FOA-ILAB-22-28.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Program Office:

OCFT

Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for: Supporting Regional, National, and Local Action to Address Child Labor in West African Agriculture

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ILAB-22-28

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.401

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is 10/7/2022.

Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

All technical questions related to the content of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) must be submitted no later than 10 business days prior to the close date of the FOA.

Award decisions are expected to be made between 9/30/2022 and 12/31/2022.

The Department will make its best efforts to make award decisions within this timeframe, but please be aware that there are a variety of circumstances that may result in a later or earlier than expected award decision.

To apply: Submit applications via https://www.grants.gov/ in response to this funding opportunity number.

Please refer to Section IV for application submission instructions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $4,000,000 total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for 1 cooperative agreement to fund Phase I of a technical assistance project in West Africa to improve action by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and ECOWAS Member States to combat child labor, with a focus in agriculture.

The duration of Phase I of the project will be a maximum of 48 months from the effective date of the award. Following the conclusion of Phase I, USDOL will consider awarding a second phase of the project of approximately $4,000,000 total costs, reflecting a total potential project budget of approximately $8,000,000 over approximately eight years.

Eligible applicants may include any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organizations, including any faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, or public international organizations (PIOs), capable of successfully fulfilling the objectives https://www.grants.gov/ identified in the Funding Opportunity Description. Please see section III of this funding opportunity announcement for complete eligibility requirements.

The two phases of the project will aim to achieve the following outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.

• Outcome 2: Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.

o Outcome 2.1: Improved legislative, policy, and enforcement environment for enabling national action to address child labor.

o Outcome 2.2: Increased action by communities to develop and implement Community Action Plans to reduce child labor in agriculture.

o Outcome 2.3: Increased access to education, livelihoods, or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities.

Under the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), applicants must submit a technical proposal and budget documents requesting no more than $4,000,000 for Phase I of the project, to take actions to increase the capacity of ECOWAS and its Member States to address child labor (with a focus on agriculture) at the regional, national, and community levels as a demonstration case that success can be achieved at each level. At the regional level, the project will strengthen ECOWAS to carry out, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate its Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor, and at the national level, it will support the Government of Nigeria to improve the enabling environment to implement its National Action Plan to eliminate child labor. At the community level, the project will support cocoa-growing communities in Ondo State, Nigeria to carry out child labor elimination activities through implementation of Community Action Plans determined by the communities themselves, as well as provision of education, livelihoods, or social protection services.

As part of the application, applicants must also submit a streamlined technical proposal and budget documents for a potential Phase II of the project (building on activities from Phase I), based on a potential additional funding level of approximately $4,000,000. For the purposes of this FOA, a streamlined Phase II technical proposal is one that covers, and will be assessed on, the following three parts: (1) a brief statement of need; (2) a brief description of the Phase II project design that describes how the recipient will continue to support ECOWAS in operationalizing accountability of ECOWAS Member States through monitoring and reporting, and how the recipient proposes to expand implementation to two additional ECOWAS Member States at the national level and community level, with a focus in the agricultural sector; and (3) a Phase II streamlined Budget Narrative that demonstrates how the applicant proposes to allocate an additional $4 million, broken down into the following budget categories: Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Construction, Other, and Indirect Charges.

Under Phase II, the project must work at the national level to assist two ECOWAS Member State governments to develop and/or revise their National Action Plans on child labor into alignment with the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan. At the community level, the project must support agricultural communities in the two countries selected in order to carry out child labor elimination demonstration activities through implementation of Community Action Plans and provision of education, livelihoods, or social protection services. While applicants must propose two countries for implementation under Phase II, USDOL intends to reassess these selections in consultation with the project during Phase I implementation, in the event changes are required due to unforeseen circumstances. Final determination of Phase II target countries will be decided in consultation with, and subject to approval by, USDOL following the award of Phase I of this project and prior to the awarding of any additional funding for Phase II. While USDOL anticipates awarding additional funding for a Phase II of this project, applicants should be aware that USDOL reserves the right to reconsider the amount of or the decision to award any additional funding for Phase II. Future funding for a Phase II is contingent upon USDOL’s need at the time and the availability of funds, satisfactory progress/performance of Phase I, adequate stewardship of federal funds, and submission of a Phase II application meeting requirements outlined in Phase I grant award documents. USDOL also reserves the right to require changes to the Phase II strategy proposed by the applicant in response to this FOA, prior to awarding any additional funding for Phase II.

Prior to the obligation of any additional funding for a Phase II, the recipient will need to submit an additional request for federal funding (i.e., including submission of an updated SF424 and SF424A) for USDOL consideration. The period of performance for Phase II will begin immediately following the satisfactory completion of Phase I requirements and the approval of the required Phase II application package.

Applicants’ technical and financial proposals for Phase I must reflect a $4 million award over the course of approximately 48 months. The achievement of results in Phase I must not be contingent on receipt of additional funding for a Phase II. Applicants must also submit a streamlined separate budget in the format of their choice, based on anticipated supplemental funding of approximately $4,000,000 to be awarded in 2026, to demonstrate estimated costs for Phase II activities occurring in the subsequent 48 months of the project.

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications to be Submitted

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. Technical Proposal

2. Cost Proposal

3. Submission Date, Times, and Process

C. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

D. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

E. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

1. General Requirements

2. Audits and Attestation Engagements

3. Administrative Standards

4. Other Legal Requirements

5. Other Administrative Standards

6. Special Program Requirements

C. REPORTING

1. Quarterly Federal Financial Report (SF 425, FFR)

2. Semi-Annual Technical Progress Reports

3. Final Technical Report

4. Indirect Cost Rates

5. Closeout Reports

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

IX. APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Acronyms

APPENDIX B: Definitions

APPENDIX C: Relevant Grant and/or Contract Experience

APPENDIX D: Requirements for Application Submission

APPENDIX E: Past Performance Questionnaire

APPENDIX F: List of Standard Indicators

APPENDIX G: Sustainability Strategy Template

ENDNOTES

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

ILAB leads the U.S. Government’s (USG) efforts to improve working conditions and fight labor exploitation around the world. ILAB’s mission is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the United States and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. ILAB’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) works to eliminate child labor, forced labor and human trafficking through international research, policy engagement, and technical cooperation. See ILAB’s webpage for additional information:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab.

This FOA solicits applications to implement 1 project(s) with the objective of improving action by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and ECOWAS Member States to combat child labor, with a focus in agriculture.

The two phases of the project will aim to achieve the following outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.

• Outcome 2: Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.

o Outcome 2.1: Improved legislative, policy, and enforcement environment for enabling national action to address child labor.

o Outcome 2.2: Increased action by communities to develop and implement Community Action Plans to reduce child labor in agriculture.

o Outcome 2.3: Increased access to education, livelihoods, or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities.

Under the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), applicants must submit a technical proposal and budget documents requesting no more than $4,000,000 for Phase I of the project to take actions to increase the capacity of ECOWAS and its Member States to address child labor (with a focus on agriculture) at the regional, national, and community levels as a demonstration case that success can be achieved at each level. At the regional level, the project will strengthen ECOWAS to carry out, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate its Regional Action Plan to eliminate https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab child labor, and at the national level, it will support the Government of Nigeria to improve the enabling environment to implement its National Action Plan to eliminate child labor. At the community level, the project will support cocoa-growing communities in Ondo State, Nigeria to carry out child labor elimination activities through implementation of Community Action Plans determined by the communities themselves and provision of education, livelihoods, or social protection services.

As part of the application, applicants must also submit a streamlined technical proposal and budget documents for a potential Phase II of the project (building on activities from Phase I), based on a potential additional funding level of approximately $4,000,000. For the purposes of this FOA, a streamlined Phase II technical proposal is one that covers and will be assessed based on the following three parts: (1) a brief statement of need; (2) a brief description of the Phase II project design that describes how the recipient will continue to support ECOWAS in operationalizing accountability of ECOWAS Member States through monitoring and reporting, and how the recipient proposes to expand implementation to two additional ECOWAS Member States at the national level and community level, with a focus in the agricultural sector; and (3) a Phase II streamlined budget that describes how the applicant proposes to allocate an additional $4 million broken down by the budget categories listed in the SF424A. Under Phase II, the project must work at the national level to assist two ECOWAS Member State governments to develop and/or revise their National Action Plans on child labor into alignment with the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan. At the community level, the project must support agricultural communities in the two countries selected in order to carry out child labor elimination demonstration activities through implementation of Community Action Plans and provision of education, livelihoods, or social protection services. While applicants must propose two countries for implementation under Phase II, USDOL intends to reassess these selections in consultation with the project during Phase I implementation. Final determination of Phase II target countries will be decided in consultation with, and subject to approval by, USDOL following the award of Phase I of this project and prior to the awarding of any additional funding for Phase II.

While USDOL anticipates awarding additional funding to a Phase II of this project, applicants should be aware that USDOL reserves the right to reconsider the amount of or the decision to award any additional funding for Phase II. Future funding for a Phase II is contingent upon USDOL’s need at the time and the availability of funds, satisfactory progress/performance of Phase I, adequate stewardship of federal funds, and submission of a Phase II application meeting requirements outlined in Phase I grant award documents. USDOL also reserves the right to require changes to the Phase II strategy proposed by the applicant in response to this FOA, prior to awarding any additional funding for Phase II.

Prior to the obligation of any additional funding for a Phase II, the recipient will need to submit an additional request for federal funding (i.e., including submission of an updated SF424 and SF424A) for USDOL consideration. The period of performance for Phase II will begin immediately following the satisfactory completion of Phase I requirements and the approval of the required Phase II application package.

Applicants’ technical and financial proposals for Phase I must reflect a $4 million award over the course of approximately 48 months. The achievement of results in Phase I must not be contingent on receipt of additional funding for a Phase II. Applicants must also submit a streamlined separate budget, based on anticipated supplemental funding of approximately $4,000,000 to be awarded in 2026, to demonstrate estimated costs for Phase II activities occurring in the subsequent 48 months of the project.

Applicants selected for award may be required, within the first six months of award, to carry out additional in-country needs assessments and consultations with partners and relevant stakeholders to assess, refine, and/or validate the proposed theory of change, design, and strategies of the project. All post-award refinements to the project strategy will be subject to approval by USDOL.

This announcement is for the award of 1 new cooperative agreement with the specific project objective and outcomes outlined in this FOA. As such, applicants may not submit applications to renew or supplement an existing project.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

ILAB is authorized to award and administer grants and cooperative agreements by the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2022 and Pub. L. 117-103, Division H, Title I.

C. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 160 million children were engaged in child labor globally in 2020, the first time there has been an increase in 20 years.1 Research shows that Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where rates of child labor continue to increase. It is estimated that 24% of children in Sub- Saharan Africa are in child labor, more than double the global average. In absolute terms, the nearly 87 million children in child labor in Sub-Saharan Africa are more than in the rest of the world combined.2 In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 80% of children in child labor are located in rural areas and work in agriculture.3 Among the factors contributing to the prevalence of child labor in the region are extreme poverty, which afflicts roughly 40% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa; high levels of labor informality, which accounts for over 80% of all employment; and lack of access to social protection initiatives, which cover only 17% of the population.4

USDOL’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor and the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List) provide evidence of child labor in the production of agricultural goods across the ECOWAS Member States, including in cocoa, rubber, and oil palm production.5 These goods are directly connected to supply chains in the U.S. In 2020, the U.S.

imported roughly $657 million of cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria; $41.3 million of rubber from Liberia; and $814,000 in oil palm from Sierra Leone.6

Efforts to address child labor and forced labor in West Africa have been undertaken at both the national and regional level. USDOL is currently funding $6 million in active programming in Côte d’Ivoire, $11 million in Ghana, and $1 million in Nigeria. At the regional level, ECOWAS serves as a platform for the harmonization of policies across its Member States by setting standards and priorities, bringing West African leaders together to address common challenges, and encouraging the expanded replication of promising practices.7 The ECOWAS

Child Policy, 2019-2030 has a thematic focus on child poverty, ecological hazards, regional conflict, and gender inequality, all of which are critical to addressing child labor.8 Furthermore, the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour and Forced Labour in West Africa, 2021-2030 seeks to align regional and national policies on child labor and forced labor with international standards.9 These actions signal a renewed commitment by ECOWAS and its Member States to combat child labor. Yet, while ECOWAS has demonstrated its commitment to address child labor by adopting needed policies, it faces challenges in budgeting, executing, and monitoring implementation of its Regional Action Plan. Given the endemic nature of child labor across the agricultural sector in West Africa, the significant impact of labor migration across the region, and barriers to regional coordination across state boundaries, ECOWAS, as a regional organization and coordinating platform, has an important role to play in supporting efforts to reduce and prevent child labor, including its worst forms.

In order to achieve a significant reduction in child labor in West Africa, countries across the region must focus on addressing child labor in agriculture, where a majority of child labor can be found. In Nigeria, children are engaged in child labor in several sectors, including the cocoa sector, which is centered in Ondo State. Children working in Nigeria’s cocoa sector are engaged in hazardous activities, such as the application of pesticides and the use of dangerous tools by young children.10 Other countries and sectors where significant levels of child labor have been identified include agriculture in The Gambia; cotton in Benin; cocoa, cassava, coffee, and rubber in Liberia; cocoa, cassava, coffee, and palm oil in Sierra Leone; and the agriculture sector, including cotton, in Togo.11 Of note, work under this cooperative agreement also presents an opportunity to replicate good practices from USDOL’s past engagement in the West African cocoa sector of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana under the MOCA12 and ECLIC13 projects.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. Approximately $4,000,000 total costs is expected to be available to fund approximately 1 award(s). Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $4,000,000 total costs. Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, USDOL reserves the right to use such funds to select additional recipients from applications submitted in response to this announcement.

In addition to its normal consultative role as grantor, ILAB’s substantial involvement in program activities will focus on elements that are essential to meet program requirements and assure achievement of program objectives and outcomes. ILAB’s involvement may include, but not be limited to:

• Liaising with in-country USG officials and host country governments on matters related to the project.

• Collaborating substantially on the project strategy and implementation, as well as the development of the project document package.

• Collaborating substantially on the development and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan and all of its components.

• Providing highly specialized input on the technical definitions and concepts of workers’ rights, international labor standards, occupational safety and health (OSH), industrial relations, social dialogue, collective bargaining, freedom of association, acceptable conditions of work, stakeholder compliance, non-discrimination, labor courts, labor administration, labor inspection, labor law and judicial reform, legal and policy frameworks, child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, and effective enforcement, among others.

• Being substantially and actively involved in designing research, service provision, and/or capacity building activities jointly with the recipient.

• Reviewing and providing input on project's planning for sustainability and collaboration to promote sustainability of project efforts, including through replication of good practices.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is a maximum of 48 months from the effective date of the award.

This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. Only allowable costs incurred during the period of performance may be charged to the federal award (2 CFR 200.1 Period of performance).

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• U.S. organizations:

o Nonprofits, including any faith-based organizations, or community-based organizations o Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education o Private Institutions of Higher Education o For-Profit organizations

• Non-U.S. organizations:

o Non-U.S. Entities, including PIOs, as described in 2 CFR 200.1.

Applicants selected for award must abide by DOL's requirements in the term and conditions of the award, in alignment with U.S. appropriation laws and applicable U.S. regulations.

Applicants do not need previous experience managing federal awards, but they must speak persuasively about their ability to leverage other previous experience and bring it to scale in support of a large federal investment.

The following types of organizations are not eligible to apply nor to participate as sub-recipients/contractors:

• Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to be associated with terrorism.

• Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to have been debarred or suspended.

• Organizations planning to charge a fee (profit) associated with a project funded by a USDOL award.

• Foreign governments and entities that are agencies of, or operated by or for, a foreign state or government are not eligible to apply. However, they may be eligible to participate as a sub-recipient in certain instances, subject to USDOL approval. NOTE: If an exception to this sub-recipient eligibility criterion might be appropriate, the application must include a detailed justification for the possible exception. USDOL funds are not intended to duplicate existing foreign government efforts or substitute for activities for which such governments have already assumed responsibility. USDOL will make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis after receiving the application.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria Use the following checklist as a guide when preparing the application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. It is recommended to use this checklist to ensure that the application contains all required items. If the application does not meet all of the screening criteria, the application will not move forward to the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.B.3.a.

Eligibility Section III.A The components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (USDOL will attempt to open documents, but will not troubleshoot any problems related to opening files)

Section IV.B.3.b.

Application does not exceed the ceiling amount of $4,000,000 total costs Section II.A

Applicant has registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) and maintains an active account

Section IV.B.2.a

Completed and signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, including a Unique Entity Identifier Number

Section IV.B.2.c

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2.d

Technical Proposal Section

IV.B.1

2. Number of Applications to be Submitted Multiple applications from an organization are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted by the deadline will be accepted. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, USDOL will not replace it with an earlier application.

Applicant entities are not precluded from participating as partners on another entity’s application.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at www.grants.gov, contains all of the information needed to apply for funding.

Applicants should note that it includes hyperlinks to external forms and resources. Applicants are required to comply with all parts of the FOA, including those parts found at the hyperlinks.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of two separate and distinct parts:

(1) a Technical Proposal, including attachments; and (2) a Cost Proposal, including the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and related forms identified as follows. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts of the

Attachments to Technical Proposal, Phase I only

• Abstract

• Evidence of Government Support

• Work Plan

• Sustainability Strategy Template

• Relevant Grant and/or Contract Experience

• Evidence of Country Presence

• Key Personnel Signed Commitment Letters (2)

• Resume for Key Personnel (2)

• Resume for Other Required Professional Personnel (3)

• Project Management Organizational Chart

Section IV.B.1.e

Outcome-Based Budget Section IV.B.2.e.

Budget Narrative Section IV.B.2.e.

Phase II Streamlined Problem Analysis Section

IV.B.1

Phase II Streamlined Project Strategy Section

IV.B.1

Phase II Streamlined Budget and Accompanying Budget Narrative

Section IV.B.2.e http://www.grants.gov/ application. If the funding amount is not consistent, the amount requested on the SF-424 will be considered for the purpose of the award.

1. Technical Proposal Applicants should use their technical expertise to propose how to meet the requirements of the FOA and must provide justification for their choices based on evidence, analysis of contextual opportunities and constraints, and available resources within the requirements of the FOA.

Applicants must include specific citations to the evidence used to support their proposed project strategy. If there is limited evidence to support the proposed intervention(s), applicants may propose to pilot an innovative approach but must include and describe a plan for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention(s).

All pages of the application must be numbered. All required documents (including attachments) must be submitted in English. Any additional documentation submitted that is not required or specifically requested under this announcement will not be considered during the merit review process.

Technical Proposals must be no more than 55 single-sided, double-spaced pages (8.5 x 11 inches with 1-inch margins). If any page limits required by this FOA for any part of the application are exceeded, the content that exceeds the page limit will not be considered during the merit review process. Font style must be Times New Roman and font size must be 12-point. The Cover Page, Acronyms List, Table of Contents, required attachments to the Technical Proposal, and the Cost Proposal do not count toward the page limit and do not have any spacing restrictions. Different fonts and font sizes may be used for tables, text boxes, and graphics. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they are legible and meet electronic submission requirements. Documents which cannot be read or accessed by the Department will not be considered during the merit review process. Please see section IV.B.3. for the file format requirements for electronic submissions.

The following instructions provide all the information needed to complete the Technical Proposal. Applicants should carefully read and consider each section and include all required information. The Technical Proposal will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V, Application Review Information. Applicants must use the same section headers identified in this FOA for each section of the Technical Proposal:

a. Abstract (Executive Summary) Applicants must submit as an attachment an abstract summarizing the proposed project including, but not limited to, the Theory of Change, the project objective, proposed outcomes, sub-outcomes, outputs, and activities. The abstract should describe Phase I of the proposed project in plain language and include the following sections:

1. Applicant’s Name and Title for the Project. The applicant’s name and title for the proposed project.

2. Purpose. A brief description of the purpose for the award, including a description of the geographic area to be served (if applicable), population(s) to be served (if applicable), number and description of individuals, groups and institutions to be served (if applicable), and the funding level requested.

3. Activities to be Performed. A brief description of award specific activities and other deliverables.

4. Expected Outcomes. The project objective, proposed outcomes, sub-outcomes, and outputs.

5. Intended Beneficiaries. Intended beneficiary(ies) or recipient(s) of the project activities.

6. Sub-recipient Activities. If sub-awards are proposed, then specify the activities to be provided and the name of each proposed sub-awardee, if known.

The abstract is limited to two double-spaced single sided 8.5 x 11-inch pages with 12-point text font, Times New Roman font style, and 1-inch margins. When submitting in Grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled "Abstract."

b. Table of Contents

The table of contents must list all required documents and include their corresponding page numbers.

c. Project Narrative The Project Narrative must describe in detail the applicant’s response to the FOA. At minimum, the Project Narrative must contain the following sections:

1. Problem Analysis (up to 5 points for Phase I and an additional 4 points for Phase

II)

Applicants will be evaluated based on their degree of understanding the scope and nature of the problem that forms the basis of the project design. Applicants must describe the need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problems, and the consequences of not addressing the need. Include relevant cultural, economic, social, labor and/or legal factors contributing to the problem. This information must be supported by relevant empirical data, including citations. Applicants must identify significant gaps in laws, policies, programs and coordination efforts that contribute to the identified problem and that need to be addressed by the project.

2. Project Design

a) Project Strategy and Sustainability Strategy (up to 20 points for Phase I and an additional 8 points for Phase II Project Strategy) The applicant's Project Strategy and Sustainability section will be evaluated based on its responsiveness to the unmet need described in its Problem Analysis.

The project-level objective is to improve action by the ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Member States to combat child labor, with a focus in agriculture.

In support of achieving the objective, the project should be designed to achieve the following outcomes:

Outcome 1: Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.

Outcome 2: Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.

Outcome 2.1: Improved legislative, policy, and enforcement environment for enabling national action to address child labor.

Outcome 2.2: Increased action by communities to develop and implement Community Action Plans to reduce child labor in agriculture.

Outcome 2.3: Increased access to education, livelihoods, or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities.

Applicants must describe their overall strategy to improve actions by ECOWAS and ECOWAS Member States to combat child labor, including strategies for achieving each of the sub-outcomes.

Outcome 1: Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.

For Outcome 1, applicants must describe their strategy to work in partnership with ECOWAS’ Department of Social Affairs & Gender (DSAG), in particular its Social Affairs Division and Human Security Division, to expand ECOWAS’ actions to address child labor. As part of the application, proposals must assess the current capacity of ECOWAS to implement and monitor the various components of its Regional Action Plan. Applicants must describe their strategy to enhance the capacity of the ECOWAS to carry out, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate actions to address child labor at the national and regional levels.

Applicants must propose interventions to enhance the capacity of ECOWAS to implement, monitor, and coordinate implementation of its Regional Action Plan.

Applicants’ strategies also must promote actions to address child labor by ECOWAS Member States and support regional collaborations and partnerships among ECOWAS institutions, national institutions, and/or other regional organizations.

Applicants must describe their strategy to expand implementation and institutionalization of the ECOWAS peer review mechanism for conducting oversight of ECOWAS Member States’ National Action Plans (NAP) to eliminate child labor and relevant child labor policies. Applicants must state how they will work with national government entities to support engagement by governments, businesses, worker organizations, and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the NAP development process.

Other proposed activities to implement the Regional Action Plan for Phases I and II may include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting advocacy targeting ECOWAS Member States, other local, regional and continental bodies, to increase budgetary allocations and deployment of funds to relevant national institutions for the implementation of NAPs on child labor;

• Increasing regional dialogue on the promotion of labor rights, particularly for children, as it relates to agricultural sectors across West Africa; and

• Developing a communication plan to promote legislative, enforcement, and policy action to prevent and reduce child labor by the ECOWAS Parliament and by ECOWAS Member States.

Applicants must also propose interventions to enhance the capacity of ECOWAS to monitor the implementation of its Regional Action Plan. In Phase I, applicants must propose a plan to support the DSAG in developing and operationalizing an accountability tool to monitor and report on ECOWAS Member States’ actions to adopt and implement actions aligned with the Regional Action Plan. The accountability tool must utilize a set of harmonized indicators established in conjunction with ECOWAS and aligned with Sustainability Development Goal 8.7 (SDG 8.7) and the African Union (AU) 2063 initiative.

Proposed strategies for Phases I and II should emphasize ECOWAS oversight and monitoring actions to address child labor by ECOWAS Member States. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Producing research products and reports on the state of decent work, including the elimination of child labor, in the agricultural sector across ECOWAS Member States, including a mapping of key actors, including government, businesses, workers organizations, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), in identified priority agricultural supply chains; and

• Supporting annual regional review meetings for national child labor and child protection focal persons.

Outcome 2: Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.

Outcome 2.1: Improved legislative, policy, and enforcement environment for enabling national action to address child labor.

Outcome 2.2: Increased action by communities to develop and implement Community Action Plans to reduce child labor in agriculture.

Outcome 2.3: Increased access to education and livelihoods services, or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities.

For Outcome 2, applicants must describe their strategy for working with ECOWAS Member States to improve national legislative, policy and enforcement environments for addressing child labor. Applicants must also describe their strategy to enhance community engagement in order to reduce child labor in agriculture and to increase access to education and livelihoods services, and/or other forms of social protection in agricultural communities. Phase I must be implemented in Nigeria, and at least two additional ECOWAS Member States must be proposed to be added in Phase II.

For Outcome 2.1, applicants must provide a detailed strategy on how they will support ECOWAS Member States in identifying, assessing, and addressing gaps in the legal framework on child labor, government policies on child labor, and/or enforcement of child labor laws. For Phase I, applicants must explain how they will work with the Government of Nigeria to adopt policies that addresses all relevant worst forms of child labor, including forced child labor in cocoa production, and ensure that a mechanism exists for enforcing existing protections for children working in the informal sector, including in agriculture.

Applicants also must describe how they would, in a potential Phase II of the project, work with at least two other ECOWAS Member States, chosen from The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau, to improve the legislative, policy, and/or enforcement environment around child labor in order to enable national action to address child labor. Applicants must propose a plan to develop and/or revise National Action Plans on child labor aligned with the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan. National Action Plans developed with assistance from the project must include provisions aligned with Outcomes 2.2 and 2.3 for increased community action and increased access to education, livelihoods, or other forms of social protection.

Applicants must state how they will work with national government entities to support engagement by tripartite partners and CSOs in the NAP development process.

Applicants also must describe how the NAP of the ECOWAS Member State will inform initiatives under Outcomes 2.2 and 2.3 to address child labor in the targeted agricultural sector of the country.

For Outcome 2.2, applicants must describe how they will build upon the Community Action Plan (CAP) model, piloted by the USDOL-funded MOCA and ECLIC projects in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, respectively, to mobilize communities to address child labor in agriculture. For Phase I, applicants must work with cocoa-growing communities in Ondo State, Nigeria to develop and implement CAPs. For Phase II, applicants must specify their intentions to build upon their Phase I CAP strategy in one or more agricultural sectors in at least two additional ECOWAS Member States.

The Member States chosen must be the same as those chosen under Outcome 2.1. In addition, for Phase II, applicants may add additional cocoa-growing communities in Nigeria to the CAP program or may select another agricultural sector in Nigeria.

Applicants must propose strategies to establish CAP committees to develop and implement CAPs to address all forms of child labor in the targeted agricultural area.

Applicants must also propose strategies that include the engagement with and provision of ongoing support to the targeted agricultural communities and CAP committees for a minimum of 3 years. At a minimum, the following must be included in the applicant’s CAP strategy:

• CAP committees must receive training on (1) the dangers of child labor and good practices for addressing the problem, including by promoting education and training opportunities; (2) hazardous work and occupational safety and health (OSH), with a focus on the targeted agricultural sector; (3) conducting community needs assessments and applying the assessment to the design of their CAP; (4) how to identify and appropriately use resources to implement

CAP activities; and (5) how to advocate effectively for the inclusion of CAPs in district plans;

• A community-based and contextualized strategy for each community;

• CAP Development: the project must provide adequate technical and financial assistance to support the development of the CAP. CAP committees must be included in the budgeting and purchasing process for CAP activities;

• CAP Implementation: at least $200,000 total direct costs must be allocated by the recipient (per country targeted for implementation) to support priority areas of action identified by communities in their CAPs. The applicant must also propose a strategy for securing contributions (e.g., time, building materials for schools, meeting space, equipment) from communities for all CAP activities;

• At least one youth-led activity as part of the CAP in each selected community, such as the development of a community service project; and

• The CAP committee training must be rooted in best pedagogical practices.

Applicants may also consider supporting agricultural communities with the development and implementation of local child labor monitoring systems.

For Outcome 2.3, applicants must propose to implement strategies to increase access to education services, livelihood services, or other forms of social protection, in cocoa communities in Ondo State, Nigeria, in Phase I. Applicants must also describe their strategy to refine and replicate their strategy in at least two additional ECOWAS Member States in agricultural communities identified in Outcome 2.2 in a Phase II of the project. While applicants may propose to increase access to all three services (i.e., education, livelihoods, and social protection), only one of the three is required, and applicants may choose between the three services to determine which best suits their strategy. Where services exist, applicants may describe their strategy to reduce barriers to accessibility, as part of an integrated approach.

If applicants are proposing direct delivery of education and/or training services, applicants must describe how they will promote children’s access to education and/or training opportunities as a means of reducing child labor in agriculture in cocoa communities in Ondo State, Nigeria. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the ECOWAS Member State’s formal, non-formal, and TVET systems and must detail how the proposed strategy will complement or strengthen ongoing government efforts to promote education and/or vocational training for target participants (e.g., non-formal education, birth registration, long-distance learning, school feeding programs, TVET systems, etc.) Applicants who propose direct delivery of education and/or training services must do so using an integrated area-based approach that targets children involved in the production of the determined agricultural good, with a focus on smallholder farms. As part of Outcome 2.2, applicants may propose strategies to promote community involvement in providing children access to education and healthy learning environments as well as improving the quality of education and training programs, including teacher training and incorporating child labor issues in school curricula.

If applicants propose to provide livelihood services, applicants must assess and describe the most significant obstacles that keep households of working children or children at high-risk of entering child labor from achieving sustainable livelihoods without depending on child labor. Applicants must propose strategies that address those obstacles and provide livelihood services to households of target children according to their needs. Where there is sufficient need and demonstrated capacity by the applicant, applicants should consider developing, expanding, and/or supporting Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). Applicants which propose to work with VSLAs should refer to the promising practices identified in the Performance Evaluations of the MOCA project.14 Applicants must detail how they will develop and institutionalize programs that provide training on safe, decent, and sustainable work in agriculture, including in cocoa production in Ondo State, Nigeria during Phase I. Strategies should include components of occupational safety and health (OSH), farm management, crop rotation and diversification, and training that will improve the skills and productivity of the ECOWAS Member State’s agricultural workforce, including cooperatives and smallholder famers. Strategies targeting agriculture should also include linkages to new markets and access to inputs (i.e., improved seeds, pesticides, crop insurance, etc.) A proposed livelihoods strategy may also include access to village savings and loan associations and adult literacy and numeracy training. Applicants who propose to provide livelihood services may propose strategies to promote community involvement in providing households access to livelihood services.

Applicants may also propose a strategy to increase access to other forms of social protection. If doing so, applicants must outline in their strategy how they plan on identifying gaps and/or barriers preventing vulnerable households from accessing social protection and must propose a strategy to identify existing national or local social protection and assistance services to which members of vulnerable households can be linked. Social protection programs may include, but are not limited to, cash transfer programs, social security, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and employment injury benefits.15

Applicants must propose a strategy, to achieve the project-level objective and expected outcomes stated above. Applicants may suggest additional outcomes they deem necessary to achieve the project-level objective and a rationale for how they contribute to the achievement of the project’s overall objective.

Applicants must describe all major areas of project intervention. In describing project interventions, applicants are expected to describe specific outputs and activities and how such activities should logically lead to the project’s expected objective and outcomes in an interrelated and holistic manner. Applicants must demonstrate how their proposed strategy will address gaps identified in the problem analysis, identify any potential barriers, and describe how the project will work to overcome those barriers. Applicants must provide evidence of the effectiveness of their proposed strategy.

In addition, applicants must clearly describe in their proposed strategy how they will integrate…