1: Armenian law enforcement agencies – including the police, Investigative Committee, and Prosecutor General’s Office – create and implement processes and procedures for handling victims and witnesses in the Armenian criminal justice system based on laws and procedures from United Nations, United States, European Union, Council of Europe and other relevant international best practices.

Objective 1: National Assembly passes legislation to establish victim and witness protection system.

Activities: Conduct a needs assessment that reviews legislation and policies/procedures related to the treatment of witnesses and victims; draft a report with written recommendations on needs/gaps aimed at ensuring victims and witnesses are treated fairly within the criminal justice system through a review of Armenian legislation/practices regulating the rights of victims and witnesses (to include the forensic examination of sexual assaults and other violent crimes); assist Armenian partners in drafting follow-on legislation and SOPs/guidelines.

Objective 2: Armenian criminal justice sector professionals adopt a strategy and its action plan for advancing victim and witness protection standard reform.

Activities: Identify and convene at least 100 criminal justice sector professionals and civil society representatives for a series of in-person workshops to discuss the needs assessment and all written recommendations as well as identify a strategy and its action plan for advancing reforms.

Goal #2: The Chamber of Advocates and Public Defenders Office provides access to legal services for legally entitled/qualified individuals so that all individuals – particularly the most vulnerable populations – have equitable access to justice.

Objective 1: The Chamber of Advocates and Public Defenders Office conduct public outreach to citizens to inform them of their right to legal defense and available services.

Activities: Establish public relations strategies and functional, user-friendly websites for the Chamber of Advocates and the Public Defender’s Office.

Objective 2: The Public Defender’s Office manages their caseload using an efficient, transparent case management system.

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Activities: Within the first twelve months, conduct a needs assessment of existing case management system; facilitate working group to create action plan for creation/implementation of new system; develop specifications for recommended system.

Objective 3: The Public Defender’s Office can communicate electronically with their clients in detention facilities.

Activities: Establish electronic communication platforms between the Office of the Public Defender and penitentiary institutions in Armenia.

Objective 4: Defense attorneys and public defenders apply existing Code of Ethics/Code of Conduct.

Activities: Arrange in-person trainings, facilitate study visits, and develop written materials, including Commentary to the Code of Ethics, to support understanding and application of a Code of Ethics.

Objective 5: The Public Defender’s Office uses merit-based SOPs to recruit, promote, and retain high-quality public defenders.

Activities: Develop a merit-based selection, evaluation, and promotion platform and/or SOPs within the Public Defender’s Office.

Objective 6: The Academy of Advocates faulty is skilled in training defense attorneys and public defenders on criminal justice and human rights topics.

Activities: Prepare an assessment of the Academy of Advocates’ current curricula and provide written recommendations on strengthening the curricula including identification of new courses needed; develop training content and teaching guides for all new courses;

identify and train qualified faculty to serve as trainers for the newly created courses.

Goal #3: Judges understand and can apply alternative measures of incarceration and probation officers’ written advisory opinions in their legal decisions.

Objective 1: Judges, prosecutors, investigators, probation officers, and defense attorneys are conversant with alternative pre-trial measures of restriction including bail, house arrest, electronic monitoring, and administrative detention.

Activities: Arrange in-person trainings, facilitate study visits, and develop written materials to support understanding and application of pre-trial measures of restriction.

Objective 2: Judges know how to review and use probation officers’ written advisory opinions to make decisions on early conditional release of prisoners.

Activities: Arrange in-person trainings, facilitate study visits, and develop written materials to support understanding and application of probation officers’ written advisory opinions.

Goal #4: Judges and other criminal justice officers have the technical and legal skills to use the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

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Objective 1: Armenian judges have the legal English skills to comprehend and use English language case law including that of the European Court of Human Rights.

Activities: Conduct English language instruction via on-line and/or in-person format.

Objective 2: Armenian judges understand European Court of Human Rights case law, analysis and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Activities: Conduct in-person trainings for a select number of practicing Armenian judges.

Objective 3: Judges, prosecutors and investigators understand legal topics such as early conditional release and human rights standards, anti-corruption investigations, prosecutions, adjudications, and legislation.

Activities: Develop training content and teaching guides for a new in-person course on early conditional release; update previous INL-funded Justice Academy courses to meet current Armenian legislation; conduct a “train the trainer” program for a select number of judges, prosecutors, and investigators; and develop course materials for use online.

Activity: Arrange in-person trainings, roundtables, study visits, provide subject matter expertise, deliver assessments or other short-term evaluations to fill critical information gaps in criminal justice and human rights protection related reforms in addition to above listed activities in coordination and approval by the GOR. Provide recommended specifications for technical equipment, hardware, or other specialized goods.

Project Expansion: If the project is successful, INL will consider the option of an award modification to expand the project to other areas, subject to availability of future funding. Applicants may include in their proposal a brief section outlining how additional funds could potentially be used to expand work into additional activities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate how their project might leverage funding through other organizations.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Applicants are encouraged to reference the table on the first page(s) of this NOFO to determine the basic federal award information (e.g., project length, amount of funding available, anticipated number of awards, assistance type, etc.). Additional award information is included in this section, although specific aspects of the award(s) issued from this NOFO may differ from program to program.

1. Project Implementation Period

The initial project implementation length is the amount of time (e.g., months) applicants should plan to implement the project. If a range of months is listed, applicants should propose a realistic project length within that range.

INL may extend the project implementation period, contingent on INL priorities, good performance of the recipient, Department of State management approvals, and funding availability. INL projects shall not exceed five (5) total years of project implementation.

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2. Assistance Type

The type of assistance is determined by scope of INL’s involvement in the implementation of the project. Refer to the table on the first page(s) of the NOFO to determine whether this particular project will be a grant or cooperative agreement.

For cooperative agreements, INL may be substantially involved in the following ways:

• 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;

• Approval of specified key personnel throughout program implementation, to include hiring and revising based on performance. Key personnel include country/program manager, project manager/coordinator, international and local experts, legal specialists;

M&E specialist.

• Approval of sub-award recipients (if any), and concurrence on the substantive provisions of the sub-awards; and coordination with other cooperating agencies; and

• Approval of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, including revisions to Change Map and/or Theory of Change.

• Frequent coordination on logistics, events, activities, and other relevant program and policy matters with INL staff in Embassy Yerevan and INL staff in Washington, D.C.

• Vetting by U.S. Embassy Yerevan offices of key personnel, including experts and workshop/training participants,

• The grantee will provide a written questionnaire, reports, draft Guidelines to the GOR and reassess the content based on the feedback from the GOR.

• Other country- or project-specific approvals will be included in the award documents.

3. Funding Notices

This award will be supported with International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funds under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Length of performance period: 24 to 30 months

Anticipated program start date: September 2024

Number of awards anticipated: 1 award

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $2,300,000 to a maximum of $2,500,000

Total available funding: $2,500,000

Type of Funding: FY2019, FY2020, and FY2021 INCLE (DR.1 Criminal Law Reform Funds)

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicant Types

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);

• U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the U.S. tax code;

• Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);

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• Foreign-based educational institutions

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost share is the portion of project costs not borne by the U.S. government. Cost share is recommended but not required for this project. Applicants must be able to ensure cost share is accounted for/tracked through accounting systems and/or supporting documentation (such as Personnel Activity Records, proof of voluntary hours, proof of any purchases for materials being included as cost share, etc.)

Any cost share proposed must be appropriately captured within the SF-424A, budget, and budget narrative.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

• In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (also known as UEI), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov.

Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov. Refer to Section D for additional guidance.

• Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. Organizations may form a consortium and submit a combined proposal, however one organization should be designated as the lead applicant and other organization(s) listed as sub-recipient partner(s).

• To be eligible to receive a federal assistance award, organizations must have a commitment to non‐discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. INL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. INL welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

• All applicants must provide a workplace free from harassment and bullying for all individuals, including but not limited to cooperative agreement/grant personnel and INL personnel.

• Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub‐awards issued under this grant award.

Note: Public International Organizations (PIOs) and For-Profit Organizations are excluded from applying to INL grant/cooperative agreement announcements.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Applicants should carefully follow all instructions in this section to ensure their application is formatted properly and includes all required documents. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be deemed ineligible for review.

1. How to Apply and Submit Questions

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This opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, along with all required application forms and, where applicable, templates for application documents. Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted via www.grants.gov. INL reserves the right to reject any applications submitted through improper channels.

Applicants are encouraged to closely review the NOFO and email questions to the INL points of contact by the deadline listed on the first page(s) of this document. After the question deadline has passed, INL will respond to all questions publicly through a Questions & Answers document uploaded to the Related Documents tab of this opportunity.

2. Required Application Documents All documents in the following list must be included in your application, unless explicitly listed as optional. If a document includes a page limit, please adhere to that limit in your application.

Applicants that do not submit all required documents will be notified via email of their ineligibility after the application deadline.

PLEASE SUBMIT DOCUMENTS IN CHECKLIST ORDER AS ONE, MULTI-PAGE PDF. BUGET

DOCUMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY AS CHARTS OR WORKBOOKS.

Standard Application Forms

SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations)

Must be signed by an authorized signatory of the applicant’s organization.

SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs)

SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction Programs) – Optional The SF-424B is only required for applicants who are not registered in SAM.gov.

Project Proposal The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant is proposing to do. The following documents may be submitted separately or combined into one document. If combined, please be sure to adhere to the page limits for each section.

Proposal Narrative – Maximum 12 pages Applicants may use their own proposal template, but it must include all the sections below. Refer to Appendix A for additional guidance on drafting a proposal narrative.

Cover Page: include organization name, project title, requested number of months, target country(ies), point(s) of contact, and requested funding amount.

Table of Contents: list all documents and attachments with page numbers.

Executive Summary: Provide a synopsis of the project.

Project Context: Include an analysis of the issue to be addressed, including why it is important to address, what the main causes of the issue are, and who has power to effect change on the issue; suggested approaches and solutions (with evidence to support suggestions); and suggestions for revision to NOFO goals and objectives if needed.

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Theory of Change & Implementation Plan: Describe the implementation plan (specific activities to implement suggested solutions); explain how or why they should result in accomplishment of the project goals and objectives (i.e., the theory of change). Projects should be designed such that activities, if implemented according to plan, should result in achievement of program objectives; and objectives, if achieved, should result in achievement of program goals. The Theory of Change should clearly demonstrate this causal logic. Finally, discuss likely challenges to implementation, including any risks of harm to project implementers or participants, along with mitigation strategies.

Gender, Equity, and Inclusion Analysis: Include in your proposal an analysis that addresses the ways in which women, gender diverse persons, and members of other marginalized and underrepresented groups (as specified in the “Participants and Audiences” section above) might affect and be affected differently by your work, including a consideration of their safe and meaningful participation. Strengthen your proposal by incorporating the results of this gender, equity and inclusion analysis into your project design. Include a description of how you will minimize any inequities and identified potential risks.

Description of Prior Work: Provide brief descriptions, including outcomes and deliverables, of any similar projects the organization has implemented.

Future Funding Plan/Sustainability: Briefly discuss the plan for ensuring the sustainability of the project (i.e., that the project continues to have impact beyond the grant period) or note if sustainability is unlikely without continued support. Applicants may also include a brief section outlining how additional funds could potentially be used to expand work into additional activities or countries beyond the initial project period.

Performance Monitoring Plan

See Appendix A for more details and instructions. Applicants MUST submit the following:

• Change Map (see template) or equivalent

• Illustrative Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (see template)

Note 1: If full performance monitoring information is not available at the time of the proposal, applicant should indicate that the indicators and associated information are notional. If selected, a final version of the documents will be required as an early deliverable.

Project Risk Analysis A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov. Refer to Appendix B for additional guidance on drafting a Project Risk Analysis.

Timeline Outline key milestones in the project, project start-up, and closeout, programmatic activities, and monitoring and evaluation activities (e.g., monitoring trips or semi-annual reviews). May be a written schedule and/or a GANTT chart.

Organization, Staff, and Partners

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The following documents may be submitted separately or combined into one document. If combined, please be sure to adhere to the page limits for each section.

Biographical Information of Applicant Organization – Maximum 4 pages Introduce the applicant organization, including biographical information such as mission statement, organization size, relevant office location(s), etc.

Provide a summary description of past and present operations, demonstrating the applicant’s ability to carry out the project Describe any experience the organization has in the target country or region Confirm whether the organization is a registered business entity within the target country or region

List of Key Personnel – Maximum 3 pages Names, titles, responsibilities, and relevant experience or qualifications of key personnel involved in the management of the project

Partner Information (if subrecipient) is being proposed) – Maximum 3 pages Introduce and provide relevant information about key partner organizations and sub-recipients Briefly describe the division of labor and/or distinct roles and responsibilities among the applicant organization and its partners If proposing a sub-recipient, please briefly describe the applicant organization’s experience related to managing sub-recipients

Letters of Support – Optional If desired, applicants may submit letters of support from project partners, host government entities, or other relevant stakeholders

Project Budget and Cost Documents Summary and Detailed Budgets

A proposal budget must be submitted in spreadsheet format (e.g., Microsoft Excel). A template is located under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov for applicants as a reference. Refer to Appendix C for additional guidance on drafting a proposal budget.

One tab of the spreadsheet shall contain the Summary Budget, which lists the OMB-approved budget categories and total estimated cost per category

One tab of the spreadsheet shall contain the Detailed Budget, which breaks down the OMB-approved budget categories into individual line items and provides detailed cost estimates per line item

If applicable, federal costs and recipient cost share must be reported in separate columns

Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative is a companion document to the summary and detailed budgets, and must be submitted in word document format. A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov. Refer to Appendix C for additional guidance on drafting a Budget Narrative.

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The Budget Narrative should communicate to INL any budgetary information that is not readily apparent in the detailed budget. Rather than simply repeating with words what is stated numerically in the budget, the Budget Narrative should explain the logic behind the amount budgeted for each line item Each budget line should be marked accordingly to the line-item budget, which should have activity number, which in turn should be tied to the Timeline and/or Change Map, and Program Requirements/Deliverables.

If applicable, proposed recipient cost share must be included in the Budget Narrative, including reference to the source of the cost share

Indirect Costs

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA):

If the applicant has an approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, a copy of the organization’s most-recent NICRA must be included in the application

If the applicant is proposing a sub-recipient that has an approved NICRA, and includes NICRA charges in the sub-award budget, a copy of the sub-recipient organization’s most-recent NICRA must be included in the application

10% de minimis Rate:

The applicant can elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC), which is allowable if the organization does not have a current agreement. (Please see Appendix C: Budget and budget narrative for more information regarding the 10% de minimis rate.)

If the applicant elects to utilize the 10% de minimis rate, that rate is then applicable for the entire period of performance of that award. Should the applicant negotiate and obtain a NICRA, it may not be applied to an award already using the 10% de minimis rate.

Applicant Management Capabilities INL must assess each potential applicant for organizational risks related to the financial and programmatic management of a federal assistance project.

History of U.S. Government Federal Assistance Awards This document outlines the applicant organization’s experience with implementing U.S.

government-funded federal assistance awards, including current and completed projects.

The list should include the awarding agency, point of contact, name of the project, start and end dates, and amount of the award.

If the applicant has never received a U.S. federal assistance award, please list other projects the organization has implemented, including the information requested in the bullet above.

Organizational Audit

If the applicant organization is required to undergo an audit (per regulations outlined in 2 CFR 200.500 – Subpart F), a complete copy of the organization’s most-recent audit must be submitted. (The financial statement is not a substitute for a single audit report. The Single audit report is an additional requirement for

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If the applicant organization is not required to undergo an audit (per the regulation cited above), a brief explanation must be submitted with the application. This explanation shall include confirmation that the organization is under the threshold for which an audit is required and/or plans for the organization to undergo an audit in the future.

Responses to the Pre-Award Risk Survey in reference to the Organizational Audit does not satisfy this requirement. Please provide the required explanation in addition to the Pre-Award Risk Survey.

INL Applicant Pre-Award Risk Survey This risk survey reviews the applicant organization’s financial capacity, policies, and infrastructure. A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov.

Please take note of the questions within the survey that request additional documentation. These documents must be included in the application.

3. Document Formatting

Applicants must ensure that their application documents conform to the following requirements:

The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity

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 inch paper, and

All Word documents are, at minimum, single-spaced with 12 point Calibri font and 1-inch margins

PLEASE SUBMIT DOCUMENTS IN CHECKLIST ORDER AS ONE, MULTI-PAGE PDF. BUGET

DOCUMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY AS CHARTS OR WORKBOOKS.

4. Required Entity and Account Registrations for Applicants All prospective applicant organizations must register and/or maintain active registration in the systems outlined below in order to submit an application to this NOFO.

Organizations that are first-time applicants may need to register and/or create accounts in these systems. INL encourages prospective applicants to initiate these registrations as soon as possible. Applicants that have previously applied to other opportunities may already have registrations and/or accounts in the necessary systems, though applicants should ensure their registrations are active.

Registration in these systems is free of charge; Applicants will never be asked to pay a fee to register or submit an application in these systems.

Unique Entity Identifier Organizations must have a UEI which will be automatically assigned by SAM.gov.

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• If your organization does not have a UEI already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866- 705-5711 or submitting a request at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

Effective April 4, 2022, the DUNS Number will be replaced by the Unique Entity Number (UEI) as the primary means of entity identification for all federal awards U.S. government wide. A DUNS number is no longer required for federal assistance applications. For more information, please go to the following link: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp

NCAGE Code Organizations physically located outside the United States and its territories must also register for an NCAGE code. This request can be completed simultaneously with a UEI request. (Note:

CAGE codes for US-based entities will be automatically assigned in SAM.gov).

• NCAGE application: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx

• NCAGE application instructions:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%2 0NCAGE.pdf

Help with NCAGE Code registration issues:

• Call 1-888-227-2423 (callers within the U.S.)

• Call 1-269-961-7766 (callers outside the U.S.)

• Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil

System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Prior to submitting an application in grants.gov, organizations must register in SAM.gov and/or ensure that their SAM.gov registration is active. Organizations are required to renew their SAM.gov registration annually.

• Initiate the registration or renewal process at https://www.SAM.gov. Select “Entity Registration” to begin the registration or renewal request.

• First-time applicants should initiate the SAM.gov registration after receiving their UEI and, if applicable, NCAGE Code (for foreign organizations). CAGE codes will be automatically assigned to US-based organizations.

Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

• Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov.

• Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS, but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Please note that as of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration and wishes to remove an NCAGE code from their sam.gov registration, the applicant should submit a help desk ticket (“incident”) with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online at www.fsd.gov to seek guidance on how to do so.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp 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/ https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=c81018e71b1601d0937fa64ce54bcb57 http://www.fsd.gov/

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Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in SAM.gov is not eligible to apply for an assistance award. Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM.gov to ensure that no ineligible entity is included in their proposal.

NOTE: As of April 2021, any new or renewed SAM.gov registrations were given a Unique Entity Number (UEI). UEI does not expire, however you must renew your SAM.gov registration annually.

For more information regarding the transition from UEI (DUNS) to UEI (SAM), please click on the following link: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp

D.3.1 Exemptions An exemption from these requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if:

● An applicant’s identity must be protected due to potential endangerment of their mission, their organization’s status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant.

● For an applicant, if the Federal awarding agency makes a determination that there are exigent circumstances that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a Federal award. In these instances, Federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the Federal award date.

Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must email the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the application can be deemed eligible for review.

Note: As of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities.

Grants.gov To submit an application to this NOFO, applicants must register in grants.gov.

• Go to www.grants.gov and select “Register” from the banner at the top of the page.

• This should be the last step of the entity registration processes, completed after obtaining a UEI number, NCAGE/CAGE Code (if applicable), and SAM.gov registration.

Help with grants.gov registrations and application submission:

• Go to the grant.gov support page at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html

• Call +1 800-518-4726

• Email support@grants.gov

It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that its application was submitted in www.grants.gov correctly. INL bears no responsibility for errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes associated with application submissions. If applicants are unable to resolve technical issues in the system, they should email the INL points of contact listed on the https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:support@grants.gov

19 | P a g e first page(s) of this NOFO with an explanation of the issue and proof of attempts to resolve it (e.g., emails with grants.gov support). INL Grants Office will then determine whether the applicant is allowed to submit application materials via email.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Technical Evaluation Criteria

A technical evaluation committee, using the criteria shown in this Section, will evaluate the applications. The various functional elements of the technical criteria are assigned weighted scores, so that the applicants will know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of applications.

Where technical applications are considered essentially equal, cost may be the determining factor. Applicants should note that these criteria serve as the standard against which all applications will be evaluated and serve to identify the significant matters which applicants should address in their applications.

The relative importance of each criterion is indicated by the number of points assigned. A total of 100 points is possible.

Project Analysis & Design – Total Possible Points: 50

• Analysis of the problem is insightful and accurate. Insightful analysis includes a thorough discussion of the main causes and scope of the issue the project seeks to address and discussion of who has power to effect change on the issue (10)

• Suggested approaches and solutions (i.e., the theory of change) are: (10) o Based on good evidence; and o Appropriate given the problem, its causes, and its scope.

• Proposed implementation plan is: (12) o Aligned with suggested approaches and solutions.

o Aligned with Program Management Approach o Feasible given timeline, resources, and context o Designed such that activities, if implemented according to plan, should result in achievement of program objectives; and objectives, if achieved, should result in achievement of program goals.

o For each Program Objective, applicant identifies expertise to deliver desired project results, objectives, or activities; or, if proposing sub-implementor, clearly explains why sub-implementor is best positioned to deliver desired results, objectives, or activities, and describes how sub-implementor is integrated into overall program o Includes required metrics, evaluation, data, and storytelling deliverables.

• Proposal includes a gender, equity, and inclusion analysis addressing the ways in which women, gender diverse persons, and members of other marginalized and underrepresented groups, including those with intersecting aspects of identity, might affect and be affected by this project, (3)

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• Description of likely challenges to implementation plan, including risks of harm to organization staff, project participants, and/or others, is thorough and mitigation strategies are appropriate (8)

• Applicant considers the gender, equity, and inclusion analysis as part of risk assessment by identifying possible risks to participants as a result of their participation in line with Do No Harm principles. (2)

• Analysis and planning for sustainability is realistic (5)

Program Monitoring and Risk – Total Possible Points: 25

• Change Map includes indicators for each goal and objective; and proposed indicators are useful for decision making, accurate in measuring the intended result, reliable, and timely (10)

• Illustrative Indicator Reference Sheet includes selected standard indicators; provides three valid indicators for goals, objectives, or sub-objectives in the change map; and demonstrates a thorough plan for data collection (10)

• Risk assessment is thorough and realistic, addresses challenges in the operating environment, and proposes adequate strategies to mitigate risks to the project (5)

Institution’s Record and Capacity Rating – Total Possible Points: 10

• The applicant demonstrates an institutional record of successful programs in the proposed country/region and program area (2)

• Professional experience of staff and institutional resources are adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's objectives (2)

• The roles and responsibilities are clearly delineated among staff and partners (2)

• Applicant is a current/former INL grantee and they successfully manage/managed the project OR the applicant has not worked with INL previously and demonstrates experience in managing similar-sized projects (2)

• Applicant submits copies of organization-wide policies and procedures on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse or explains how the applicant plans to develop such policies, which should also apply to sub-recipients. (2)

Cost…