FY 2024 CPAIG NOFO.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. MISSION NIGERIA PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION (PAS)

FY24 CULTURAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS

Funding Opportunity Title: FY24 Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grants CFDA Number: 19.036 -- Cultural Antiquities Task Force Funding Opportunity Number: CPAIG-2024-NG Deadline for Applications: January 11, 2024 Total Amount Available: $10,000-$150,000 Contact: Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Abuja Email: PASAbujaGrants@State.gov

This Notice of Funding Opportunity is subject to availability of funds.

A. Funding Opportunity Description

The U.S Mission to Nigeria is pleased to announce the call for application for the 2024 cycle of the Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grant (CPAIG) Program. The deadline for the submission of proposals for Round 1 application is January 11, 2024 at 11:59pm.

CPAIG Program Background and Objectives:

In 2020, the CPAIG program was established by the Department of State in consultation with the interagency Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) to support CATF’s anti-trafficking mission by promoting the implementation of cultural property agreements between the United States and foreign governments or emergency import restrictions. Cultural property agreements and emergency import restriction put into practice U.S. obligations under the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, as implemented by U.S. legislation. The United States has a Cultural Property Agreement in place with Nigeria, signed in January 2022, that protects Nigeria’s antiquities by prohibiting their import into the United States.

Funding Priorities: Projects submitted for consideration should address clear needs in the country or region, and support U.S. foreign policy objectives. If an action plan to implement a cultural property agreement is in place, then any proposed projects CPAIG 2024 Grants Program Application must link directly to the activities in the action plan. Special consideration will be given to proposals that connect cultural property protection and heritage themes to other ECA programming or encourage linkages between government agencies (inter-ministerial initiatives) and between governments and the private sector.

Funding Areas: The most successful CPAIG projects must adhere to international standards for the protection of cultural property, and focus on fostering cooperation, building best practices, and engaging communities through the following types of activities:

a) Training: Build capacity of foreign law enforcement and cultural property managers to protect sites and objects. Examples include country-specific or regional workshops on investigation and interdiction techniques, effective record keeping, the role of the judiciary, increased communication between ministries of culture and law enforcement authorities, and training for cultural property stewards.

b) Inventories: Support the creation and maintenance of centralized, digital, and secure inventories of cultural objects or sites to better support resource allocation, aid in recovery in cases of theft, and promote public appreciation for cultural property protection.

c) Site Security and Protection: Support practical and sustainable measures to more effectively secure archaeological sites (on land or underwater), museums, libraries, archives, and other collecting institutions against looting, thefts, and vandalism. Examples include development of site security plans, installation of security systems, and training for guards or site stewards.

d) Public Education and Outreach for Crime Prevention: Support strategies to prevent looting and trafficking through heightened public awareness and outreach. Examples include educational materials, community engagement and media programs, storytelling, distance learning courses, 3D models, and virtual experiences like games and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).

Competition Format: The FY 2024 CPAIG projects will be selected using a process with two rounds. In Round 1, applicants will submit concept notes that focus on clear needs in Nigeria, the public diplomacy objectives that may be accomplished through the proposed project. Applicants invited to participate in Round 2 will submit a full application including the technical aspects of the proposed project. Awards will range from $10,000 to $150,000.

B. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type: Grant Type of Funding: Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, Pub. L. No. 87-256, § 102(b)(5) Floor on Amount of Individual Awards: US $10,000 per project Ceiling on Amount of Individual Awards: US $150,000 per project Anticipated program start date: Depending on availability of funds

Project Performance Period: The period of performance begins upon the Grants Officer’s signature and the awardee’s countersignature on a Notice of Award. A Notice of Award notifies an award recipient that an award has been made and that funds are available for use during the specified award period. Failure to produce a complete Notice of Award package may result in the nullification of the award.

C. Eligibility Information:

Eligible Project Implementers: The U.S Mission to Nigeria defines eligible project applicants as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that can demonstrate they have the requisite capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. These may include non-governmental organizations, museums, educational institutions, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based educational institutions and organizations subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The CPAIG will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards. Potential implementers must be registered and active in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM) to receive U.S. federal assistance.

Cost Sharing or Matching: There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost participation required for this competition. When an applicant offers cost sharing, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its application and later included in an approved agreement. The applicant will be responsible for tracking and reporting on any cost share or outside funding, which is subject to audit per 2 CFR 200. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.

D. Application Submission and Deadline

Address to Request Application Package: Application forms required below are available at the U.S. embassy website https://ng.usembassy.gov.

Content and Form of Application Submission: Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

Content of Application:

Applicants must ensure:

· The application clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity;

· All budgets are in U.S. dollars; and

· Please e-mail one (1) copy of the electronic form to PASAbujaGrants@State.gov.

1. Mandatory application forms

· SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations)

· SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

· SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) - the SF-424B is required only for those applicants who have not registered in SAM.gov or recertified their registration in SAM.gov since February 2, 2019 and completed the online representations and certifications.

· SF-LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities)

· Application form

2. Summary Page: Cover sheet stating the applicant’s name and organization, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), proposal date, project title, proposed projects start and end dates, amount of funds requested, and brief description of the project.

3. Round 1 Concept Note Requirement (Deadline: January 11): The proposal The applications must fully address the program objectives, funding areas and priorities, and eligibility requirements. Applicants may use the proposal format below:

a. Project Basics, including working title, anticipated project length (Note: Applicants may propose project periods of up to 36 months), location/site, and project cost estimate (amount requested from CPAIG; in U.S. dollars).

b. Project Implementer.

c. Project Scope of Work

d. Cultural Property Protection activities and goals

e. Related host country or community goals (i.e., what they hope to gain from the project beyond protecting cultural property and how these goals will be achieved)

f. Anticipated strategic outreach activities to build awareness and engage communities and stakeholders.

g. Rationale for CPAIG Support, explaining why it’s in the interests of the U.S. government to fund the project, specifically:

h. How the project relates to specific National Security Strategy plans, Integrated Country

i. the projected public diplomacy benefits of the project.

j. Attachments: attach a minimum of five (5) high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual

undertake the project from the office, agency, or organization that either owns or is otherwise responsible for the preservation and protection of the site, object, or collection.

Required Registrations:

· An implementing partner must be registered in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM) prior to receiving U.S, federal assistance. The SAM registration process can take weeks or months, especially for non-U.S. applicants. SAM will assign a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) automatically to any entity registering or renewing its record in the system. Registration in SAM is free: https://sam.gov

Submission Dates and Times:

Applications are due no later than January 11, 2024, 11:59pm.

Ineligible Activities and Unallowable Costs: CPAIG does not support the following activities or costs, and the U.S Mission in Nigeria will deem applications requesting CPAIG support for any of these activities or costs ineligible:

a) Protection or purchase of privately or commercially owned cultural objects, collections, or real property, including those whose transfer from private or commercial to public ownership is envisioned, planned, or in process but not complete at the time of application.

b) Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example).

c) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another.

d) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason.

e) Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees.

f) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award unless allowable per 2 CFR 200.458 and approved by the Grants Officer.

g) International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project or to provide project leaders with learning and exchange opportunities with cultural property experts.

h) Individual projects costing less than US $10,000 or more than US $150,000.

i) Independent U.S. projects overseas.

j) Repatriation of cultural property from the United States to another country unless part of a larger, clearly defined protection, documentation, or public diplomacy effort.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Criteria: The Public Affairs Office sections of the U.S Mission to Nigeria will review and evaluates proposals at least once per year.

Project proposals are evaluated based on the theme of the project, the formulation of clear goals and target groups, project sustainability, and the ability of the applying organization to carry out the project aims.

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

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

Project Importance:

Clarity and completeness of Implementer Public Outreach Plan: program approach provides details on community engagement and awareness creation to maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it can measure program success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal.

Project Maintenance/Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.

Budget and Budget Narrative: ensure outlined activities and budget lines support stated goals.

Supporting Materials: resumes, assessments, reports and images.

Innovative integration: collaboration, or coordination with other ECA and public diplomacy programs

Review and Selection Process: The U.S. Mission in Nigeria will review and evaluate all eligible applications, taking into consideration the program objectives, funding areas and priorities, and other application requirements. You may be invited for an interview or simply asked to submit additional information.

Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold on any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity may include, over the period of 8 performances (see §200.88 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants:

1. That the Federal awarding agency, prior to making a federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

2. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

3. That the Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Federal Award Notices

The grant award will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document, and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email. The recipient may only start incurring program expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grants Officer.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.

Issuance of this Call for Proposal does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Reporting

Reporting Requirements: CPAIG 2024 award recipients must submit performance progress reports, federal financial status reports, and final reports on time as specified in the Notice of Award.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: