Final - West Africa Proposal NOFO FY 2025 - Accessible 01.15.2025.docx

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Benefiting Refugees, Migrants, and Returnees in Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal

Table of Contents

Basic Information Executive Summary The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) seeks proposals for humanitarian assistance activities in Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal focusing on various sectors such as education, child protection, shelter and settlements, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). This document outlines the eligibility criteria, program sectors, locations, and priorities for each country, and application process for interested organizations. The amount of funding available per award will be determined based on applications received and appropriations made available. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based and overseas-based non-profits with proof of non-profit status, and international organizations.

Basic Information Funding Opportunity Number: DFOP0017130 Announcement Type: Initial Announcement Assistance Listings number: 19.517 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Africa Announcement issuance date: [Tuesday, January 21, 2024] Funding Instrument type: Cooperative Agreement Proposal application submission deadline: Friday, March 7, 2024, at 11:59:59 p.m. (23:59:59) EST. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Funding limits: Funding limits vary by country. Please see the country-specific guidelines below. Budgets must meet the funding requirements and must be within the funding floor and ceiling limits per year. Proposal budgets outside these limits will be disqualified.

For Mauritania:

· Funding floor per year (lowest $ value): [$1,000,000 per year]

· Funding ceiling per year (highest $ value): [$1,200,000 per year] For Niger

· Funding floor per year (lowest $ value): [$1,000,000 per year]

· Funding ceiling per year (highest $ value): [$1,200,000 per year] For Senegal:

· Funding floor per year (lowest $ value): [$600,000 per year]

· Funding ceiling per year (highest $ value): [$1,200,000 per year] Anticipated timeframe to award for selected proposals: Pending the availability of funds, PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, that awards will be made less than six months from the proposal submission deadline.

Anticipated number of awards: PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as six (6) awards (as many as two for Mauritania, two for Niger, and as many as two for Senegal) through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total: PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $1,200,000 per year total through this NOFO to Mauritania; to award up to approximately $1,200,000 per year total through this NOFO to Niger; and to award up to approximately $1,200,000 per year total through this NOFO to Senegal. The amount of funding available per award for this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) will be determined as part of the application review process based on applications received and funding made available through appropriations.

Advisory: All applicants must submit proposal application packages through the website Grants.gov. PRM recommends submitting your application packages early to address any technical difficulties that may arise on the Grants.gov website.

If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated. Refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources to help ensure a smooth application process. PRM also encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher.

This announcement accompanies PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, which contain additional information on PRM’s priorities and NGO funding strategy. Use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure your submission fully complies with PRM requirements and aligns with PRM’s priorities.

PRM recommends application narratives in Adobe PDF. Microsoft Word documents may produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations when transmitted. Submit tables and budget documents as Excel files. PRM strictly adheres to stated page limits and will not review pages of the narrative beyond the stated limit, which may negatively impact the proposal’s score. All documents must be in English, avoid jargon, and spell out all acronyms upon first use.

Retrieve PRM’s-recommended templates and NGO guidelines on PRM’s website and on this opportunity’s grants.gov page.

Contact Information Applicants with technical questions related to this announcement should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to submission. Please note that responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.

· PRM Program Analyst: Timothy Berard, Berardtp@state.gov, Washington, D.C.

· Regional Refugee Coordinator: Aimee Dowl, dowlam@state.gov, U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal.

· Regional Refugee Coordinator: Darrin Kowitz, kowitzdj@state.gov, U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants

a. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (U.S.-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of non-profit tax status).

b. Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (overseas-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of registration in country of domicile); and

c. International Organizations. International multilateral organizations, such as United Nations agencies, should not submit proposals through Grants.gov in response to this NOFO. Multilateral organizations that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should contact the PRM Program Officer (as listed below) before the closing date of the funding announcement.

Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not required for this funding announcement. However, proposals should describe additional funding sources and amounts that may complement PRM funding. These additional funds must:

· Not be paid by the Federal Government under another Federal award.

· Be verifiable from the non-Federal entity's records.

· Not be included as contributions for any other Federal award; and

· Be necessary and reasonable for achieving project and program objectives.

Please include this information in the Budget Summary, Budget Detail, and Budget Narrative sections of the proposal, separate from the PRM share of the proposed budget.

Note: Including additional funding is viewed favorably but will not increase your competitive ranking during evaluation.

Number of Allowed Proposal Applications Organizations can submit a maximum of one application country. Any additional submissions will be disqualified. (Note: Submissions as a part of a consortium do not count toward an individual organization’s submission limit.)

Program Description Funding comes from the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account to carry out section 2(b)(2) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act (MRAA) of 1962.

Substantial Involvement The Department of State will be substantially involved in carrying out aspects of this cooperative agreement. Recipients should anticipate that PRM will undertake the following list of non-exhaustive activities:

· Provide overall policy guidance and program direction.

· Review and comment on proposed budgets, proposed changes or revisions to the project.

· Periodically monitor and evaluate the performance of the proposed project, including review of required program and financial reporting documents.

Geographic Regions / Populations Proposed activities should primarily support refugees in local hosting populations and/or other conflict victims affected by the displacement crisis in Mauritania, Niger, or Senegal locations. Due to PRM's mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and conflict victims, PRM will only consider those programs that target at least 50 percent of their participants as refugees.

Program area (For PRM Use) Proposals must align with one or more of the following program areas.

· Humanitarian Protection and Assistance

· Durable Solutions

Program Sectors and Modalities Proposals must focus on one or more of the programmatic sectors listed under the country-specific guidelines below (see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for sector descriptions.)

Note: To ensure greater accountability for protection outcomes in all overseas assistance program proposals, applicants must include the following three indicators in all programs, regardless of design or sector.

· PRM-1. Number of individuals directly reached through PRM funding.

· PRM-2. Amount of humanitarian funding distributed to local, national, or refugee-led organizations (in USD) – This amount should include any sub-awards or contracts with local, national, or refugee-led organizations. If the prime applicant is a local, national, or refugee-led organization, they should use the full proposal budget total as the target value. Refer to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) working definition of “local” and “national” organizations. If this indicator does not apply to you, set the target to zero; it will not affect your eligibility.

· PRM-3. Percentage of participants who report that humanitarian assistance is delivered in a safe, accessible, accountable, and participatory manner – The Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) developed this protection mainstreaming indicator, and the Grand Bargain adopted it. Research or coordination awards that don’t involve community implementation are exempt from this indicator. Refer to the PRM Performance Indicator Reference & Definition Sheets (PIRS) for a sample questionnaire and analysis guidance.

Note: Cash and Voucher Assistance programs must include the relevant indicator(s) from the selection contained in the NGO Guidelines Appendix D.

Recommended if applicable: Partners may consider using these indicators to monitor any related activities as they are aligned with humanitarian standards and best practices. However, inclusion of recommended indicators is not mandatory and will not affect the proposal scoring. Please note that in rare cases PRM may request for a partner to use a particular recommended indicator if there is a strong technical/thematic need to track information on that indicator, or if a similar custom indicator was proposed by the partner.

General Country Guidelines Applicants should explain how the proposed activities align with the Global Compact on Refugees. We expect applicants to coordinate with UNHCR, host governments, and other coordinating bodies such as relevant national and regional clusters in planning, implementation, and reporting on the response to the needs of refugees. Successful proposals will seek to increase the capacity of government institutions, national and community-based organizations, including refugee-led organizations, to address refugee, former refugee, and asylum seeker needs, promote refugee self-reliance, foster social cohesion between refugees and host communities. Applicants should outline measures taken to reduce negative environmental impacts and promote an eco-friendly and sustainable approach, taking into consideration efforts to build resiliency to the impacts of extreme weather events, in particular extreme heat, drought, and floods, across their project and operations. In addition, proposed programs should prioritize accountability toward affected populations by:

working closely with communities in project design and implementation.

adopting a community-based approach by consulting with refugees, internally displaced persons, and host communities to determine needs and capacities, including ongoing engagement throughout the life of the project; and building upon existing services (including government services) to avoid creating refugee-specific parallel services.

PRM will prioritize applications with:

· dedicated staff care activities and budget lines

· refugee-led and women-led organizations as sub-awardees

· demonstrated evidence of plans to hire refugees as employees.

Mauritania Country-Specific Guidance General Guidance Proposed activities must support Malian refugees in and around Mbera camp and local host populations in the Hodh Ech Chargui region, provided refugees constitute at least 50 percent of the target beneficiary base, in one or more of the following areas of intervention:

· Secondary Education: Proposals must focus on refugee enrolment into secondary education, including refugees in the national education database, and the training of new teachers.

· Child Protection: Priority will be given to programs that include a component on MHPSS.

· WASH

In addition, in order to be considered a competitive proposal for Mauritania funding, narratives and budgets must adhere to the following guidelines:

Duration of Activity Program plans for three years will be considered.

Period of Performance Programs period of performance of 36 months will be considered.

Anticipated Number of Awards PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as one or two awards [depending on funding availability] through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $2,000,000 total through this NOFO for this country.

Niger Country-Specific Guidance General Guidance To be considered a competitive proposal for Niger funding, narratives and budgets must adhere to the following guidelines:

Maradi Proposals must focus on Nigerian refugees, living both in the UNHCR-supported “villages of opportunity” (Maradi) and border hosting villages. An emphasis should be placed on prioritizing populations with special needs, enhancing community mobilization, strengthening peaceful coexistence, and increasing local capacity. Proposals must focus on the one or more of the following sectors:

· WASH

· Protection:

GBV: With emphasis on accountability, prevention, and response to gender-based violence (GBV), and protection of persons with disabilities and/or special needs. Priority will be given to programs that support community mobilization and based approaches or initiatives, awareness-raising, training and long-term capacity building, and strengthening physical security and socio-economic mechanisms.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MPHSS): With emphasis on interventions for conflict-affected children and GBV survivors. PRM encourages partners to integrate interventions into other sectoral programming where this is relevant and supportive of an effective response.

Tillaberi and Tahoua Proposals must focus on the one or more of the following sectors:

· Protection

· Shelter and Settlements: with an emphasis on appropriate shelter solutions to address overcrowding, protect people from harsh weather and insecurity and essential repairs, upgrades, and the construction of durable shelters and community settlements infrastructure. To the extent possible, shelters and settlements should be resilient for extreme weather events such as drought and flooding

· WASH: with an emphasis on latrines and environmentally sustainable community WASH infrastructure, crucial for the well-being and protection of displaced populations.

Agadez and Assamaka Proposals must focus on Malian refugees and one or more of the following sectors:

· Protection: With emphasis on the provision of essential relief items

· Shelter and Settlements: With emphasis on emergency shelter to meet basic standards and to protect people from harsh weather and insecurity. Proposals can include activities to make essential repairs, upgrades, and the construction of durable shelters and community settlements infrastructure which would be resilient for extreme weather events.

· Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): With emphasis on activities that construct, make essential repairs or upgrade latrines, in addition to environmentally sustainable community WASH infrastructure, and address maintenance of these facilities, crucial for the well-being and protection of displaced populations as well as any other complimentary WASH activities.

Duration of Activity Program plans for three years will be considered.

Period of Performance Programs period of performance of 36 months will be considered.

Anticipated Number of Awards PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as two awards through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $2,400,000 total through this NOFO for this country Senegal Country-Specific Guidance General Guidance Proposed activities must support Senegalese refugee returnees to the Casamance region of Senegal. Proposals must focus on one or more of the following areas of intervention and should integrate local capacity building across proposed proposal activities:

· Shelter

· Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Duration of Activity Program plans for two years will be considered.

Period of Performance

· Programs period of performance of 12 or 24 months will be considered.

Anticipated Number of Awards PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as two (2) awards for Senegal through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $1,200,000 total through this NOFO.

Application and Submission Instructions A. Where to Request Application Package: Application packages may be downloaded from the website www.Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application: Organizations may submit a maximum of one proposal per country only. Any subsequent submissions received will be disqualified. PRM recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available on PRM’s website.

Single-Year Proposals: Single-year program proposal page limits: Single-year proposals using PRM’s recommended templates must not exceed 15 pages (Times New Roman or Calibri 12-point font, letter-sized paper, one-inch margins). If not using PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 10 pages. Organizations can attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total. However, annexes should not be the main source of program information. The proposal narrative must stand on its own. For multi-year funding application instructions, see below.

· PRM recommends submitting the application narrative in Adobe PDF. Microsoft Word documents may produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations. Submit tables and budget documents as Excel files.

· PRM strictly adheres to state page limits and will not review pages beyond the stated limit, which may negatively impact the proposal’s score.

· All documents must be in English, avoid jargon, and should spell out all acronyms upon first use.

Multi-Year Proposals:

· Applicants proposing multi-year programs should follow this guidance:

· Submit proposals with multi-year strategies in one-year (12 month) cycles, not exceeding three years (36 months) from the start date. Each year must have fully developed programs with detailed budgets, objectives, and indicators. Use PRM’s recommended multi-year proposal template. Use PRM’s recommended budget templates and disaggregate the budget by year. Multi-year proposal narratives and budgets can be updated yearly upon submission of new noncompeting single year proposal narrative template with an updated budget.

Multi-year program proposal page limits: Multi-year proposals using PRM’s recommended multi-year template must not exceed 17 pages (Times New Roman or Calibri 12-point font, letter-sized paper, one-inch margins). If not using PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 15 pages. Attachments like work plans, activity calendars, and logical frameworks do not count toward the page limit but should not be the main source of program information. The proposal narrative must stand on its own.

· PRM recommends submitting application narratives in Adobe PDF format. Submit tables and budget documents as Excel files.

· PRM strictly adheres to stated page limits and will not review pages beyond the stated limit, which may negatively impact the proposal’s score.

· All documents must be in English, avoid jargon, and spell out all acronyms upon first use.

· Multi-year applications selected for funding by PRM will be funded in one-year (12-month) increments based on the initial approved proposal. Continued funding after the initial 12-month award requires a noncompeting single-year proposal narrative and depends on available funding, strong performance, and continuing need. Follow-on applications are submitted annually for years two through three through non-competed directed announcements for continuation funding.

· In the proposal narrative, explain why multi-year funding is necessary for this program’s success, how longer consultation periods with program participants will inform programming and improve interventions, and how year one activities will contribute to outcomes and impacts in years two and three. Also, articulate and quantify cost efficiencies that could not be attained through single year programs.

Additionally, organizations must consider the following considerations as part of their proposal package:

· To be considered a competitive proposal, the Proposal Narrative, Indicator Table, and Budget Detail should include the following information:

· Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. Each objective should have at least one outcome or impact indicator.

· Include specific information on program locations and participants (GPS coordinates are highly recommended) to help PRM track the impact of its funding.

· Outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If publicly acknowledging USG funding could endanger lives, invite suspicion, or alienate the organization, you must provide a brief explanation in the proposal for the need of an exemption.

· Demonstrate protection mainstreaming by identifying potential protection risks associated with the program and how they will be mitigated. Analyze protection risks in relation to each programming sector and design assistance to minimize risks and maximize protection. Introduce gender-specific risks in this section but provide a full analysis in the gender analysis.

· Complete a gender analysis in the proposal narrative that explains:

· Experiences of men, women, boys, and girls focusing on familial roles, community privileges, and gender dynamics within the target population.

· Risks and threats experienced by women, girls, and other vulnerable populations based on their gender.

· Power imbalances and needs arising from gender inequalities within the family or community.

· Proposed responses to address and mitigate gender differences in access, participation, or decision-making for at-risk groups, particularly women and girls. Specify and target at-risk sub-populations such as women and girls heads of households, out-of-school girls, women and girls with disabilities, women and girl survivors of violence, married girls, adolescent mothers, LGBTQI+ individuals, and those often excluded from programs and services.

· Include a specific breakdown of funds provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization in the budget.

· If addressing gender-based violence (GBV), estimate the total cost of these activities as a separate line item in their proposed budgets (see PRM’s budget template). Include details of any sub-agreements associated with the programs.

· For consortia, include a description of how the partnership will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees.

SAM.gov and Grants.gov Registration Each applicant is required to:

· be registered in SAM before submitting its application.

· provide a valid UEI number in its application; and

· continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active PRM award or an application or plan under consideration by PRM.

No federal award will be made until the selected applicant complies with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not complied by the time the PRM award is ready, PRM may determine that the applicant is not qualified and use that determination as a basis to awarding another applicant.

Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov, which requires a UEI number and active SAM.gov registration. If new to PRM funding, refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources. PRM also encourages past recipients to read this section as a refresher. Applicants may also refer to the “For Applicants” page on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements.

Do not wait until the deadline to attempt to submit your application on Grants.gov. Register well in advance of the deadline as it can take several weeks to finalize registration, especially for non-U.S. based NGOs. First-time applicants should submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties. PRM has extremely limited ability to correct or facilitate rapid resolution to technical difficulties associated with Grants.gov, SAM.gov or UEI number issues.

PRM partners must maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current and correct information at all times during which they have an active federal award or an application under consideration by PRM or any federal agency.

When registering with Grants.gov, organizations must designate points of contact and Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs). As of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States not applying for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards do not need 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 to seek guidance on how to do so. For technical difficulties with the SAM.gov registration process should contact the Federal Service Desk online or at 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.) and 1-334-206-7828 (International).

Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative at the applicant organization. Submitting proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.

If you encounter technical difficulties with Grants.gov please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726.

Applicants who are unable to submit applications via Grants.gov due to Grants.gov technical difficulties and.

· who have reported the problem to the Grants.gov help desk.

· received a case number.

· have completed UEI and SAM.gov registrations.

· and had a documented service request opened to research the problem.

Applicants can contact the PRM NGO Coordinator before the submission deadline to determine if an alternative submission method is possible. However, PRM does not guarantee acceptance of applications outside the grants.gov system.

Each applicant must ensure their registrations are in place and active. Issues with registrations or discrepancies across platforms are not considered technical difficulties and do not justify an alternate submission method.

In accordance with 2 CFR §200.113, Mandatory disclosures, the non-Federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity whenever, in connection with the Federal award (including any activities or subawards thereunder), it has credible evidence of the commission of a violation of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. Non-Federal entities that have received a federal award including the term and condition outlined in Appendix XII—Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters are required to report certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings to SAM. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.338 Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment. (See also 2 CFR part 180, 31 U.S.C. 3321, and 41 U.S.C. 2313.)

Submission Dates and Times

· Announcement issuance date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

· Proposal submission deadline: Friday, March 7, 2025 at 11:59:59 p.m. (23:59:59) EST. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Intergovernmental Review: Not Applicable Other Requirements Branding and Marking Strategy The following provisions will be included whenever assistance is awarded:

The Recipient shall recognize the U.S. Government’s funding for activities specified under this award at the project site with a graphic of the U.S. flag accompanied by one of the following two phrases based on the level of funding for the award:

· Fully funded by the award: “Gift of the United States Government”

· Partially funded by the award: “Funding provided by the United States Government” PRM highly encourages recognition of U.S. Government funding on social media and website platforms to be included in proposals branding and marking strategy. Recipients should tag PRM’s Twitter account @StatePRM and/or Facebook account @State.PRM (rather than using hashtags). Additionally, the applicable U.S. Embassy should be tagged as well.

Updates of actions taken to fulfill this requirement must be included in quarterly program reports to PRM.

All programs, projects, assistance, activities, and public communications to foreign audiences, partially or fully funded by the Department, must be marked appropriately overseas with the standard U.S. flag in a size and prominence equal to (or greater than) any other logo or identity. The requirement does not apply to the Recipient’s own corporate communications or in the United States.

The Recipient must appropriately ensure that all publicity and promotional materials underscore the sponsorship by or partnership with the U.S. Government or the U.S. Embassy. The Recipient may continue to use existing logos or project materials; however, a standard rectangular U.S. flag must be used in conjunction with such logos.

Do not use the Department of State seal without the express written approval from PRM.

Sub non-Federal entities (sub-awardees) and subsequent tier sub-award agreements are subject to the marking requirements and the non-Federal entity shall include a provision in the sub non-Federal entity agreement indicating that the standard, rectangular U.S. flag is a requirement. Exemptions from this requirement may be allowable but must be agreed to in writing by the Grants Officer. (Note: An exemption refers to the complete or partial cessation of branding, not use of alternative branding). Requests should be initiated with the Grants Officer and Grants Officer Representative. Waivers issued are applied only to the exemptions requested through the Recipient’s proposal for funding and any subsequent negotiated revisions.

In the event the non-Federal entity does not comply with the marking requirements as established in the approved assistance agreement, the Grants Officer Representative and the Grants Officer must initiate corrective action with the non-Federal entity.

Application Review Information Criteria PRM is committed to a competitive and standardized funding process. Applications will first go through a Technical Eligibility Review to check if they meet eligibility requirements and include all required documents. Applications that don't meet these requirements will be deemed ineligible and won't advance beyond this stage.

PRM may have all technically eligible applications undergo a Subject Matter Expert (SME) review before the Merit Review Panel. This review checks if the application is responsive to the NOFO information. Applications that don't pass the SME review won't proceed to the Merit Review Panel.

Eligible submissions must comply with the criteria and requirements in this announcement. The review panel will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria unless otherwise stated:

· Gap/Analysis (10)

· Profile of Target Population (5)

· Program Description (25)

· Objectives & Indicators (10)

· Monitoring & Evaluation Plan (10)

· Accountability to Affected Populations (5)

· (Note: The AAP section of a NOFO proposal narrative is specific to the program being proposed, is the criterion listed above being evaluated, and is distinct from the organization-level AAP framework.)

· Coordination (5)

· Sustainability and Capacity-Building (5)

· Management and Past Performance (5)

· Risk Management (10)

· Budget/Budget Narrative (10 points) PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel of at least three people will evaluate submissions based on the programmatic criteria and PRM priorities mentioned above, considering the available funding.

Department of State review panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to improve the proposed program. Applicants must address these conditions or recommendations before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of limited PRM funds, these conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and program activities.

Before making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, PRM must review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the U.S. government-designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313).

Applicants can review and comment on any information about themselves that a Federal awarding agency previously entered. Currently, federal agencies create integrity records in the integrity module of the Contractor Performance Assessment and Reporting System (CPARS) and these records are visible as responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov.

The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, along with other information in the designated integrity and performance system, when making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards. This part of the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

Federal Award Information A. Proposed Program start dates: August 1, 2025 B. Duration of Activity: See country-specific guidelines above. Applicants can submit multi-year proposals with activities and budgets for up to three years from the proposed start date. Actual awards will not exceed three years. If selected for an award, activities and budgets can be revised/updated each year. Continued funding after the initial 12-to-36-month period of performance requires a noncompeting single-year proposal. This funding depends on available funds, strong performance, and continuing need. Funding a program one year does not guarantee funding in successive years. PRM encourages applicants to seek various donors for long-term funding. Livelihoods programs are encouraged to be multi-year. Livelihoods proposals must include a market analysis, or they will be disqualified.

Other Considerations Proposals must include a concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, reliable, time-bound, and trackable (SMART). They should also have established baselines and clearly link objectives to the sectors.

Proposals must follow relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance, especially Sphere Standards. Refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards, including guidance on proposals for programs in urban areas.

PRM strongly encourages programs that target the needs of vulnerable and underserved groups among the program participants. These groups may include women, children, adolescents, LGBTQI+ individuals, older persons, the sick, persons with disabilities, and members of minority communities. Programs should demonstrate steps taken to meet the specific and unique protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively.

PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the mentioned sectors. However, due to budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:

· A working relationship with UNHCR.

· A proven track record in providing the proposed assistance in both the sector and specified location.

· Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector, as well as local authorities where possible.

· An emphasis on the outcome or impact of program activities.

· A strong sustainability plan, involving local capacity strengthening where feasible.

· Adherence to PRM’s Principles for Refugee Protection in Urban Areas, where applicable.

· An understanding of and sensitivity to conflict dynamics in the program location.

Post- Award Administration Information Award Notices Successful applicants will receive a separate notice from PRM stating that their application has been selected before PRM makes the federal award. This notice is not an authorization to begin performance. Only the notice of award signed by the Grants Officer authorizes performance. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified after the selection and award process is complete.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

PRM awards are made consistent with the following provisions in the following order of precedence: (a) applicable laws and statutes of the United States, including any specific legislative provisions mandated in the statutory authority for the award; (b) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); (c) Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions of the award; (d) the award’s specific requirements; and (e) other documents and attachments to the award.

Reporting Successful applicants will be required to submit:

a. Program Reports: PRM requires program reports that describe and analyze the results of activities undertaken during the respective agreement period. Submit a program report within 30 days after each three-month period of performance. The final program report is due 120 days after the agreement ends. Submission dates for program reports will be included in the cooperative agreement. For multi-year awards, follow the same reporting schedule and submit a final program report at the end of each year summarizing the NGO’s performance during the previous year suggests using the PRM recommended program reporting template to ease reporting requirements while ensuring all required elements are addressed.

b. Financial Reports: Submit financial reports within 30 days at the end of each calendar year quarter (January 30th, April 30th, July 30th, October 30th) during the agreement period. The final financial report, covering the entire agreement period, is due120 days after the agreement ends. For agreements with indirect costs, final financial reports are due within 60 days of finalizing the applicable negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA).

Complete reports reflecting expenditures for the recipient’s overseas and United States offices should be completed in accordance with the Federal Financial Report (FFR SF-425) and submitted electronically in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Payment Management System (HHS/PMS) and in accordance with other award specific requirements. Detailed information pertaining to the Federal Financial Report, including due dates, instruction manuals, and access forms, is available on the HHS/PMS website.

c. Audit Reports: If the Federal award amount is less than $750,000 and a recipient-contracted audit is not required, the Department may still require an audit. Submit the audit report to the responsible grants officer for review, dissemination, and resolution as appropriate. The cost of required audits may be charged as an allowable direct cost to the award or included in the organization’s established indirect costs in the award’s detailed budget.

Funding Restrictions

· Federal awards will not allow reimbursement of Federal Award costs without prior authorization by PRM.

· Funding Restrictions for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) None of the funds awarded resulting from this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be made available for subawards, direct financial support, or otherwise used to provide any payment or transfer to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

· Prohibition on Funding Activities that Encourage Mass-Migration Caravans towards the United States Southwest Border:

None of the funds awarded under this grant may be made available to encourage, mobilize, publicize, or manage mass-migration caravans towards the United States southwest border. Funds may not be made available for legal counseling on the United States asylum process; and/or for referrals to legal or representation in the United States.

Funds may only be used for cash cards for use in the country in which they are provided or to facilitate assisted voluntary returns and other purposes that do not encourage, mobilize, publicize, or manage mass migration caravans towards the United States southwest border. The provision of humanitarian assistance is permitted.

Indicate any additional funding restrictions (for example, if award funds cannot be used in certain countries, or for certain activities.)

Disclaimer External websites linked above may not be supported or accessible by all web browsers. If you are unable to link to a referenced website, please try using a different browser or update to a more recent one. If you continue to experience difficulties to reach external resources, please contact PRM NGO Coordinator.

Section 508

a) Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, charges the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (US Access Board) with developing and promulgating standards address that access to information and communication technology (ICT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194). Section 508 requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use ICT. Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. These standards are part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. The complete text of the Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at https://www.access-board.gov/ict/.

b) The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract or order are identified in the following paragraph. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense.

c) The Section 508 standards applicable to this contract are: 1194.

· 205 WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA Success Criteria

· 302 Functional Performance Criteria

· 502 Inoperability with Assistive Technology

· 504 Authoring Tools

· 602 Support Documentation

· 603 Support Services

d) In the event of a modification(s) to this contract or order, which adds new ICT supplies or services or revises the type of, or specifications for, supplies or services, the Contracting Officer may require that the contractor submit a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) 2.4 or greater, 508 revision (Rev 508) or another format approved by the Department, and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards. If it is determined by the Government that ICT supplies and services provided by the Contractor do not conform to the described accessibility standards in the contract, remediation of the supplies or services to the level of conformance specified in the contract will be the responsibility of the Contractor at its own expense. Information about VPAT can be accessed at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat.

e) If this is an Indefinite Delivery contract, a Blanket Purchase Agreement or a Basic Ordering Agreement, the task/delivery order requests that include ICT supplies or services will define the specifications and accessibility standards for the order. In those cases, the Contractor may be required to provide a completed VPAT and any other additional information necessary to assist the Government in determining that the ICT supplies or services conform to Section 508 accessibility standards.

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

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