FY2025_PRM_General_NGO_Guidelines_ProvisionalFinal.docx

Population, Refugees and Migration U.S. Department of State FY 2025 General NGO Guidelines for Overseas Assistance

Contents

Introduction The Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) formulates policies on population, refugees, and migration, and administers U.S. humanitarian assistance to refugees, conflict victims, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, and vulnerable migrants. PRM also manages the United States Refugee Admissions Program. PRM’s mission is to protect, ease suffering, and resolve the plight of persecuted and uprooted people worldwide on behalf of the American people. It provides life-sustaining assistance, collaborates with multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGO), and civil society systems to build global partnerships, promotes best practices in humanitarian response, and integrates humanitarian principles into U.S. foreign and national security policy.

PRM’s funding supports key multilateral humanitarian organizations that assist refugees, conflict victims, internally displaced and stateless persons, and vulnerable migrants. PRM also funds NGO programs that coordinate with multilateral institutions, other NGOs, and civil society actors to expand the reach of U.S. government assistance and complement the humanitarian assistance ecosystem.

A critical component of providing humanitarian aid is the State Department’s humanitarian diplomacy. The Department of State’s diplomatic personnel worldwide advocate for the protection of, and durable solutions for, millions of refugees, stateless persons, internally displaced, and other people affected by conflict. PRM recognizes NGOs as important advocacy partners that contribute to and drive reform and innovation in their operations and across the humanitarian response structure.

These guidelines provide NGOs with an overview of common PRM application requirements and instructions in response to PRM-issued competitive notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs) for overseas assistance. These guidelines do not cover the full spectrum of programmatic activities PRM may support. They complement the instructions and requirements outlined in PRM-issued NOFOs, which provide additional specific instructions, eligibility requirements, and other considerations related to the advertised opportunity.

PRM may amend these guidelines due to changes in regulations, policies, or as necessary. In such cases, PRM will notify applicants in relevant NOFOs and upload revised guidelines on PRM’s public website. The most recent version of these guidelines was published in November 2024.

Please email questions or feedback to PRM’s NGO Coordinator at PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov.

What’s New and What has Changed?

· We have updated and revised recommended application templates for proposal narratives, risk assessments, and program reports. The instructions in these templates and guidelines now emphasize plain language use, directness, and less passive language.

· Improved document navigation and revised section headers throughout this document.

· Instructions and guidance for applicants’ security plan is available on PRM’s website. This guide is a standalone document separate from the risk assessment but is required for all submissions.

· We have revised PRM’s general template for publicly advertised funding opportunities to align with new Department and federal guidelines. Please review these changes when looking at opportunity announcements.

· Appendix B now includes a new section on Department funding restrictions and considerations, that in some cases reflect legislative restrictions. All applicants should review this section.

· PRM-supported entities must promptly disclose in writing any allegations or violations of Federal criminal law involving misconduct or misuse, fraud, waste, abuse, diversion or attempts to divert assistance from clients, destruction, unauthorized interference by authorities, bribery, sexual exploitation and abuse, or illegal gratuities to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of State, with a copy to the cognizant PRM Grants and Program Officers.

· Changes have been made to make the PRM indicator table easier to use. Updates include:

· PRM-4 (number of pieces of feedback recorded during the reporting period) has been removed from the list of options for Indicator Number.

· The language for PRM-2 (funding to local organizations) has been updated.

· PRM made a “Warnings Check” tab visible to partners; this tab is an optional notification tool that can flag for partners and PRM staff where required indicators or information might be missing, or where information isn’t properly formatted.

· Reporting Achieved Values in the indicator table: For quarterly and annual/final reporting, enter the achieved values for each indicator in the columns of the indicator table that match the quarterly and annual (Year 1, 2, or 3 Total) reporting period. In the Year 1, 2, or 3 total column, include the cumulative value achieved so far for the year; do not count achievements from prior years. Enter data as numbers or percentages - text is not allowed in Columns N-AA. You can also include notes on indicator progress in the "Measuring Results" section of the quarterly report Word template. Each quarter, update Column AF "% of Annual Target Achieved" by dividing the relevant year total by the same year target. For example, for indicator PRM-1 reporting for Year 1, calculate as follows: Cell T10 (Year 1 Total) / Cell E10 (Year 1 Target).

· New definitions and locally led organizations and inclusion in proposal narratives. Indicate in proposal narratives whether your organization meets the definition of a local or national actor, refugee-led organization, women-led organization, stateless-persons led organization, or organization of persons with disabilities as defined in the Application submissions instructions below.

Application Process Information Overview of Required Registration Processes To seek PRM funding, follow these steps:

1. Register with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov):

a. Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) for your organization through SAM.gov.

b. If your SAM registration is inactive of expired, renew it in order to apply for PRM funding.

c. Preparing to apply for PRM funding is a multi-step process that can take several weeks for U.S.-based NGOs and longer for non-U.S. organizations.

d. The SAM.gov registration process and the renewal process can take several weeks. Familiarize yourself with the latest registration guidance from SAM.gov.

2. Register with Grants.gov:

a. Create a username and password on Grants.gov.

b. Complete your Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) profile

c. Confirm with your organization’s E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) that you have an AOR.

3. Start the Registration Process Early:

a. Do not wait for Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcements to begin the registration process for SAM.gov and grants.gov.

b. Register at any time to avoid complications or delays in future applications.

c. Start the proposal application process early to avoid missing submission deadlines and ensure you have all required registrations.

4. Technical Difficulties:

a. The registration functions of SAM.gov and grants.gov are outside the control of PRM and the Bureau has limited ability to correct or facilitate rapid resolution to technical difficulties associated with these processes.

5. Submit Applications via Grants.gov:

a. All applications in response to PRM Notice of Funding Opportunity announcements must be submitted via Grants.gov.

b. PRM posts all funding opportunities on the website Grants.gov, PRM’s website, and all programs in the Assistance Listings on SAM.gov (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance [CFDA]).

Table 1: PRM's Assistance Listings numbers are available on SAM.gov. Search for the following Assistance Listing numbers for more information:

Registering with SAM To apply for PRM funding opportunities through Grants.gov, organizations must register and get a UEI number through SAM.gov. SAM registrations must be renewed annually. Only certain organizations are required to obtain a Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE, for domestic organizations) or a NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code (NCAGE, for overseas organizations) in order to register in SAM.gov. Organizations who choose “Financial Assistance Awards Only” as the purpose of their registration (meaning they will only apply for grants and cooperative agreements, not contracts or other types of funding), and who indicate that they will not apply to Department of Defense funding opportunities, do not need a CAGE/NCAGE for new registrations. Renewals of existing registrations may continue to require CAGE/NCAGE. For more information, see the UEI and SAM.gov Frequently Asked Questions.

If registration is incomplete when apply for PRM funding, grants.gov will reject the application. PRM recommends completing the registration process early in the fiscal year to avoid delays when calls for concept notes or proposals are issued. Detailed instructions are available on grants.gov.

When registering on SAM.gov, organizations must identify a single “E-Biz Point of Contact” who confirms which individuals have the authority to submit proposals on behalf of the organization.

SAM.gov is a free government-managed website; there is no need to pay to register. Beware of fraudulent emails posing as SAM.gov and demanding fees or payment. Report these emails as spam and phishing/spoofing.

Registering with Grants.gov Once organizations get their UEI number and complete their SAM registration, the individual submitting the application must register on the Grants.gov website and create a username and password to complete their AOR profile. After the AOR registers on Grants.gov, the E-Biz Point of Contact at the organization will receive an email and must log on to Grants.gov to confirm the applicant as an AOR. Applicants should consult the Grants.gov online page for FAQs, user guides, and training videos to understand the a the application process.

Grants.gov uses a secure platform called “Workspace” to apply for federal grants. Grants.gov Workspace is an online environment optimized for applicants collaborating on an application. You can complete forms online within a web browser or download and then upload them to Workspace. Plan to use this this system when applying. For more information on how to use Workspace, visit the Grants.gov YouTube channel.

SAM.gov and Grants.gov Technical Support Applicants who have technical difficulties with the Grants.gov system during the application process must report the problem to the Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov as soon as possible before the deadline in the funding opportunity announcement. Grants.gov will assign a case number and open a service request to research the problem.

If you have technical difficulties with the SAM registration process, getting a UEI, or validating your entity, contact the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online or at 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.) and 1-334-206-7828 (International).

PRM has limited ability to resolve technical difficulties with these sites. Do not contact PRM before trying to fix issues through the support systems above.

International Multilateral Organizations International multilateral organizations, like United Nations agencies, should not submit proposals to PRM through Grants.gov. These organizations must first contact the relevant PRM point of contact listed in the public funding announcement for additional instructions.

General Application Submission Information PRM strongly recommends submitting application documents as Adobe PDF files (except budgets and the indicator table, which should be in Excel format). Microsoft Word documents can produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations. (Note: If you convert a Microsoft Word document to a PDF, ensure the converted documents remains within the permitted page length limits.)

Exceeding the stated page lengths limits of your proposal narrative, including through additional cover pages, organizational logos and branding, or extra content, may result in portions of your proposal not being reviewed, which can impact your submission’s score.

Submit all application documents in English unless other language submissions are permitted in a specific NOFO, and proposed budget amounts must be in U.S. Dollars (rounded to the nearest whole dollar). Financial reporting must also be in U.S. dollars. For required documents (such as PSEA Codes of Conduct, organization charts, etc.) originating in another language, provide an official English translation or comparable summary. For optional annexes, such as needs assessment reports, a rough translation to English is sufficient (for example, using Google Translate for Documents).

PRM conducts formal internal competitive reviews of all application packages based on the proposal evaluation criteria and PRM’s priorities stated in the NOFO. A sample scorecard used by PRM to evaluate NGO applications can be found in APPENDIX F: PROPOSAL AND CONCEPT NOTE SCORECARD EXAMPLES.

PRM accepts unsolicited concept notes and proposals at any time; however, due to limited funding, priority is given to proposals responding to PRM-issued NOFOs. Submit unsolicited proposals to the NGO Coordinator at PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov.

Proposals must focus on the sectors/modalities and incorporate the corresponding indicators specified in the NOFO. All proposals using cash and/or voucher assistance (CVA) as a modality must use the relevant CVA indicator(s). Programmatic sector descriptions and indicators can be found in APPENDIX C: PROGRAMMATIC SECTORS, SUB-SECTORS, AND MODALITIES and APPENDIX D: LIST OF PRM STANDARDIZED INDICATORS, respectively.

Proposal Format, Templates, Attachments, and Grants.gov Submissions Recommendations PRM strongly recommends that applicants use the suggested templates and instructions available on PRM’s website. This ensures consistency across applications and funding opportunities. PRM-issued NOFOs will state whether you need to submit a concept note or full proposal application.

Concept Note Templates:

· Concept Note for single and multi-year submissions (Word)

· Budget Summary [Tab 1 of Budget table] (Excel) Full Application Package Templates:

· Proposal Narrative for single year submissions (Word)

· Proposal Narrative for multi-year submissions (Word)

· Indicator Table (Excel)

· Budget Tables [Summary and Detail] (Excel)

· Budget Narrative (Word)

· Risk Assessment and Security Plan (Word) Single-year application proposal narratives must not exceed 15 pages, and multi-year funding proposals must not exceed 17 pages. Proposal narratives, indicator tables, and budget documents written in a language other than English will not be considered, unless other languages are explicitly permitted in the respective NOFO.

All proposals (except indicator tables and budget templates) must use Times New Roman or Calibri 12-point font (footnotes may be reduced to 8-point font if necessary), on letter sized paper with one-inch margins. Applicants can choose to attach charts, work plans, and/or activity calendars as addenda or appendices as separate documents to the proposal narrative, but this is not required. Attach these documents to the attachment fields in grants.gov Workspace. These attachments do not count toward the proposal narrative’s page limit total; however, annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information and should be included in moderation.

Grants.gov further limits the number of additional attachments in an application package, so applicants should be judicious in the number of attachments they include. The proposal narrative must stand on its own in the application process and serves as a primary basis for the panel review’s scoring.

Note: For proposals related to refugee resettlement and admissions programs, and humanitarian research, please see the relevant NOFO for details on the required proposal format and templates.

When submitting documents on Grants.gov, pay close attention to the file naming conventions. If you do not follow these guidelines, your application may be rejected, or documents may not upload correctly:

· Name file attachments clearly to indicate the document type and keep names as short as possible; with a maximum of 50 characters. Consider numbering files to simplify organization:

· 01.NGOName_Jordan_ProposalNarrative_FY2025

· 02.NGOName_Jordan_BudgetTable_FY2025

· 03.NGOName_Jordan_RiskAssessment_FY2025….

· Avoid special characters (example: &? *, %, /, #,',) or spacing followed by a dash in the file name (e.g., Application – 1).

· Use underscores for word separation (e.g., Attached_File.pdf).

· Ensure that grants.gov receives the entire application package. Before submitting on grants.gov, check that all intended documents have uploaded correctly. Missing required documents could lead to disqualification. Do not email documents.

· Save a screenshot of the documents to be submitted in case a document fails to upload successfully.

· Find additional information on grants.gov, including using attachments, and other best practices.

· Grants.gov requires the use of structured Forms within the grants.gov Workspace. PRM recommends organizing application documents under the following Form folders:

· Project Narrative Attachment Form

· Project Narrative

· Indicator Table

· Risk Assessment and Security Plan

· PSEA Code of Conduct and implementation plan.

· Market Analysis (if applicable to the project)

· Budget Narrative Attachment Form

· Budget Table

· Budget Narrative

· Attachment Form

· All other required and optional attachments (Please note there is a limit of 15 additional attachments) Instructions for Completing the Recommended PRM Proposal Narrative Template (single and multi-year):

Use the following guidelines for each section of the proposal narrative. If you don’t use the recommended PRM narrative templates, your proposals must still include the sections outlined below. For information on scoring criteria, see APPENDIX F: PROPOSAL AND CONCEPT NOTE SCORECARD EXAMPLES.

Section 1: Summary of Program Complete the table and basic information fields of the template with:

· Organization name

· Points of contact

· SAM.gov UEI number

· Name of program

· Relevant sectors

· Requested funding from PRM

· Type and number of program participants

· Proposed start and end dates

· Whether your organization is currently receiving PRM or other donor funding in the country

· Program goals and objectives

· Locally-led Organization: Indicate whether your organization meets the definition of a local or national actor, refugee-led organization, women-led organization, stateless-persons led organization or organization of persons with disabilities as defined below.

Local and National Actor Definitions PRM defines a local and national actor (LNA) for funding purposes as:

· A nonprofit organization, civil society organization, or corporation engaged in humanitarian work, including Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies, that is legally organized under the laws of; has its principal place of business or operations in; is led by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of; and is managed by a governing body the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of its country of operations; and which is not affiliated through joint governance with any international nongovernmental organization.

Refugee-led Organization An organization that is either:

· Primarily led by forcibly displaced persons: This means that more than half of the senior leadership roles within the organization, including decision-making positions, are held by individuals who are refugees, asylum-seekers, or returnees.

· Jointly and equally led by forcibly displaced and host communities: This means that the organization has an equal distribution of senior leadership and decision-making roles between members of forcibly displaced communities and individuals from host communities.

Women-led Organizations (WLO) and/or Women’s Rights Organizations (WRO)

· An organization with a humanitarian mandate and/or mission that is governed or directed by women; or whose leadership is principally made up of women, demonstrated by 50 per cent or more occupying senior leadership positions (WLO); and/or

· An independent organization that self-identifies as a woman’s rights organization with primary focus on advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment and human rights (WRO); and/or

· an organization that has, as part of its mission statement, the advancement of women’s/girls’ interests and rights (or where ‘women,’ ‘girls’, ‘gender’ or local language equivalents are prominent in their mission statement) (WRO); and/or

· an organization that has, as part of its mission statement or objectives, to challenge and transform gender inequalities (unjust rules), unequal power relations and promoting positive social norms (WRO).

Stateless Persons-led Organizations An organization or community group led by a person or persons who are stateless or have lived experience of statelessness. The person representing the organization or group must be stateless or formerly stateless. In this context, statelessness refers both to formal recognition of statelessness by a State or factual statelessness based on a UNHCR or partner analysis of relevant nationality laws and the individual’s situation.

Organizations of Persons with Disabilities Organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) should be rooted in and committed to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and should fully respect the principles and rights that it affirms. OPDs must be led, directed and governed by persons with disabilities. A clear majority of their governing structure memberships should be persons who have disabilities.

Section 2: Gap Analysis Describe the current or anticipated humanitarian needs in the specific location, activities, and target population/participants of the proposed program. Explain how the proposal addresses unmet protection, and assistance needs of the target population, efforts by the host country, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), or other international organizations and NGOs. Provide specific evidence based on assessments, including any protection risk analyses and other relevant background information. Indicate dates, sources of information, and describe the most critical needs, vulnerabilities, or capacities identified. If using your own needs assessment as a justification for funding, include it as an annex to the proposal. Programs with at least one livelihoods-sector objective must include a full market assessment and livelihoods competency/participant capacity assessment as an attachment. Briefly describe market assessments for livelihoods activities in this section and attach them in full to the proposal. You can use existing market analyses for that context and population if available. Market analysis attachments are required. Failure to provide them will result in technical disqualification. These attachments do not count against the 15 (single year)- or 17 (multi-year)-page limit.

Section 3: Profile of the Target Population Describe the expected participants for this program. Explain how you will target and select participants, including how you will identify refugees, returnees, and host community members. Describe the steps you will take to include vulnerable and underserved groups. Make sure to state that at least 50 percent of the program participants will be from PRM’s populations of concern, as required by the NOFO. (Note: If less than 50 percent of the participants are from populations of concern, the application will be disqualified, unless the NOFO states otherwise.)

Using the most recent data available and citing your sources:

· Provide the expected demographic profile of the participants. Include numbers for refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people (IDPs), stateless people, returnees, conflict victims, other vulnerable migrants, and host country nationals. Also include information on gender, age, and any other unique factors or vulnerabilities.

· List the specific locations of proposed activities, such as camps, provinces, districts, villages, neighborhoods, and temporary accommodation centers. Provide GPS coordinates or other geographic information, including maps, either in proposal narrative or as a separate attachment.

· If the activity locations are not yet known, explain how you will chose the sites.

· Use charts and tables to reduce narrative text in this section.

Section 4: Program Description This section should clearly and concisely outline:

· The program’s description and objectives.

· Department of State guidance defines an objective as “a statement of the condition or state one expects to achieve toward accomplishing a program, program, or process goal.” These objectives may be sector-specific or crosscutting depending on partner preference.

· Key activities.

· Implementation plan; and

· Any implementing or other partners, including their role in the program.

The program description must include:

· An explanation of the link between the needs identified, activities, and outcomes expected.

· Identification of any goods or services to be provided.

· In the case of multi-year applications, explain why multi-year funding is necessary for the program to succeed. Explain and quantify the cost efficiencies that multi-year funding can achieve compared to single-year program. Describe how multi-year funding may reduce costs over time, how longer consultation periods with participants will improve programming, and how activities in the first year will contribute to outcomes in years two and three.

· Explain how the program will follow Sphere Protection Principles and reduce potential protection risks. If your standards differ from the Sphere Handbook’s Minimum Standards, justify the differences. Design activities to minimize protection risks and maximize participant protection. Guidance and tools on protection mainstreaming and common protection risks can be found on the Global Protection Cluster's website and programs must take into account the Cluster’s four elements in all proposed humanitarian activities:

· Prioritize safety & dignity and avoid causing harm: Prevent and minimize any unintended negative effects of your intervention that could increase vulnerability to physical and psychosocial risks.

· Meaningful Access: Ensure people can access assistance and services proportionate to their needs without barriers (e.g., discrimination). Pay special attention to vulnerable individuals and groups.

· Accountability: Set up mechanisms for affected populations to measure the adequacy of interventions, provide effective feedback and address concerns and complaints.

· Participation and empowerment: Support the development of self-protection capacities and help people claim their rights, including shelter, food, water and sanitation, health, and education.

PRM expects its partners to follow the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action and Humanitarian Action and Older Persons.

Common protection risks for refugees, IDPs, and other conflict-affected individuals include:

· Exploitation and abuse.

· Violence against civilians.

· Denial of access to, destruction, or theft of property and assets.

· Family separation.

· Sexual violence and other forms of violence against women and girls; and/or

· Lack of access to, exclusion from, or denial of assistance, services, or documentation.

· Programs using Cash and Voucher Assistance are encouraged to use the Cash Learning Partnership Protection Risks and Analysis Tool and include reference to its use here.

· For all applications, describe how your program analyzes factors that affect gender equality. Address the specific needs of vulnerable populations facing gender oppression and discrimination. Include the following areas to show your assessment and integration of gender dynamics:

· Consider a broad gender perspective across different ages, focusing on familial roles, community privileges, and gender dynamics within the target population.

· Identify risks and threats faced by women, girls, and other vulnerable populations based on their gender, including gender-based violence.

· Address power imbalances and needs arising from gender inequalities within families or communities.

· Propose responses to address these issues and mitigate risks of gender-based violence and any gender differences in access, participation, or decision-making for at-risk groups, especially women and girls.

· Specify and target at-risk sub-populations of women and girls, such as heads of households, out-of-school girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, women and girls with disabilities, women and girl survivors of violence, married girls, and adolescent mothers who are often excluded from programs and services.

Section 5: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan This section must include all elements listed below. Ensure this section aligns with the information in the recommended Excel indicator table attachment. See “Indicator Table & Targets” below for more guidance on indicator requirements.

· M&E Staff Positions: List the specific M&E staff positions responsible the proposed program’s M&E

· Data collection methods/tools: Describe the data collection methods/tools for collecting output, outcome, and process monitoring data. Examples include baseline and endline program assessments, household surveys, post-distribution monitoring, market monitoring, observational site visits, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, exit interviews, progress reports, evaluations, etc. If using secondary data sources (e.g., humanitarian cluster reports, Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) surveys etc.), describe these in detail. Note any expected timelines for key M&E deliverables and whether the information will be shared in quarterly or final reports to PRM. If operating in a restricted access environment, describe any remote monitoring methods, including any plans for third-party monitors. If applicable, describe how technical support for monitoring and oversight will be provided for local sub-recipients by the prime organization.

· Expected limitations/Flexibility: Briefly describe any expected limitations or need for addition flexibility. Mention any known issues that could affect data quality and plans for mitigating these concerns. Examples include limited access to certain areas due to security concerns, an M&E team not representative of the target population, limited power/internet access for digital data collection, etc.

· Data management and Protection: Briefly describe M&E data management, storage, safeguarding, and protection procedures. PRM and its partners must protect a participants’ personally identifiable information (PII). Outline your organizational and program-level protocols for obtaining informed consent, limiting access to PII, storing it safely, and protecting it from unauthorized access and use.

· Data review and utilization: Describe plans for regular data review and utilization. This may include regular meetings with program managers, technical staff, and M&E teams to discuss the latest programmatic data, trends, necessary adjustments, and follow-up actions.

· Assessing Program Outcomes and Impacts: Describe plans to assess and/or evaluate program outcomes and impacts. For multi-year funding applications, PRM recommends a Year 1 baseline assessment and annual assessments to measure progress on outcome and impact indicators each year. The baseline and annual assessments should ideally include primary data collection at the household or community level. Describe the findings and methods of the assessment(s) in the Year 1 first quarterly report (for baseline) and each year’s final report (for annual assessments). PRM recommends using a verified sample size calculator representative household surveys. Optional USG resources on baseline/endline survey design and sampling methods are available in USAID BHA’s M&E Guidance. If proposing an evaluation, include details on any third parties and proposed methodologies. Share any PRM-funded evaluation reports with the Grants Officer or Grants Officer Representative upon completion. Note: For single-year funding applications, PRM does not require a dedicated baseline and annual/endline assessment. PRM outcome indicators may be measured using non-representative surveys, exit interviews, focus group discussions, or other methods.

Section 6: Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) For the proposed program, describe:

· How the target participant population is involved in program design and implementation.

· Your organization’s procedures for collecting, analyzing, and responding to participant feedback throughout the program.

· How your organization tracks community feedback received and measures the impact of your AAP programs.

See APPENDIX B: PRM POLICIES AND STANDARDS for more information. Additional information on best practices for AAP can be found at:

· The IASC’s Results Group (RG2) portal and resource library

· PRM’s AAP webpage

· The Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance Frequently Asked Questions on AAP resource page.

Note: This section is specific to the proposed program and is different from the organization-level AAP framework requirement, which is a separate required document described later in these guidelines.

Section 7: Coordination Describe how you cooperated and coordinated with relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, other NGOs, government entities, other donors, and civil society, during the program design. Include your plans for partnerships and ongoing coordination efforts. List current and anticipated challenges and suggested solutions. If applicable, include regional or cross-border coordination. Describe your information-sharing plans or arrangements and how you use existing information databases. For programs targeting refugees or other populations coordinated by UNHCR or another UN agency, you may provide a letter of support from UNHCR or the relevant agency specific to the proposal. Explain how your proposed program fits within existing country humanitarian plans. Note that including a letter of support from UNHCR or another UN agency will not affect your score during proposal panel reviews.

Section 8: Sustainability and Capacity- Strengthening Describe the conditions that will ensure the sustainability of the proposed program. Explain how the program will:

· Strengthen local capacity, including the self-reliance of participants and the capabilities of local organizations or the host government.

· Incorporate long-term sustainability objectives into humanitarian programs.

· Work towards durable solutions and involve participants.

· Be handed over to another organization or entity using a “do no harm” approach.

· Be financed by other means after PRM funding ends.

Section 9: Management and Past Performance Provide details on your organization’s management structure, including specific management plans for the proposed program. Describe headquarters oversight of the proposed program. List the names, titles, and brief biographical information on the education and experience of key personnel and key supervisory personnel involved in the program.

Describe your organization’s relevant experience working in the proposed location and sector(s) and whether you currently have permission to operate in the country. If you are continuing a current program, include details on any changes in key personnel over the previous period of performance, what has been achieved so far, and any challenges in meeting objectives.

For new programs, provide specific examples of past performance in similar programs in this country and/or sector. Clearly state any similar program your organization has implemented in the last three years with PRM funding, in any country/location. Include an overview assessment of your programs funded by PRM in prior years.

Note: Applicant Vetting as a Condition of Award (Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen): Applicants are advised that successful passing of vetting to ensure funds do not benefit terrorists or their supporters. This vetting is also required for all sub-award performance on assistance awards identified by the Department of State at risk of terrorist financing. Applicants may need to submit Risk Analysis information about your organization and its key personnel via the secure RAM web portal. If vetting is required, the Department of State’s Risk Analysis and Management System (RAM) Team will contact applicants directly via email with instructions on how to enter data via the secure portal. Once logged on to the portal, you will find links to help input the required information. Failure to submit information when requested, or failure to pass vetting, may result in your proposal being rejected.

Section 9a. Consortia Proposals Only: If you are applying as a consortium, 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. One organization must be designated as the lead applicant. The lead applicant will be responsible for overall implementation of the proposed program activities, preparing and presenting annual work plans, M&E planning, and required reporting to PRM. The lead applicant should designate a single individual to be the liaison with PRM, although PRM reserves the right to communicate with sub-recipients.

Applicants may form consortia to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive program in one proposal. Submissions by organizations as part of a consortium do not count toward an individual organization’s submission limit per a given NOFO’s requirements. Consortia applications are not weighted differently or prioritized unless explicitly noted in the respective NOFO.

PRM considers consortia to be a group of no less than three NGOs that comprise an agreement, combination, or group formed to undertake, or propose to undertake, an assistance activity beyond the resources of any one member. The consortium arrangement may allow for greater geographic coverage, inclusion of technical and sectoral strengths from multiple organizations, increased inclusion of local, national, and refugee-led organizations, and the potential of much greater impact through collaboration. PRM encourages applicants to approach local and national entities as consortium partners. Awardees and local/national partners should work together to reach program goals and build upon their respective comparative advantages. As appropriate, awardees should also ensure that these partnerships help to strengthen the capacity of local and national NGOs who serve as sub-awardees. This may include providing support to their financial and delivery systems or ensuring that partners are active in humanitarian coordination structures. Applicants are expected to advance good partnership practices with local partners, including aligning with the Grand Bargain Localization Workstream.

Section 10: Sub-Contracts/Sub-Recipients List the full and exact name of any sub-contractors or sub-recipients you plan to fund through the proposed program, if known. For each sub-recipient, provide the legal name, organizational UEI, address, and name of the Organizational Representative. Describe how you will vet these organizations to comply with U.S. Executive Orders and laws that prohibit transactions with and support to organizations associated with terrorism. If sub-recipients are unknown at the time of proposal, provide the above information for PRM Grants Officer approval before issuing a sub-award or contract.

· Note: All partners in a consortium and all sub-contracts/recipients must obtain a SAM.gov UEI before an award or sub-award is issued. However, sub-awardees do not need a UEI prior to application. Sub-awardees typically only require a UEI and not a full SAM registration. Lead Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and have a UEI to apply through grants.gov Section 11: U.S. Government Recognition Describe how you will recognize the U.S. government’s financial support, provided through PRM, for the proposed program/activities (e.g., in publications, social media, website platforms, press releases, etc., and at the program site).

If your organization believes that publicly acknowledging U.S. government financial support at the program site could endanger the lives of the program participants and/or your staff, invite suspicion about your motives, or alienate you from the population you are trying to help, provide a brief explanation and request an exemption from the program site acknowledgement requirement.

Indicator Table and Targets Starting in Fiscal Year 2023, PRM updated the proposal indicator table to an Excel template format. You can download this recommended file from PRM’s website. For PRM standard indicators, use the exact indicator title as listed below in APPENDIX D: LIST OF PRM STANDARDIZED INDICATORS. Refer to PRM’s Performance Indicator Reference and Definition Sheets (PIRS), located on the PRM “Funding Opportunities” webpage, for more information on indicator definitions. Using PRM’s standard indicators will enable data aggregation and use across programs, while also complementing custom indicators. The indicator table must include:

· Indicator names

· Associated sector/sub-sector

· Disaggregates

· Year 1 baseline value

· Year-by-year targets (only if applying for multi-year funding)

· Cumulative target

· Associated objectives

· Description of how the cumulative target was set

· Name of the data collection method to be used

· Frequency of collection

· Position responsible for collection (as reflected in Columns A-N) For new awards, leave the purple columns (P-AD) blank at application stage; awardees will use them for annual reporting.

Note: Objectives identified in the proposal narrative and indicators will be formally referenced in the cooperative agreement for proposals selected for PRM funding and will be used by PRM to monitor and evaluate the program.

Cumulative Targets and Actuals "Cumulative Target" and "Cumulative Actual" should show the final indicator value at the end of the program. For people-based output indicators (e.g., "PRM-1. Number of individuals directly reached through PRM funding"), please use the UNIQUE total. Count each person only once, even if they participated in multiple years. If you can’t calculate unique values for a valid reason (e.g., using a government health database with non-unique values), provide your best estimate and note this in the "comments" column. For percentage indicators from a survey sample (e.g., SMART nutrition surveys), use the latest survey value. For percentage indicators using all sites/participants, sum the numerators and denominators across all years to calculate the final percentage.

PRM Standardized Indicator Selection Refer to PRM’s indicator list and include all required indicators in your application. PRM has two categories of indicators:

· Required: Include indicators marked as “required” in APPENDIX D: LIST OF PRM STANDARDIZED INDICATORS in your proposal as applicable. Each sector and sub-sector, except Protection, has one required PRM indicator. Include these in the indicator table if you propose any activities or budget for that sector/sub-sector. Additionally, three indicators are required for all programs regardless of design or sector, unless the NOFO or PRM staff provide a specific exemption.

· PRM-1. Number of individuals directly reached through PRM funding - Partners should never use zero for this indicator’s target, unless they discuss first with PRM staff. In the case of research or coordination awards that don’t involve community implementation, partners should count external participants (from dissemination events, coordination meetings, etc.) and include them under the “non-POC stakeholder” disaggregate.

· PRM-2. Amount of PRM humanitarian funding distributed to local, national, or refugee-led organizations (in USD) – This amount should include any sub-awards or contracts with local, national, refugee-led, or stateless-led organizations. If the prime applicant is a local, national, refugee-led, or stateless-led organization, they should use the full proposal budget total as the target value. Applicants should put a target of zero for this indicator if it does not apply to them; it will not affect their eligibility. Refer to the PRM-2 Performance Indicator Reference & Definition Sheet (PIRS) for further definitions of local, national, refugee-led, and stateless-led organizations.

· PRM-3. Percentage of participants who report that humanitarian assistance is delivered in a safe, accessible, accountable, and participatory manner – This is a protection mainstreaming indicator developed by ECHO and adopted by the Grand Bargain. Research or coordination awards that don’t involve community implementation are exempt from this indicator.

· Please refer to the PRM Performance Indicator Reference & Definition Sheets (PIRS) for a sample questionnaire and analysis guidance.

Recommended: Partners can use these indicators to monitor related activities if applicable. Including recommended indicators is optional. PRM values measuring outcomes, so PRM may ask a partner to use a specific recommended indicator if there is a technical/thematic need, or if a similar custom indicator was proposed by the partner.

Custom Indicators Applicants can include custom indicators if desired. PRM recommends limiting custom indicators to no more than five (5) per objective to keep the table manageable. Ensure custom indicators are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, realistic, time-bound, and trackable (SMART).

· Specific – The objective is clear, concrete, detailed, and well-defined.

· Measurable – By the end of the proposed activities, it will be possible to quantitatively or qualitatively determine whether and to what extent the objective was met.

· Achievable – The objective can feasibly be accomplished, taking into consideration stakeholder capacity, the context, and the timeline.

· Relevant – The objectives are related to the NOFO and PRM goals and make sense considering the context and proposed activities.

· Time-bound – The objective can be accomplished within the duration of the proposed activities, or within another stated timeframe.

Applicants should consider custom indicators that align with refugee response and cluster coordination requirements. Identify all indicators in parentheses as an input, output, outcome, or impact indicator.

· Input: Indicators showing what is being invested or done (e.g., staff hired, supplies…