NOFO ARF BENIN .docx

Department of State U.S. Embassy Cotonou

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Eligibility Category: Benin-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

U.S. Embassy Cotonou is pleased to announce an open competition for non-governmental organizations to apply for the Ambassador’s Resilience Fund (ARF).

The goal of the program is to prevent vulnerable groups of young men and women from being enrolled into violent extremist organizations (VEOs) by promoting resilience and social cohesion through improving livelihoods, food security and economic opportunities, particularly in at-risk communities in Benin.

Detailed description of ARF grants and guidelines are below. Please read carefully to see if your project is eligible. A grant of up to $25,000 U.S. Dollars (USD) in FY 2023 Economic Support Fund (ESF) resources will be awarded (pending availability of funds) for work that will support program objectives below.

Priority Region: Northern Benin, including the Alibori, Borgou, Atacora and Donga departments.

Background:

The Coastal West African (CWA) region is facing a continuous deterioration of the security situation linked to several factors. In recent years, regions in and surrounding Benin have faced recurring economic and climate shocks and have become fertile ground for violent extremist organizations (VEO) expanding from the Sahel. U.S. Embassy Cotonou, in support of the U.S. Government efforts to strengthen security within and beyond the country’s borders, calls for suitable proposals addressing poverty and vulnerability in the communities, focusing on entrepreneurship by youth and women’s cooperatives, and contributing to building resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and social cohesion. The Ambassador’s Resilience Fund aims to improve access to livelihoods and economic opportunity, in support of Beninese government’s efforts to address the spread of violent extremism and insecurity in Benin. The program will specifically target youth who constitute the most vulnerable sector of the society, to curve poverty and vulnerability, which are the fundamental weaknesses that VEOs exploit for enrollment.

In support of the stated goal, project objectives may include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Support for young entrepreneurs’ cooperatives in the creation and development of businesses.

· Support for agricultural production through provision of equipment, bio-fertilizer, seeds, irrigation kits, and technical assistance to farmers’ cooperatives.

· Protect and promote the rights of members of marginalized groups including women and girls, religious and ethnic minority groups and other community at risk.

· Support skill training and equipment for the program participants; and/or

· Support the establishment of agri-food processing units to strengthen the employability of grassroots development organizations/cooperatives (particularly among groups most vulnerable to VEO recruitment).

· Construct boreholes and water points to promote access to potable water.

· Provide housing and basic services for displaces persons to promote integration, social cohesion, and resiliency.

· Supporting household resilience to desertification.

Successful proposals will directly link and explain how their objectives advance the goal of preventing vulnerable groups of young men and women from being enrolled into violent extremist organizations (VEOs).

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 12 months Number of awards anticipated: 2-5 awards (dependent on amounts) Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $25,000.

Total available funding: $100,000 (pending availability of funds) Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2023 Ambassador’s Resilience Fund Anticipated start date: October 2023 (TBC) Anticipated end date: September 2024 This notice is subject to availability of funding.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

To be eligible to receive the Ambassador’s Resilience Fund, the applicant must be:

· Benin-based non-profit/non-governmental organization and possess a Registration Certificate (Récépissé de déclaration d’association » or « Extrait du Journal Officiel)

· Have a bank account in the name of the organization.

· Have an electronic bank account before U.S. Embassy Cotonou can grant an award.

· Must provide electronic funds transfer information for the recipient entity (name of bank, account name, account number and type of account). This cannot be the personal bank information of any individual representative. Banque de l’habitat, BSIC, and CLCAM accounts are not accepted.

· Have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Please see Section (Required Registrations) for information.

· Must NOT be funded or being considered for funding for the same activities by other donors or the Government of Benin.

Other Eligibility Requirements

· Proposed projects must foster community self-reliance.

· Proposed project must aim to improve the socio-economic conditions of people living in local communities or villages.

· Proposed projects must be implemented in a short period (one year) and have a high impact on a large number of beneficiaries without recourse to new assistance from the program.

· Must involve significant participation of applicants in cash, labor, or material, and must be a project that the cooperative will be able to implement and maintain.

· Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization/cooperative. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

· Must deliver measurable results (e.g., show how activities led to positive changes within the community)

Restrictions: The following types of projects are not eligible for funding:

· Projects relating to partisan political activity.

· Charitable activities.

· Projects that support specific religious activities.

· Reproductive health, and family planning programming.

· Advocacy or scientific research.

· Projects intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization.

· Projects that duplicate existing projects.

· Individual or single-family projects.

· Projects that would take more than one year to complete; and

· Vehicle or property purchases or any other than defined in this funding opportunity.

· Projects that support military or paramilitary activities.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Application Package: Applications must include all the items below. Please refer to the funding opportunity number.

Submission Date and Time: Applications must arrive via e-mail to CotonouGrants@state.gov by August 11, 11:59 p.m (WAT or GTM +1). Any applications arriving after this date will be automatically disqualified.

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: Please ensure:

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

· All documents are in English or French.

· Budget is well detailed.

· All pages are numbered.

· All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and

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

1. Summary Coversheet: Cover sheet stating the applicant’s name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program.

2. Proposal (4 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do.

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

· Introduction to the Organization applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy, other donors, and/or U.S. government agencies, detailed directions to group’s office and activity location from nearest large town.

· 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. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable.

· Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives. Provide a clear description of your group’s contribution to the project (cash, labor, materials).

· Proposed Program Schedule: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.

· Key Leadership: Names, titles, roles, and experience/qualifications of the first three leaders of the organization.

· Cooperating Organizations: List the names and contacts of all organizations that constitute the organization.

· Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the timeframe of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant?

· Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

3. Budget: A complete and detailed budget (in U.S. dollars). Include three pro forma invoices for all major items listed in the budget.

4. Attachments:

· SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance in English)

· SF-424A (Budget in English)

· SF-424B (Assurance in English)

· The SF-424 forms can be found at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-mandatory-family.html#sortby=1.

· Registration Certificate (« Récépissé de déclaration d’association » or « Extrait du Journal Officiel »).

· One letter of support from a relevant local official.

· Business plan, if applicable (for income-generating activities).

· Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption certificate, if applicable.

· Land title/authorization of land usage, if applicable.

· U.S. Embassy grant money can’t be used to pay for Value Added Tax (VAT) on purchases. If your organization is VAT Exempted, please provide the VAT exemption certificate. If your organization is not VAT Exempted, please explain how your organization will pay for the VAT on purchased items through this grant.

Required Registrations:

All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) free of charge by registering in SAM.gov (https://www.sam.gov) or help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

For help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766. Please begin the registration process immediately to ensure that the process is completed well in advance of the deadline for applications. The entire registration process can require up to four weeks for the registration to be validated and confirmed. The Department may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov requirements.

Submission Dates and Times Applications must arrive by email at the address provided by August 11, 2023, closed at 11:59 p.m. Any proposal arriving after this deadline will be automatically disqualified.

Review and Selection Process Each application will go through a prescreening. A Grants Review Committee will meet to evaluate all eligible applications based on the above criteria. Applicants will be notified if their projects were recommended for funding or not.

If selected, your group will be notified in September 2023 and representatives from your group will be invited to sign an agreement contract, and participate in an awards ceremony. Funds will be available three or four weeks after submission of advance request. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified late October 2023.

E. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

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. 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 via a submission of a signed SF-270 form and required reporting.

Terms and Conditions: Before applying, 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. 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/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/ Note the U.S Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions.

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

Recipients will, at a minimum, be required to submit semi-annual Progress Reports and quarterly Financial Reports. Progress Reports will compare actual to planned performance and indicates the progress made in accomplishing each assistance award tasks/goals noted in the grant agreement and will contain analysis and summary of findings, both quantitative and qualitative, for key indicators. Financial Reports provide a means of monitoring expenditures and comparing costs incurred with progress. Failure to submit reports on time will result in payment delays.

Recipients must report immediately when a program faces unplanned delays in implementation, fails to meet program targets or milestones, or costs increase. Any changes or revisions to the approved budget require prior approval from the Grants Officer.

Progress Reporting

At minimum, it is expected that progress reports include:

· Significant activities of the period and how activities reflect progress toward achieving goals.

· Evaluation of progress on goals/objectives with quantitative and qualitative data, as appropriate.

· Any problems/challenges in implementing the project and a corrective action plan.

· An update on expenditures during the reporting period; and supporting documentation or products related to project activities.

· Performance indicator results and supporting documentation.

· As applicable, Project Spotlight highlighting a significant area of progress under the grant as well as photos of implementation.

Final Report

Grantees must submit final reporting at the end of the grant. This must be done 90 days after the period of performance ends or when the grant is over.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact U.S. Embassy Cotonou by email at CotonouGrants@state.gov. Please refer to the funding opportunity number.

For consideration, please email complete application package in English or in French to CotonouGrants@state.gov

We do not provide any pre-consultations for application-related questions that are addressed in this notice of funding opportunity. Once an application has been submitted, Department of State 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.