Final Questions and Answers Bilateral Call for Full Proposals Europe and Eurasia.pdf

Questions and Answers from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) about its 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Bilateral Call for Europe and

Eurasia

** Applicants should submit questions by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, March 29, 2024, to JTIPGrants@state.gov for inclusion. This document will be updated via My Grants on April 2 30, 2024 with the latest Q&As so that all applicants have access to the same information. No questions will be taken after Friday, March

29. **

ELIGIBILITY

Q: Where can I find the Notice of Funding Opportunity?

A: The funding opportunity is available on MyGrants https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/mygrants. If you are unable to view the funding opportunity, you should email JTIPGrants@state.gov to be linked to the NOFO. In MyGrants you will be able to view the opportunity, the accompanying templates, and the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs document.

Q: Should the proposal narrative include A: Yes, applicants s

Q: I am new to My Grants, where can I learn more?

A: Please review the MyGrants recipient training at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pUKQ6gRmi0 to answer any questions about the platform.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of proposals that can be submitted by a single applicant?

A: Organizations are permitted to submit multiple applications. Applicants must submit separate applications for each country or regional programming priority identified in the funding opportunity if pursuing multiple awards.

https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/mygrants mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pUKQ6gRmi0

Q: Can an organization be a sub-grantee, or partner, on more than one application?

A: Yes. However, the TIP Office reserves the right to request changes to sub-grantees to avoid conflict of interest between awards under programming priorities.

Q: May two or more organizations jointly submit an application?

A: No, there must be a single, lead applicant. While applicants may designate one or more partner organizations as sub-recipients, there may only be one primary award recipient.

Q: Is it enough that our organization has a local office and we may engage NGOs and other stakeholders in specific activities as needed?

A: If an organization is not based in the proposed country where implementation will occur, then a local partner must be identified. If an organization is based in the country, partnerships and coordination with other stakeholders are still strongly encouraged.

Q. For Priority #2, do applicants need to include all countries listed ?

A. No applicants can propose projects that include one, several, or all countries listed.

PROJECT NARRATIVE

Q: The application guidelines include considerations on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Are these required to be addressed?

A: Where relevant and appropriate, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) should be built-in components of project activities, and applicants should demonstrate how the unique needs of all groups in the target population will be addressed.

Q: Is direct assistance to identified victims of trafficking permissible, including return, rehabilitation, and reintegration assistance?

A: Yes, direct assistance is permissible if part of project objectives. However, the TIP Office does not typically support cash-based assistance as an acceptable approach for its programs. Please see refer to the guidance provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Q: The cover page requires applicants to show project alignment to the three “Ps” and provide a percentage breakdown. Should this percentage be aligned in the budget? Should the detailed budget be broken down in this way?

A: No, the budget does not need to be aligned by the three Ps - please refer to the example line-item budget provided within the attachments in MyGrants as reference and read the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting TIP Office Full Project Proposals for more information on completing the budget documents.

Q: What are the most important sections of the submission that the TIP Office focuses on?

A: The entirety of the submission is important.

Q: Can you clarify the page limit for the Narrative?

A: The page limit is 10 pages, including spaces, footnotes, etc.

Q: May an applicant include footnotes in the project narrative?

A: Yes, an applicant may include footnotes within the project narrative. However, the footnotes will be included page limit.

Q: What does it mean to meaningfully include survivors or persons with lived experience?

A: Engaging survivors in meaningful ways is critical to establishing effective victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent anti-trafficking policies and strategies that address prevention, protection, and prosecution, as well as partnerships. Meaningful inclusion means integrating input from survivors or persons with lived experience in the co-creation, implementation and/or evaluation of the project. Highly competitive projects will demonstrate an understanding of this approach. Applicants must describe how survivors or persons with lived experience of human trafficking are meaningfully included in the design, implementation and/or evaluation of the project. Applicants are highly encouraged to compensate survivors or persons with lived experience for any and all contributions made to the project. This compensation should be clearly articulated in the budget and budget narrative.

MONITORING AND EVALUTION

Q: The final evaluation needs to be submitted within 120 days after the end of the award. It needs to be included in the budget at a minimum of seven percent

- how does it fit with the timeline? Data can be gathered within the award timeline, but drafting will happen within the 120 days - can time out of the award timeline be covered with the budget?

A: All funds used to conduct evaluation activities, including but not limited to data collection, focus groups, surveys, key informant interviews, data analysis, data validation, etc. should be expended prior to or on the end-date of the award. The 120-day closeout period is only for reconciling expenditures that occurred prior to the end-date of the award and completing final reports. Evaluation activities should not take place once the award has ended.

Q: Can you provide more guidance on the final evaluation? (Who should carry this out, the budget associated, etc.?)

A: Please review the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs document for the TIP Office’s expectations of the final evaluation.

BUDGET

Q: Would you advise the budget ceiling for a single proposal? About how many proposals will be funded this time?

A: Applicants should propose the amount reasonable and commensurate with their activities. All awards under this announcement are pending the availability of funds. The number of awards depends on the availability of funds and the quality of applications received. Proposals should be at or under the budget ceiling specified in the NOFO.

Q: How much money will be allocated to each region or country?

A: The TIP Office does not have specific regional or country budgets. The final amount allocated for each country and region will depend on many factors, including the quality of applications received and the nature of the proposed activities.

Q: As it relates to the budget, does the TIP Office have a start date for the period of performance for these submissions to determine budget by fiscal year? Or should the applicant choose this date?

A: We anticipate awards starting in the summer of 2024, but this could change. If selected for award the TIP Office will work with you to adjust the start and end dates as needed.

Q: You mentioned including a few bullets of how funding would be used in the budget narrative. Could you please describe how the budget narrative is used in the review process and the level of detail needed? In general terms, how long is this document?

A: Please review the instructions for the Budget Narrative provided in 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs.

Q: Are computers that are valued under $5,000 per unit considered equipment?A:

If the value was under $5,000, it would not be considered equipment but instead be considered “supplies.”

Q: Is there any restriction with regard to the cost share (e.g., max. amount)?

A: No, there is no cap on cost share, but applicants must be able to clearly justify the quantity of funding they plan to allocate to a sub-grantee and explain why that funding is being allocated.

Q: Is a separate budget and budget narrative required for sub-grantees?

A: Yes, a separate budget and line-item budget would be needed for each sub-grantee.

Q: Does the sub-award include the ten percent?

A: The 10% de minimis rate can be used by any organization that doesn’t have a current Negotiated Indirect Cost-Rate Agreement (NICRA).

Q. Are organizations eligible to receive indirect funds?

A: Regarding indirect costs, organizations without a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) can elect to use the de minimis rate of 10% of the modified total direct costs (MTDC) when submitting a budget; in accordance with 2 CFR 200.414(f). If the recipient does not have a NICRA and elects not to use the de minimis rate, identified “overhead costs” may be broken out by individual line item (e.g., electricity, accountant fees, etc.) and charged as direct costs.

However, these must be on a cost allocated basis. For example, if the award project accounts for 20% of the organization’s work, only 20% of the electricity, accountant fees, etc. should be charged as a direct cost to the grant.

Organizations with NICRA agreements should account for indirect cost in accordance with their negotiated agreements.

Q: What types of costs fall under the indirect category, and do we need to provide a breakdown of the different costs within that ten percent? A: If you are using the 10% de minimis rate, then 2 CFR 200 provides a breakdown of what can be charged and how it is calculated. The Budget Narrative and Line-Item Budget need to be clear on what the Indirect Cost Rate is. Please follow the guidance provided and use our examples and templates to the best of your ability.

Q. How many Non-Competitive Continuations (NCCs) are applicants eligible to receive?

A. Applicants will only be eligible for one NCC, pending successful performance and the availability of fund. Please refer to the "Phase Funding" portion of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.

Q. Can applicants propose a longer base phase and/or extend the length of the

NCC?

A. No. Please refer to the "Total Funding Ceiling" of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

ANNEXES

Q. Who should be listed as the authorized certifying official on the SF-424B?

A. The “certifying official” is the person within your organization who can / will sign the grant award if an award is made. This could be the organization’s director, a project manager, or grants coordinator, for example. This is also the only point of contact who will receive information regarding the status of the application from the TIP Office.

Q: Is there a specific template we need to use for the donor history form?

A: As per the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs, we do not provide a template for the donor history form.

Q: Can the donor form be a table in Word?

A: Yes, please make sure it is no longer than one page and follows the instructions listed in the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs document.

Q: Could you please clarify how and in which budget annexes MERL costs should be demonstrated. For example, would a separate tab in the line-item budget be acceptable? May staff costs be calculated toward MERL costs? What additional costs are permitted under this range?

A: Please see the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs document for instructions on MERL costs. If selected for an award, the TIP Office will work with applicants to determine what costs are reasonable and allowable under this range.

Q: For letters of support from local organizations, can they be in the local language in whatever font they use?

A: All letters of partnership from intended sub-recipients may be submitted in a foreign language; however, if selected for funding the applicant will be asked to submit an English translation.

Q: Is there specific training required for the for the Victim Assistance Personnel (Annex I) A. There is no specific training. Per the NOFO: Applicants must submit an attachment that contains the following statement undersigned by an official authorized to submit the proposal:

The applicant hereby certifies that, to the extent practicable, persons or entities providing legal services, social services, health services, or other assistance have completed, or will complete, training in connection with trafficking in persons.

An authorized official is a supervisor that oversees and manages the staff working with victim assistance in the country and/or region.

Please note, the selected recipient of a TIP Office award is responsible for ensuring the Certification of Training requirement for all sub-awards, if applicable.

This is a requirement for programs providing assistance to trafficking victims, per Section 107A(b)(1) of the TVPA.

Q: How many support letters do we need for partners receiving money from us?

A: Please note that letters of Intent to Cooperate are only required for those applicants proposing to partner with one or more stakeholders that have been formalized at the time of application submission. Should Letters of Intent be required to do work in country from various government ministries, then these should be obtained in advance of an organization receiving an award.

Q: Do we need support letters from government agencies?

A: A letter is recommended from relevant partners.

Q: In the donor history forms, for those organizations already running federal grants, must they list their other (non-U.S. government) donors?

A: Applicants should include all relevant prior donor funding in the donor history form. This could include current or prior funding from the U.S. government, from other governments, private foundations, large donations from individuals, etc.

The donor history form should include the amounts of prior funds managed by the applicant.

Q: Given the time it takes to get government letters, if we fail to get a support letter before the submission timeline, will this result in disqualification?

A: No, letters of support are strongly encouraged but not required.

Q: Please clarify who is included in travel?

A: Travel includes employees of the applicant’s organization, as well as participant travel for trainings or other program activities. Any consultant, sub-contractor, or sub-grant travel costs should be included separately under the Contractual category.

Q: Do we need to present the CV for key personnel?

A: Yes. If key personnel have already been identified for the proposed project, applicants must submit the relevant individuals’ resume/CVs. Key personnel are defined as individuals who contribute to the program development or execution of a project in a substantive measurable way; this is typically a program director or program manager. Applicants are recommended to identify no more than 2-3 key personnel.

Q: Re: Key Personnel - CVs are required for those who are 100 percent Level of Effort, or everyone? What if we don't have the staff yet?

A: Only if key personnel have already been identified for the proposed project, should applicants submit the relevant individuals’ resume/CVs. It does not matter whether they are 100 percent LOE or not - key personnel are defined as individuals who contribute to the program development or execution of a project in a substantive measurable way; this is typically a program director or program manager. Applicants are recommended to identify no more than 2-3 key personnel.

Q: Do we need the CV for partners as well? NGO partners, for example?

A: No.

Q: Regarding CV: when you say only personnel of prime applicant, if we are partnering with another organization in the application - we do not include their personnel, correct?

A: You do not need to include CVs for formal sub-recipient partners.

Q: For technical support to the government partners - should the assets be returned afterwards? It would be good to know before we project such assistance in the project.

A: If you are providing equipment or supplies, then you must follow the rules surrounding these outlined within the NOFO. Equipment is herein defined as an article of non-expendable, tangible, personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost in excess of $5,000. Please note that if equipment costs are included in an application, the applicant organization must retain ownership of all equipment obtained throughout the lifetime of the federal award. This includes any equipment funded with cost sharing or matching funds.

At the end of the award, you must complete federal SF-428 forms for the TIP Office Grants Officer to evaluate whether the item(s) be retained, sold, or disposed of without any further obligation to the Department of State. Applicants are not permitted to loan or provide equipment to government partners, again, since the applicant must retain ownership of said equipment throughout the lifetime of the award.

Q: For a multi-country proposal, would the donor history form require all TIP Office and other donor funded anti-trafficking projects per each country?

A: Please submit U.S. government donor history per country. You do not need to include every single project, but instead include a snapshot of projects you would like to highlight within the one-page limit. Please follow the instructions listed in the 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs.

Q: Should the donor history form include previous projects from sub awardees?

If so, can that be provided on an additional page?

A: No.

Q. May applicants submit additional documents to the project narrative in addition to the required templates and documents outlined in the NOFO?

A. Any additional documents uploaded outside of what is specified in the NOFO will result in failure of the organization during technical review.

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Q. How does the TIP Office decide which proposal(s) to fund?

A. Following the submission, all proposals will be screened to determine whether they meet the technical requirements stated in this announcement. As a reminder, the TIP Office will only consider proposals that meet the specific requirements outlined in the NOFO and 2024 Guidelines for Submitting Full Proposal NOFOs /Program Design Standards. Following the technical review, a formal content review of each full proposal that passes the technical review will commence. An intra- and interagency panel will review proposals for funding consideration against the review criteria included in the NOFO. The panel will consider each proposal’s merits as well as applicable limitations on U.S. foreign assistance. Panel recommendations will be presented to the Ambassador-at- Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (or the Acting Director) for consideration.

Q: The NOFO states, “Spaces, footnotes, and charts are included within the page limit.” Could you please share if in the past applicants were able to paste charts into the Project Narrative template?

A: Yes, applicants can include charts in the Project Narrative. However, any text within the chart will be included in the page count.

MISCELLANEOUS

Q: Can you provide more details on local partnerships? Are you referring to national NGOs and CSOs?

A: Applicants are welcome to partner with NGOs, CSOs, academia, and other actors that may be beneficial in helping implement project activities. If you plan to sub-award to another organization, the following types of organizations are allowable: Any U.S. or foreign-based nongovernmental organization, public international organization, college or university, or for-profit organization.

Q. Can you provide more guidance on partnerships vs. sub-awards and what is required?

A. The applicant may designate one or more organizations as a sub-recipient. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a partner organization is any organization that would receive sub-award funding from a successful applicant to help the applicant organization implement anti-trafficking projects. All mandatory terms and conditions for a successful applicant also apply to any sub-awards awarded. The TIP Office recognizes that applicants may plan for sub-awards that are not yet finalized prior to full proposal submission.

The TIP Office also recognizes that organizations may work with other organizations or stakeholders in a way that may not rise to a sub-award agreement. If selected for funding, the TIP Office will work closely with applicants to determine which relationships rise to the level of sub-awards.

Q. Are applicants required to submit a hard copy original signature with their proposal via mail?

A. No, only an electronic signature submitted via MyGrants is required. No applications or supplemental documents are permitted to be submitted via mail – only the items listed in the instructions on the solicitation which must be submitted via MyGrants.

Q: If there a formal Q&A process throughout the full proposal process? If so, what is the deadline, where do we submit questions, and where will answers be posted?

A: You may submit questions to the JTIPGrants@state.gov email until 11:59 PM EST on Friday, March 29. Updated Q&A will be posted by 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday April 2. No questions will be taken after March 29.

Q. Where can I find specifics regarding projects previously funded by the TIP Office?

A. Applicants are encouraged to look to our website, https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/, for information on TIP Office-funded projects from prior years.

Q: Just to clarify that any specific questions we may have to joint programs can be emailed directly?

A: Please reach out to JTIPGrants@state.gov with any questions.

Q. How do I unlock my MyGrants account or change my password? What should I do if I encounter difficulty using the MyGrants website?

A. Unfortunately, the TIP Office is unable to unlock SAMS-Domestic account or reset passwords. JTIPGrants@state.gov

Please review the MyGrants recipient training at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pUKQ6gRmi0 to answer any questions about the platform.

For other assistance with MyGrants, please contact the ILMS Support Desk at 1- (888)-313-4567 (toll free for international callers) or submit a ticket using the ILMS Self Service Portal (https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home). Customer Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note support hours may change on Federal holidays. Direct questions regarding the process of uploading applications to Customer Support. Technical difficulties not resolved by the Support Desk by the time of submission must be fully documented, including a ticket number documenting communication with Customer Support, and reported to the TIP Office at JTIPGrants@state.gov only. Please do not contact any other Department of State personnel.

https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/ https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/ mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pUKQ6gRmi0 https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov

Q. We are experiencing difficulty requesting a UEI number.

A. For information and assistance with UEI numbers, please contact the Help Desk at FSD.gov.

Q. If an organization proposes a partnership with another organization, do all parties need to obtain a UEI number, or only the applicant?

A. For the purpose of filling out the SF 424s and submitting an application, the only UEI number required is that of the applicant – the principal organization which is requesting funding. (Note: A valid UEI is not required for submission of an application on MyGrants however, a valid UEI number is required for organizations selected for an award. Organizations should verify their UEI number or take the steps needed to obtain one as soon as possible.)

Organizations proposing partnership or sub-award agreements in their proposals are advised that their partners are required to have a UEI number. A recipient may not make a subaward to a subrecipient unless that subrecipient has obtained and provided to the recipient a UEI.

Q. Where may I find additional advice about preparing the full proposal application?

A. The TIP Office must ensure a fair, transparent, competitive grants process.

No one from the Office or other Department of State personnel, including Embassy personnel, may advise you on the content of your application.

Persons with additional questions about the requirements of the solicitation may contact JTIPGrants@state.gov

Q. Where can I find specifics regarding projects previously funded by the TIP Office?

A. Applicants are encouraged to look to our website, https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/, for information on TIP Office-funded projects from prior years.

Q. Where may I find additional advice about preparing the proposal application?

A. The TIP Office must ensure a fair, transparent, competitive grants process.

No one from the Office or other Department of State personnel, including Embassy personnel, may advise you on the content of your application.

mailto:JTIPGrants@state.gov https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/ https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/