Luanda - APS SOI FY 24- AFPD approved (updated).pdf

You U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY LUANDA PUBLIC DIPLOMACY SECTION

Annual Program Statement

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Angola is pleased to request proposals for funding under the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Grants program. Please read and follow all instructions carefully.

Funding Opportunity Title: U.S. Embassy Luanda Public Diplomacy Section Request for

Statements of Interest: Annual Program Statement Funding Opportunity Number: DOS-PAS-ANG- FY24-01 Deadline for Applications: Round 1: March 28, 2024 (11:59 p.m. W.A.T.)

Round 2: April 28, 2024 (11:59 p.m.W.A.T.)

Assistance Listing Number: 19.040 - Public Diplomacy Programs

19.022 Education and Cultural Exchange Programs Appropriation Overseas Grants

Total Amount Available: Approximately $150,000 Maximum for Each Award: See Section B Minimum for Each Award: $20,000

Contact Information: Please contact, LuandaPDGrants@state.gov with any questions about the application process, including APS 2024 in the subject line.

The U.S. Embassy is unable to provide pre-consultation of Statements or individual feedback on non-selected Statements of Interest. A public summary with general feedback from Round 1 will be offered prior to the submission deadline for Round 2. The information will be available on the Embassy website.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Luanda Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce this Request for Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations interested in applying for funding of program proposals that strengthen ties between the people of the United States and Angola through cultural and exchange programs that highlight our shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

The submission of a SOI is the first step in a two-part process. Applicants must first submit a SOI, which is a concise, one-to-two page concept note in English, designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit mailto:LuandaPDGrants@state.gov program ideas for PDS to evaluate prior to requiring the development of full proposal applications. Upon review of eligible SOIs, PDS will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications.

Program Objectives: These small grants intend to strengthen ties and build relationships between the United States, Angola, and São Tomé and Principe through activities that highlight shared values, goals, and cooperation. All proposals must have a strong American cultural element, or a connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Examples of PAS-funded programs include, but are not limited to:

● Academic and professional lectures, seminars, and speaker programs;

● Artistic and cultural programs, joint performances, and exhibitions involving the work of

American artists or American subjects;

● Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;

● Programs that expand PDS American Corners and American Spaces activities;

● Professional and academic exchanges and programs;

● Media training;

● Programs developed by an alumnus/a of a U.S.-government sponsored educational or professional exchange program;

● Experiential learning activities (e.g. Model UN, Model Government).

Note: Proposed programs may take place virtually or in-person with public health protocols in place, or a combination of both.

Priority Program Areas for Angola:

U.S.- Angola Partnership: Activities to promote a deeper understanding of the United States’ long support for Angola’s development and prosperity and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of our bilateral relationship. Target audiences include youth and young adults who may be unaware of U.S. initiatives in Angola.

Build Communication Capacity: Activities that link Angolan journalists to American journalists or media institutions, and/or promote the production of high-quality reporting on topics of shared U.S.-Angolan interest such as the impact of climate change, effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs, human rights and trafficking, etc., in order to strengthen free press and journalism as an institution in Angola. Activity should develop and deepen the creative, idea-forming sectors of Angolan society, including journalists, artists, broadcasters, and publishers.

Target audience: mid-career journalists.

Skills for Success: Activities to promote professional skills such as resume writing, digital literacy, basic financial literacy, public speaking, and entrepreneurship drawing on American and Angolan examples, in order to encourage successful participation in the global economy.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with English Clubs, American Spaces, or U.S.

exchange alumni to conduct these activities. Target audiences include but are not limited to:

underemployed and unemployed youth who will soon complete or have completed formal education; and/or graduate/undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math with a strong interest in improving their English or pursuing graduate study in the United States.

Priority Program Areas for São Tomé and Principe:

Improve Economic Growth and Inclusion: activities that connect and sustain networks between small to medium sized businesses, to promote local entrepreneurial ecosystem growth in order to advance competitiveness and job creation for youth, women, and other disadvantaged groups.

Promote Civic Engagement: activities that encourage civic education for active participation in government and community engagement while promoting democratic values; encourage professional media coverage of elections and social issues; and increased awareness of the importance diversity and inclusion for strong communities with attention to gender and at-risk youth through education, the arts, sports, etc.

Reinforce Mutual Understanding between the U.S. and São Tomé and Principe: present accurate information on the U.S. and build connections between American and Santomean institutions at all levels; support the promotion of American cultural heritage; and foster English language proficiency for strategic audiences such as disadvantaged youth, entrepreneurs, and mid-career professionals in government service.

Participants and Audiences:

Proposals must identify a clearly defined target audience that the project seeks to influence.

Well-defined audiences are countable and accessible through the project’s activities. Proposals should specify the changes in knowledge, understanding, attitudes, or behavior change in attitudes or behavioral action that they seek with the project – and how they plan to measure these outcomes.

The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:

● Programs relating to partisan political activity;

● For-profit programs

● Charitable or development activities;

● Construction programs;

● Programs that support specific religious activities;

● Fund-raising campaigns;

● Lobbying for specific legislation or programs;

● Scientific research;

● Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or

● Programs that duplicate existing programs.

Authorizing legislation, type and year of funding:

The Statutory Authority for this program is the Smith-Mundt Act or the Fulbright-Hayes Act. The source of funding is FY2024 Public Diplomacy or Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funds, depending on the type of program.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: Proposed programs should be completed in 18 months or less.

Number of awards anticipated: varies (dependent on amounts) Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $20,000 to a maximum of $50,000 Total available funding: $150,000 (Anticipated, Subject to Availability of Funds) Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2024 Public Diplomacy Funding or Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Funding Anticipated program start date: By December 2024

Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award, Individual Award, or Cooperative Agreement. Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PDS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation.

This notice is subject to availability of funds.

The U.S. Embassy Luanda Public Diplomacy Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described in the absence of worthy proposals or under such other circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. government. All grants will be based on U.S. dollars.

Local grants projects must be completed in eighteen months or less. The Public Diplomacy Section may entertain proposals for continuation grants funded under these awards, beyond the initial budget period, on a noncompetitive basis, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the projects, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the United States Government.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

● Not for profit organizations including civil society/ non-governmental organizations and think tanks

● Educational institutions

● Individuals

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

No cost share or matching is required.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

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.

To be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must be registered on SAM.gov. From April 2022, the federal government stopped using the DUNS number as an entity identifier and transitioned to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued by SAM.gov. Organizations should go to SAM.gov to complete their registration, a UEI will be generated as part of the SAM.gov registration process.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Proposals should be submitted to: LuandaPDGrants@state.gov Proposal Language: English: Final proposal and grant agreement must be in English.

Submission Deadline: Round 1: March 28, 2024 (11:59 p.m. W.A.T.)

Round 2: April 28, 2024 (11:59 p.m.W.A.T.)

Content of SOI must include:

• A brief project description summarizing goals, objectives, outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, and proposed timeline.

• A clear statement of the applicant's organizational capacity to carry out the proposal activity and manage U.S. Government funds.

• Documents in English.

• The anticipated total budget (in U.S. dollars)

• The SOI should not exceed two pages.

If selected, complete proposals will be requested to include the following:

1. Contact details (name, address, e-mail, phone number) of point of contact

2. Description of organization or group/individual capacity

3. Past Grants (U.S. Embassy and other sources), if applicable

4. Project Justification/Needs Statement – why is this project necessary?

5. Project Objectives – what does this project intend to do?

6. Project Activities – what will be done in order to accomplish the objectives?

7. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan – how will you evaluate success?

8. Key Personnel – who will work on this project?

9. Calendar of proposed activities – what are the phases of the project?

10. Sustainability – how will the project’s impact continue after the project?

11. Financial budget in USD– how will funds realistically be spent to conduct the planned activities in order to accomplish the project objectives?

12. Mandatory application forms: SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals) at /www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

Proposals should be submitted via email in English to the U.S. Embassy in Angola Public Diplomacy Section at the following email address: LuandaPDGrants@state.gov

Proposals are accepted in English and all final grant agreements will be concluded in English.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the return of original documents; copies should be provided, if appropriate.

Proposals must include a detailed budget in U.S. dollars. Applicants are encouraged to provide cost-sharing from additional sources in support of proposed projects; proposals should explain clearly other likely sources of funding or in-kind participation. Please use the official currency exchange rate while developing your proposed budget.

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis and assessed quarterly.

Proposals should:

1. State the nature of the activity/project

2. Include the key audiences and the estimated total number of participants

3. Detail how the activity/project will include and/or reach intended audiences (i.e. women, youth, individuals with disabilities and other socio-economically disadvantaged participants)

4. State the location and duration of the project

5. Explain how the program will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant

6. Provide a traditional and/or social media plan for amplification and advertisement of the program activities and outcomes.

7. Identify specific outcomes to be achieved by the end of the grant period. 6 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

E. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

Each proposal submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of a proposal. Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of their completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail.

Applicants must submit a full project description, including a detailed narrative that outlines the deficiency to be addressed, a plan of action, describing the scope of the proposed work and how it will be accomplished. The narrative should be accompanied by a detailed budget that includes all program costs and clearly indicates the proposing organization’s cost-share and/or in-kind participation.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

1. Goals and Objectives – The project is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results among the clearly identified target audience. The proposed project should be well developed and respond to a specific need in the community while addressing one or more of the U.S. Embassy Angola Public Affairs Section priorities outlined previously.

2. Strengths and Innovation – The proposal clearly describes the activities used to address the identified priority within the proposed time frame and articulates an innovative strategy or plan to reach the target audience.

3. Organizational Capacity – The organization has expertise in one or more of U.S. Embassy Angola Public Affairs Section priorities and demonstrates the ability to perform the proposed activities with appropriate personnel.

4. Sustainability – The proposed project addresses how the project benefits will continue to be realized on a long-term basis after the conclusion of the period of performance of the grant.

5. Budget and Budget Justification – The budget and narrative justification are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results and the plan for services is realistic.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan – The proposal realistically indicates how the project will be monitored and evaluated.

2. Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible SOIs. All eligible SOIs will be reviewed against the criteria listed above. SOIs are reviewed individually against the criteria and not against competing SOIs. For a balanced review all panelists will review the first page of the SOI up to the page limit and no further. The panel may provide conditions and/or recommendations on SOIs to enhance the proposed program. Conditions and recommendations should be addressed in a full proposal application.

3. Following the review, any successful SOI applicants will be contacted and instructed to submit full applications. A full application will include:

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424- I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals)

• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

• SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) for individual or organization exempted from registering in SAM.

4. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

Required Registrations:

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

All prime organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov before submitting an application. DRL may not review applications from or make awards to applicants that have not completed all applicable UEI and SAM.gov requirements. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards.

Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required for federal assistance applications.

The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before the award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee.

Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

● Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov.

● Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS, but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Please note that as of

December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration and wishes to remove an NCAGE code from their sam.gov registration, the applicant should submit a help desk ticket (“incident”) with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online at www.fsd.gov to seek guidance on how to do so.

All prime organizations must also continue to maintain active SAM.gov registration with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or application under consideration by a Federal award agency. SAM.gov requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM.gov and to maintain that active registration. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements at the time of application, the applicant may be deemed technically ineligible to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Please refer to 2 CFR 25.200 for additional information.

Note: SAM.gov is not the same as SAMS Domestic. It is free of charge to register in both systems, but the registration processes are different.

Information is included on the SAM.gov website to help international registrations. Navigate to www.SAM.gov, click “HELP” in the top navigation bar, then click, “Explore” and “New to SAM.gov?” for general information. Please note, guidance on SAM.gov and the guidance on GSA’s website is being updated to reflect the change in NCAGE requirement. Applicants should review the website frequently for the most up-to-date guidance.

Exemptions

An exemption from these requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if:

● An applicant’s identity must be protected due to potential endangerment of their mission, their organization’s status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant.

● For an applicant, if the Federal awarding agency makes a determination that there are exigent circumstances that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a Federal award. In these instances, Federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the Federal award date.

http://www.fsd.gov/ file:///C:/Users/JohnsonLR/Downloads/www.SAM.gov

Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must email the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the application can be deemed eligible for review.

Note: As of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Terms and Conditions: Before submitting the SOI, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply if a full proposal application is requested and awarded, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:

2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions which are available at: https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

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

LuandaPDGrants@state.gov with APS 2024 in the subject line.

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.

Congratulations, your application package, PKG00284489, is now available.