Julia Taft FY2022 NOFO - Final.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT,

PROGRAM & GRANTS OFFICE (PGO)

Notice of Funding Opportunity FY2022

Program and Grants Office Program Office: Program and Grants Office, US Embassy, Nouakchott Announcement/Award Type: Grant, Cooperative Agreement.

Funding Opportunity Number: DOS-JTF-2022 Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funding Opportunity – Julia Taft Fund (PGO) Deadline for Applications: February 17, 2022 (11:00 am. Mauritanian time)

CFDA-: 19.517

Individual award amount: The award floor is set for $12,500; the award ceiling is set at $50,000

Contact Information:

For questions related to the PGO Julia Taft grants program, please contact the Program and Grants Office at Nouakchottgrants@state.gov. Please indicate “PGO Small Julia Taft Fund” in the subject line.

Important Note:

All application materials must be submitted by the deadline at Nouakchottgrants@state.gov

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Description: The U.S. Embassy in Mauritania is pleased to announce that it is accepting proposals – pending funding availability - through its Program and Grants Office for the U.S. Department of State’s Julia Taft program. Please, carefully read the instructions before applying.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Julia Taft Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration - PRM's Taft Refugee Fund is intended to meet gaps in assistance by issuing grants of up to $50,000 to national or local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for quick impact projects to meet critical needs not addressed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), or other international organizations (IOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This fund is intended primarily to support projects that assist refugees, refugee returnees, migrants, statelessness, and other marginalized people within refugee, returnees, and migrant populations. Projects could range from income generating activities to capacity building programs. The fund seeks to meet gaps in ongoing refugee programs that can be filled locally through projects of up to $50,000.

Projects proposed should not exceed $12,500 (about 4.2 million UM)

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATON

Length of performance period: 3 to 12 months Number of awards anticipated: Four (04) Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2022 JTF Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2022 Funding Instrument Type: Grant.

Program Performance Period: One year after signing.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants The Program and Grants Office (PGO) encourages applications from locally registered civil society entities such as, national and local non-governmental organizations, associations, cooperatives, or groups with refugee or returnee programming experience. The Taft Fund is intended for projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50 percent refugees or returned refugees. Embassy is also interested in supporting projects that address issues related to statelessness, assistance to marginalized groups within refugee, returnee, and migrant populations using the Taft Fund. Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding. In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet, as well as a valid registration on www.sam.gov. Please see Section F.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations. Pease note that beginning April 4, 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number to uniquely identify entities. At that point, entities doing business with the federal government will use a Unique Entity Identifier created in SAM.gov. This transition allows the government to streamline the entity identification and validation process, making it easier and less burdensome for entities to do business with the federal government. Any entity (contractor, corporation, partnership, organization, or individual) wishing to do business with the federal government under a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contract, or anyone applying for federal grants, cooperative agreements, or other forms of federal financial assistance through Grants.gov, must be registered in SAM.gov. Current SAM.gov registrants have already been assigned their Unique Entity Identifier and can view it within SAM.gov; there is no further action required. The Unique Entity Identifier is located below the DUNS Number on the entity registration record. After April 4, 2022, entities registering in SAM.gov will no longer have to go to Dun & Bradstreet and acquire a DUNS number. Please note that all applicants must have a valid and functional bank account, must have registered for them to be eligible to apply. Applicants missing the above information will not be considered.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

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 not be eligible.

Content of Application Please ensure:

• The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity

• The proposal is in English.

• All budgets are in U.S. dollars

• All pages are numbered

• All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font.

Submission Requirements All proposals must include the following items:

1. SF 424 Application form which is available at: http://aopefa.a.state.gov/content/ Documents/SF424.pdf

2. SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) Ctrl+ link

3. SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction program) Ctrl + link Unclassified

4. A cover letter

5. The organization’s official registration documentation

6. The list of the members of the organization

7. A description of the proposed project’s activities and goals

8. A detailed budget.

9. The projected period of performance (start and end dates)

10. Support/recommendation letters (if available) *Proposals should not exceed ten pages*

2. Summary Coversheet: Cover sheet stating the organization name, the name of its point of contact, proposal date, program title, program period of performance (proposed start and end date), and brief purpose of the program.

3. Proposal (10 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below:

• Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact.

• Introduction to the Organization: A description of past and present operations, showing the ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or other U.S. government agencies.

• Problem Statement: Clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed.

• Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. What aspect of the relationship between the U.S. and Mauritania will be improved? The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable, measurable, and time-bound.

• Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.

• Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal.

• Proposed Program Schedule: The proposed timeline for the program activities.

Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.

Required Registrations:

All organizations applying for grants must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

• Unique Identifier Number from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)

• NCAGE/CAGE code

• www.SAM.gov registration Step 1: Apply for a DUNS number and an NCAGE number (these can be completed simultaneously) DUNS application: Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from DUNS & Bradstreet, if your organization does not have one already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866-705-5711 or visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform NCAGE application page: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspc Instructions for the NCAGE application process:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/ US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf For help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423 For help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766 Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil for any problems in getting an NCAGE code.

Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE Code, proceed to register in SAM by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

Application Information Applications may be submitted for consideration at any time during the time frame provided in the call for proposals. All submission must be received by February 17, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. GMT. If organizations fail to meet the deadline noted above, their application will not be considered for funding and will be considered ineligible.

Please note that the Embassy will not accept any proposals before or after the call for proposals. Applicants can submit their proposal via our electronic email at Nouakchottgrants@state.gov or at the Embassy Gate following the call guidelines. Once the call for proposal is issued, PGO will not accept any phone calls or exchanges related to the call for proposals. Failure to comply may result in dismissal of proposal. Successful candidates will receive a notification letter informing them of the decision on their application. Once regrets letters are sent, PGO will discard all non-approved proposals. All approved proposals will be kept in compliance with proper grant records management.

Reporting Requirements: Successful applicants will be required to submit a quarterly report. Mid-year report must be submitted prior to the second payment request. The recipient must provide a narrative report of the program to the Grants Officer Representative (GOR) 60 days upon receipt of the second and final payment. Reports should describe implemented activities status and its impact – demonstrated by metrics and relevant quantitative and qualitative data - on the community.

Contact Information: For questions related to the Julia Taft Program, please contact the Program and Grants Office at Nouakchottgrants@state.gov. Please indicate on the subject line “PGO JTF” for Julia Taft Fund Grants, “ Important Note:

All application materials must be submitted by the deadline at Nouakchottgrants@state.gov or at the U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Gate with subject line “PGO JTF” for Julia Taft Fund Grants Appropriate use of U.S. Funds:

- The U.S. government does not provide assistance awards to cover more than 10% of the amount for salaries.

- The project must support one of the U.S. Embassy’s Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals and must include promotion of the U.S. Embassy’s involvement.

Application Information:

Application materials can be found at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria:

Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria listed are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application. Review criteria, with or without weighting or numerical scoring – examples include: Organizational capacity and record on previous grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and PGO is confident of its ability to undertake the program. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.

2. Quality 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. (25 points) Goals and objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. (15 points) Embassy priorities: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy Nouakchott’s priority areas or target audiences. (15 points) Budget: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities. (15 points).

Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators, and shows how and when those will be measured. (15 points) Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program. (15 points).

3. Review and Selection Process A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications.

4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates Successful applicants will be notified by March 21, 2022 at 3:00 P.M. GMT or earlier. F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices The grant award or cooperative agreement 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 NOFO 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. Payment Method: Payments will be made in at least two installments, as needed to carry out the program activities.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements Terms and Conditions: Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications, which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include: 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, Certifications and Assurances, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions, all of which are available at: https://www.state.gov/m/a/ope/index.htm Note the U.S Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions.

3. Reporting

Reporting Requirements: Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The award document will specify how often these reports must be submitted.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact PGO at: Nouakchottgrants@state.gov

Note: We do not provide any pre-consultation for application related questions that are addressed in the NOFO. Once an application has been submitted, State Department officials and staff — both in the Department and at embassies overseas — may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.

H. OTHER INFORMATION Guidelines for Budget Justification Personnel: Describe the wages, salaries, and benefits of temporary or permanent staff who will be working directly for the applicant on the program, and the percentage of their time that will be spent on the program.

Travel: Estimate the costs of travel and per diem for this program. If the program involves international travel, include a brief statement of justification for that travel. Equipment: Describe any machinery, furniture, or other personal property that is required for the program, which has a useful life of more than one year (or a life longer than the duration of the program), and costs at least $5,000 per unit.

Supplies: List and describe all the items and materials, including any computer devices, that are needed for the program. If an item costs more than $5,000 per unit, then put it in the budget under Equipment.

Contractual: Describe goods and services that the applicant plans to acquire through a contract with a vendor. Also describe any sub-awards to non-profit partners that will help carry out the program activities.

Other Direct Costs: Describe other costs directly associated with the program, which do not fit in the other categories. For example, shipping costs for materials and equipment or applicable taxes. All “Other” or “Miscellaneous” expenses must be itemized and explained.

Indirect Costs: These are costs that cannot be linked directly to the program activities, such as overhead costs needed to help keep the organization operating. If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, attach a copy of your latest NICRA. Organizations that have never had a NICRA may request indirect costs of 10% of the modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68.

“Cost Sharing” refers to contributions from the organization or other entities other than the U.S. Embassy. It also includes in-kind contributions such as volunteers’ time and donated venues. Alcoholic Beverages: Please note that award funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.