NOFO - CWT Southeast Asia - FINAL 5-2-23 .pdf

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.U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Announcement Type: Request for Federal Assistance Award Applications

Funding Opportunity Title: Counter Wildlife Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0009740

Program: INL/GPP Wildlife Trafficking

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:

19.705 - Transnational Crime

Total Funding Available: $5,500,000 U.S. Dollars

Funding Source: Domestic-Funds

Application Ceiling: Up to $2,000,000 U.S. Dollars

Application Floor: At least $750,000 U.S. Dollars

Anticipated Number of Awards: 3-5 awards

Initial Project Implementation Length: 24-36 months (as indicated in each objective)

Estimated Project Start Date: October 1, 2023

NOFO Issuance Date: May 2, 2023

Deadline for Submission of Questions: June 1, 2023 by 11:59 PM EST via email

Deadline for Submission of Applications:

July 5, 2023 by 11:59 PM EST via www.grants.gov

Assistance Type: Grant

Applicant Types and Eligibility Categories:

Organizations only.

Refer to Section C: Eligibility Information for more information.

INL Points of Contact:

Najar Starr (starrnd@state.gov) Allison Lajeskie (lajeskiea@state.gov) Jarrad Scott (scottjd@state.gov) http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:starrnd@state.gov mailto:lajeskiea@state.gov mailto:scottjd@state.gov

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BUREAU MISSION

The mission of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is to keep Americans safe by countering crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is at the forefront of responding to these challenges, uniting these overarching themes through our foreign assistance programs, diplomatic engagement, and policy coordination.

INL’s foreign assistance programs are essential to advancing U.S. policy objectives. INL programs advance the following strategic goals:

1. Disrupt and reduce illicit drug markets and transnational crime to protect American lives and U.S. national security.

2. Combat corruption and illicit financing to strengthen democratic institutions, advance rule of law, and reduce transnational crime and its enablers.

3. Strengthen criminal justice systems to support stable, rights respecting partners.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

F. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

APPENDIX A: PERFORMANCE MONITORING PLAN

APPENDIX B: PROJECT RISK ANALYSIS

APPENDIX C: BUDGET AND BUDGET NARRATIVE

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A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Overview: The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S.

Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out projects to counter wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia. This NOFO includes two country specific objectives and one regional objective.

Priority Region/Countries: Southeast Asia; Thailand; Laos; Malaysia; Vietnam

Problem Statement: Wildlife trafficking and natural resource crimes are lucrative forms of transnational organized crime (TOC) that continue to decimate species populations, driving endangered species such as elephants, rhinos, and pangolins toward extinction. Wildlife trafficking and natural resource crimes fuel corruption, threaten the rule of law and peace and security, spread disease, and destabilize communities that depend on wildlife for biodiversity and eco-tourism revenues. Criminal organizations are increasingly involved in this illicit trade, especially the illegal movement of wildlife from source countries to demand countries, such as the movement of ivory from Africa to Southeast Asia. Traffickers exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in illegal wildlife. Wildlife and wildlife products are transported through multilevel illicit networks of criminal intermediaries and government officials.

Southeast Asia is a key source, transit, and destination area for illegal wildlife products. As the region acts as a lynchpin of the global wildlife trafficking supply chain, any successful effort to stop the global scourge of wildlife trafficking must include Southeast Asia. To that end, funds will support work that increases the ability of Southeast Asia to counter wildlife trafficking (CWT). The ultimate goal of this program is to increase Southeast Asia’s will and ability to CWT and the criminal organizations that perpetrate these heinous crimes.

INL leverages its unique foreign assistance authorities to contribute to the global fight against wildlife trafficking. The funded programs will include technical assistance as specified in the Project Vision.

Project Vision:

INL seeks to fund programs that improve Southeast Asia’s will and capacity to investigate, arrest, prosecute, convict, and sentence to the fullest extent of the law the criminal organizations that perpetrate wildlife trafficking, especially the leaders and mid-level members of those organizations.

Proposals must include details on how the applicant proposes to provide technical assistance to Southeast Asia in one or more of the following areas: strengthen legislative frameworks, enhance law enforcement and investigative capabilities, develop prosecutorial and judicial capacity, and/or support cross-border law enforcement cooperation at the provincial, national, regional, and international levels.

Project Goal(s) and Objectives:

To strengthen criminal justice institutions in Southeast Asia to undertake successful enforcement, investigative, and prosecutorial functions for wildlife crimes, as well as credible measures that prevent wildlife crime.

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Specific project objectives are listed below with associated award ceilings and floors. Note that some objectives target specific countries and others are thematic in nature. Where single countries are listed, each application may encompass any or all of the sub-objectives listed for that country, but must not propose work in additional countries. Where thematic objectives are listed, INL will prioritize applicants that include work in multiple countries that are most affected by wildlife trafficking.

Applicants should address only one objective (country-specific, region-specific, or thematic) in each application but may address one or more sub-objective. Applicants may submit multiple applications. Applications that address more than one sub-objective will not be given preference over ones that address only one – instead, applications will be evaluated on their merit and anticipated impact on reducing the ability of criminal groups to profit from the poaching and trafficking of protected animals originating in or transiting Southeast Asia. Where applications anticipate procurement of equipment to accomplish the proposed activities to meet sub-objectives, they may include those equipment requests in the application.

Applications will be judged and selected on their ability to achieve the objectives and gain host country buy-in and commitment to implement the proposed activities. Letters of support from the host government are required, and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between the applicant and the host government lead agency are preferred. INL will prioritize proposals with the highest demonstrated government buy-in and support, as well as an understanding of country context.

When proposing training activities, proposals should detail prospective trainers and trainees, as well as their relevance.

INL will prioritize proposals for unique, groundbreaking programs. In addition, INL will prioritize proposals that include anti-corruption activities, and/or combat the criminal organizations that perpetrate wildlife crime. Proposals should display how proposed work would complement existing efforts. Applicants should detail how they will keep other stakeholders apprised of their efforts and coordinate with, but not duplicate, their efforts.

The program is comprised of the following objectives and sub-objectives:

Country-Specific Objectives:

Objective 1: Laos

Award Ceiling: $1,750,000 Award floor: $750,000 Anticipated number of Awards: 1-2

Length of Performance Period: 36 months

Laos remains a major source and transit country for illegal wildlife products moving to feed demand in China and Vietnam.

Proposals must include activities to achieve at least one of the following sub-objectives listed below. However, the activities listed below are for illustrative purposes; it is not an exhaustive list. Priority will be given to proposals that include new and innovative activities.

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Because corruption facilitates wildlife trafficking, proposals should also include anti-corruption activities. These activities should focus on steps to prevent and combat the corruption that enables wildlife trafficking specifically in the context of Laos, such as police professionalization, engagement of civil society, rewards programs, and online platforms. Proposals should not include a demand reduction program to reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 1.1: Increase the capacity of customs and law enforcement to detect, interdict, seize, and transfer illegal wildlife products to investigatory agencies. Activities within this objective should focus on improving interdiction efforts in ports, airports, and other border checkpoints that are identified chokepoints or transit points for trafficking wildlife. Activities can include training and assistance to a wide range of actors such as customs officers, border officials, airport and port authorities, and law enforcement, as well as coordination with shipping and air transit industries.

Sub-Objective 1.2: Improve wildlife law enforcement capacity to prevent, detect, and investigate wildlife criminals and their contraband through specialized training and equipment.

Activities within this objective may include all levels of enforcement— from ranger training and assistance to improving investigations following seizures and other evidence of wildlife trafficking in target countries. Improving investigations can include a range of tools such as expanding intelligence-based enforcement operations, enhancing analysis capacity to track money laundering and financial crimes, strengthening skills to effectively use electronic and digital evidence in investigations, such as mobile device forensics, or using mobile forensic labs.

Applicants may also propose regional or cross-border enforcement interventions – such as improving coordination and sharing information between several countries that may serve as source/transit/destination points for illicit wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 1.3: Improve Lao capabilities to prosecute and adjudicate cases against wildlife crimes and related offenses with appropriate sentencing structures. Activities within this objective should focus on providing assistance that strengthens case management, enhances prosecutorial skills, improves chain of custody of evidence, and sensitizes judges to the detrimental economic, security, and public health effects of wildlife trafficking where prosecutions for wildlife trafficking cases are weak or non-existent. Under this objective, applicants may also propose work that seeks to improve Lao laws that will make enforcement of wildlife trafficking more effective. Where appropriate, interventions should consider using technology to streamline operations, improve transparency, and expand reach. Applicants may also propose regional cooperation mechanisms on the prosecution of wildlife crimes – such as improving coordination and sharing information between Laos and neighboring countries that may serve as source/transit/destination points for illicit wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 1.4: Enhance inter-agency and/or sub-regional cooperation among criminal justice entities at all professional levels.

Sub-Objective 1.5: Strengthen anti-corruption efforts within relevant agencies to enhance government response, improve government accountability, and strengthen transparency as it relates to wildlife crime. Activities within this objective should focus on supporting legal, institutional, and/or policy changes that reduce vulnerability to corruption and increase

7 | P a g e accountability and transparency within government institutions responsible for interdicting, investigating, or prosecuting wildlife trafficking cases. This includes customs agencies, wildlife authorities, and other enforcement and justice sector entities.

Objective 2: Malaysia

Award Ceiling: $1,750,000 Award floor: $750,000 Anticipated number of Awards: 1-2

Length of Performance Period: 24 months

Malaysia is a major country for illegal wildlife products, serving as a transit stop for illegal shipments moving to their final destination, a market for buyers from both within and outside of Malaysia, and a source for poaching. Significant gaps include the limited capacity to conduct advanced investigations related to wildlife trafficking, specifically targeting online markets and retailers, as well as significant corruption that limits effectiveness at interdicting wildlife products and increases the risk of wildlife trafficking at ports and airports.

Proposals must include activities to achieve at least one of the following sub-objectives listed below and may include efforts at the state level, federal level, or a combination of both.

However, the activities listed below are for illustrative purposes; it is not an exhaustive list.

Priority will be given to proposals that include new and innovative activities. Applicants should work to identify baseline capacity levels and goals, existing and past project efforts, and previous implementation issues when building a proposal. Applicants should also display an understanding of national policies and Malaysian government structures and entities.

Because corruption facilitates wildlife trafficking, proposals should also include anti-corruption activities. These activities should focus on steps to prevent and combat the corruption that enables wildlife trafficking, such as police professionalization, engagement of civil society, rewards programs. Proposals should not include a demand reduction program to reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 2.1: Increase the capacity of customs and law enforcement to detect, interdict, seize, and transfer illegal wildlife products to investigatory agencies. Activities within this objective should focus on improving interdiction efforts in ports, airports, and other border checkpoints that are identified chokepoints or transit points for trafficking wildlife. Activities can include training and assistance to a wide range of actors such as customs officers, border officials, airport and port authorities, and law enforcement, as well as coordination with shipping and air transit industries. Proposals may build on efforts to improve the interdiction of wildlife products trafficked through international mail in Malaysia and to reduce the ability of criminal groups to profit from trafficking of wildlife, their parts and products.

Sub-Objective 2.2: Improve wildlife law enforcement capacity to prevent, detect, and investigate wildlife criminals and their contraband through specialized training and equipment.

Activities within this objective may include all levels of enforcement— from ranger training and assistance to improving investigations following seizures and other evidence of wildlife trafficking in target countries. Improving investigations can include a range of tools such as expanding intelligence-based enforcement operations, building on realistic technology-based

8 | P a g e investigative capacity, enhancing analytic capacity to track money laundering and financial crimes, and strengthening skills to effectively use electronic and digital evidence in investigations, such as mobile device forensics and sampling procedures. Proposals may build on existing efforts to enhance an intelligence unit. Applicants may also propose regional or cross-border enforcement interventions – such as improving coordination and sharing information between several countries that may serve as source/transit/destination points for illicit wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 2.3: Improve national and state capabilities to prosecute and adjudicate cases against wildlife crimes and related offenses with appropriate sentencing structures. Activities within this objective should focus on providing assistance that strengthens case management, enhances prosecutorial skills, improves chain of custody, and sensitizes judges to the detrimental economic, security, economic, and public health effects of wildlife trafficking in countries where prosecutions for wildlife trafficking cases are weak or non-existent. Under this objective, applicants may also propose work that seeks to improve the host countries’ laws that will make enforcement of wildlife trafficking more effective. Where appropriate, interventions should consider using technology to streamline operations, improve transparency, and expand reach. Applicants may also propose regional cooperation mechanisms on the prosecution of wildlife crimes – such as improving coordination and sharing information between nearby countries that may serve as source/transit/destination points for illicit wildlife products.

Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of differences in governance between states, as well as realities of personnel changes and moves to different units.

Sub-Objective 2.4: Build on inter-agency and/or sub-regional cooperation among criminal justice entities at all professional levels.

Sub-Objective 2.5: Strengthen anti-corruption efforts within relevant agencies to enhance government response, improve government accountability, and strengthen transparency as it relates to wildlife crime. Activities within this objective should focus on supporting legal, institutional, and/or policy changes that reduce vulnerability to corruption and increase accountability and transparency within government institutions responsible for interdicting, investigating, or prosecuting wildlife trafficking cases. This includes customs agencies, wildlife authorities, and other enforcement and justice sector entities. This may also extend to vulnerabilities related to cyber.

Region-Specific Objectives:

Objective 3: Priority Borders

Award Ceiling: $2,000,000 Award floor: $1,000,000 Anticipated number of Awards: 1 Length of Performance Period: 24 months

Wildlife trafficking and environmental crimes are lucrative forms of transnational organized crime. Traffickers exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from the illegal trade as wildlife and wildlife products are transported through multilevel illicit networks of criminal intermediaries and government officials. Southeast Asia is a lynchpin of the illicit wildlife trade, 9 | P a g e comprised of key source, transit, destination countries. Trafficking networks rely on established transport corridors and large networks are known to control—through corrupt means—major ports, border crossings, and airport security. While there is trafficking in all areas of the region, studies show that a small number of key border crossings are responsible for the majority of wildlife trafficking. By leveraging resources to target these priority chokepoints, we can more effectively target the trade. Proposals may include Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and/or Thailand.

Proposals must include activities to achieve at least one of the following objectives listed below.

However, the activities listed below are for illustrative purposes; it is not an exhaustive list.

Priority will be given to proposals that include new and innovative activities. This includes hands-on training opportunities.

Because corruption facilitates wildlife trafficking, proposals should also include anti-corruption activities. These activities should focus on steps to prevent and combat the corruption that enables wildlife trafficking, such as police professionalization, engagement of civil society, rewards programs. Proposals should not include a demand reduction program to reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products. Some identified priority border crossings are as followed, but applicants may propose alternate or additional borders from the Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and/or Thailand sides. The applicant does not need to include all listed borders, and proposals should identify specific checkpoints.

• Northeast Vietnam and China, from the Vietnam side

• North Vietnam and China, from the Vietnam side

• Central Laos and Vietnam

• Northwest Malaysia and Thailand

• Central Laos and Thailand

• North Thailand and Laos

• South Cambodia and Vietnam, from the Vietnam side

• North Laos and China, from the Laos side

Sub-Objective 3.1: Increase the capacity of customs and law enforcement to detect, interdict, seize, and transfer illegal wildlife products to investigatory agencies through proper evidence handling. Activities within this objective should focus on improving interdiction efforts in ports, airports, and other border checkpoints that are identified chokepoints or transit points for trafficking wildlife. Activities can include training and assistance to a wide range of actors such as customs officers, border officials, airport and port authorities, and law enforcement, as well as coordination with shipping and air transit industries. Activities may also work to strengthen coordination between entities on either side of the borders as long as both countries are part of this objective.

Sub-Objective 3.2: Improve wildlife law enforcement capacity to prevent, detect, and investigate wildlife criminals and their contraband through specialized training and equipment.

Activities within this objective may include all levels of enforcement— from ranger training and assistance to improving investigations following seizures and other evidence of wildlife trafficking in target countries. Improving investigations can include a range of tools such as expanding intelligence-based enforcement operations, enhancing analysis capacity to track money laundering and financial crimes, and strengthening skills to effectively use electronic and digital evidence in investigations, such as mobile device forensics. Applicants may also propose

10 | P a g e regional or cross-border enforcement interventions – such as improving coordination and sharing information between several countries that may serve as source/transit/destination points for illicit wildlife products.

Sub-Objective 3.3: Strengthen anti-corruption efforts within relevant agencies to enhance government response, improve government accountability, and strengthen transparency as it relates to wildlife crime. Activities within this objective should focus on supporting legal, institutional, and/or policy changes that reduce vulnerability to corruption and increase accountability and transparency within government institutions responsible for interdicting, investigating, or prosecuting wildlife trafficking cases. This includes customs agencies, wildlife authorities, and other enforcement and justice sector entities.

Evaluation Criteria: Applications should address one or more of the proposed sub-objectives or activities. Applications that address more than one sub-objective or activity will not be given preference over those that address only one – instead applications will be evaluated on their merit and anticipated impact on reducing the ability of criminal groups to profit from the poaching and trafficking of protected animals and their body parts. Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative solutions within the scope of the objectives, but activities should be specific and appropriate to the country and/or regional context. Proposals must include one or more of the target countries listed above.

Applications will be judged and selected on their ability to achieve the objectives, deliver long-term sustainable solutions, and gain host country buy-in and commitment to implement the proposed activities. Letters of support from host government and NGO status in the host-country is required, and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between the applicant and the host government lead agency are preferred. INL will prioritize proposals with the highest demonstrated government buy-in and support. More information regarding the evaluation process can be found on page 15.

Participants and Audiences: Applicants should identify target audiences, specific demographics, and the region(s) in which the project will be implemented. It is particularly important to specify the approximate number of beneficiaries to be directly and indirectly impacted by project activities.

Utilize Local Resources and Expertise INL values involving local community experts to help conduct programming, since their knowledge of the local wildlife trafficking and persons involved in the illegal trade will strengthen the program’s outcomes. We encourage collaborating with and using local resources and experts in the region when possible.

Project Expansion: If the project is successful, INL will consider the option of an award modification to expand the project to other areas or countries in the region, subject to availability of future funding. Applicants may include in their proposal a brief section outlining how additional funds could potentially be used to expand work into additional activities or countries in future years.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate how their project might leverage funding through other organizations.

Social Safeguards: The proposal must clearly articulate an understanding of how the work outlined in the proposal may negatively impacts local communities (including human rights considerations), 11 | P a g e if relevant. Applicants should provide a detailed social safeguards plan that clearly outlines the social risks and measures applicants will put in place to mitigate those risks. It is incumbent upon the applicant to write a social safeguards plan tailored to their organization and proposed program;

INL will not provide a standardized template.

Coordination and De-conflicting of Projects: Where other organizations are conducting similar programming, we encourage collaboration, coordination, and de-conflicting of projects to maximize impact. Include in the proposal a description of any similar work you have performed on this topic and if there is overlap specifically with this program. If there is overlap, explain how this previous work will support the projects outlined in this NOFO. Demonstrate understanding of other organizations working in the country on this issue and how your program will complement and coordinate with theirs.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Applicants are encouraged to reference the table on the first page(s) of this NOFO to determine the basic federal award information (e.g., project length, amount of funding available, anticipated number of awards, assistance type, etc.). Additional award information is included in this section, although specific aspects of the award(s) issued from this NOFO may differ from program to program.

1. Project Implementation Period

The initial project implementation length is the amount of time (e.g., months) applicants should plan to implement the project. If a range of months is listed, applicants should propose a realistic project length within that range.

INL may extend the project implementation period, contingent on INL priorities, good performance of the recipient, Department of State management approvals, and funding availability. INL projects shall not exceed five (5) total years of project implementation.

2. Assistance Type

The type of assistance is determined by scope of INL’s involvement in the implementation of the project. Refer to the table on the first page(s) of the NOFO to determine whether this particular project will be a grant or cooperative agreement.

For cooperative agreements, INL may be substantially involved in the following ways:

• Approval of the recipient’s annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the Cooperative Agreement;

• Approval of specified key personnel;

• Approval of sub-award recipients (if any), and concurrence on the substantive provisions of the sub-awards; and coordination with other cooperating agencies; and

• Approval of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

• Other country- or project-specific approvals will be included in the award documents.

3. Funding Notices

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This award will be supported with International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funds under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Length of performance period: 24-36 months (as indicated in each objective)

Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2023

Number of awards anticipated: 3-5 awards (dependent on amounts)

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $750,000 to a maximum of $2,000,000

Total available funding: $5,500,000

Type of Funding: FY22/23 INCLE funds under the Foreign Assistance Act

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicant Types

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);

• U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code;

• U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section

• 26 US 115 of the US 115 of the U.S. tax code;

• Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);

• Foreign-based educational institutions

Applicants must also meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply to this NOFO:

• Demonstrate host-government support and the ability to work in the target country(ies).

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost share is the portion of project costs not borne by the U.S. government. Cost share is recommended but not required for this project. Applicants must be able to ensure cost share is accounted for/tracked through accounting systems and/or supporting documentation (such as Personnel Activity Records, proof of voluntary hours, proof of any purchases for materials being included as cost share, etc.)

Any cost share proposed must be appropriately captured within the SF-424A, budget, and budget narrative.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

• In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (also known as UEI), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov.

Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov. Refer to Section D for additional guidance.

• Applicants may submit multiple proposals, but each one may only address one objective.

Organizations may form a consortium and submit a combined proposal, however one organization should be designated as the lead applicant and other organization(s) listed as sub-recipient partner(s).

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• To be eligible to receive a federal assistance award, organizations must have a commitment to non‐discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. INL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. INL welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

• Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub‐awards issued under this grant award.

Note: Public International Organizations (PIOs) and For-Profit Organizations are excluded from applying to INL grant/cooperative agreement announcements.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Applicants should carefully follow all instructions in this section to ensure their application is formatted properly and includes all required documents. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be deemed ineligible for review.

1. How to Apply and Submit Questions

This opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, along with all required application forms and, where applicable, templates for application documents. Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted via www.grants.gov. INL reserves the right to reject any applications submitted through improper channels.

Applicants are encouraged to closely review the NOFO and email questions to the INL points of contact by the deadline listed on the first page(s) of this document. After the question deadline has passed, INL will respond to all questions publicly through a Questions & Answers document uploaded to the Related Documents tab of this opportunity.

2. Required Application Documents All documents in the following list must be included in your application, unless explicitly listed as optional. If a document includes a page limit, please adhere to that limit in your application.

Applicants that do not submit all required documents will be notified via email of their ineligibility after the application deadline.

Standard Application Forms

SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations)

Must be signed by an authorized signatory of the applicant’s organization.

SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs)

SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction Programs) – Optional http://www.grants.gov/

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The SF-424B is only required for applicants who are not registered in SAM.gov

Project Proposal The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant is proposing to do. The following documents may be submitted separately or combined into one document. If combined, please be sure to adhere to the page limits for each section.

Proposal Narrative – Maximum 20 pages Applicants may use their own proposal template, but it must include all the sections below. Refer to Appendix A for additional guidance on drafting a proposal narrative.

Cover Page: include organization name, project title, requested number of months, target country(ies), point(s) of contact, and requested funding amount.

Table of Contents: list all documents and attachments with page numbers.

Executive Summary: Provide a synopsis of the project.

Project Context: Include an analysis of the issue to be addressed, including why it is important to address, what the main causes of the issue are, and who has power to effect change on the issue; suggested approaches and solutions (with evidence to support suggestions); and suggestions for revision to NOFO goals and objectives if needed.

Theory of Change & Implementation Plan: Describe the implementation plan (specific activities to implement suggested solutions); explain how or why they should result in accomplishment of the project goals and objectives (i.e., the theory of change). Projects should be designed such that activities, if implemented according to plan, should result in achievement of program objectives; and objectives, if achieved, should result in achievement of program goals. The Theory of Change should clearly demonstrate this causal logic. Finally, discuss likely challenges to implementation, including any risks of harm to project implementers or participants, along with mitigation strategies.

Gender, Equity, and Inclusion Analysis: Include in your proposal an analysis that addresses the ways in which women, gender diverse persons, and members of other marginalized and underrepresented groups (as specified in the “Participants and Audiences” section above) might affect and be affected differently by your work, including a consideration of their safe and meaningful participation. Strengthen your proposal by incorporating the results of this gender, equity and inclusion analysis into your project design. Include a description of how you will minimize any inequities and identified potential risks.

Description of Prior Work: Provide brief descriptions, including outcomes and deliverables, of any similar projects the organization has implemented.

Future Funding Plan/Sustainability: Briefly discuss the plan for ensuring the sustainability of the project (i.e., that the project continues to have impact beyond the grant period) or note if sustainability is unlikely without continued support. Applicants may also include a brief section outlining how additional funds could potentially be used to expand work into additional activities or countries beyond the initial project period.

Performance Monitoring Plan

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See Appendix A for more details and instructions. Applicants MUST submit the following:

• Change Map (see template) or equivalent

• Illustrative Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (see template)

Note 1: If full performance monitoring information is not available at the time of the proposal, applicant should indicate that the indicators and associated information are notional. If selected, a final version of the documents will be required as an early deliverable.

Note 2: Reporting of performance narratives and indicator data in INL's DevResults database is required upon notification by the INL program officer.

In addition to project-specific indicators, all applicants should also include the interagency END Act indicators to their performance monitoring plan and report quarterly. These indicators are as follows:

1. Number of people trained and/or received resources (disaggregated by gender, position)

2. Number of people that applied improved law enforcement practices (disaggregated by gender, position)

3. Number of successful enforcement actions by arrests/prosecutions/convictions/sentencing

4. Quantity and/or estimated dollar value of seized wildlife, assets, and/or proceeds

5. Documentation of the state of interagency or intergovernmental collaboration

(description of collaboration/event, description of effectiveness of collaboration/event)

Project Risk Analysis

A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov. Refer to Appendix B for additional guidance on drafting a Project Risk Analysis.

Timeline Outline key milestones in the project, project start-up, and closeout, programmatic activities, and monitoring and evaluation activities (e.g., monitoring trips or semi-annual reviews). May be a written schedule and/or a GANTT chart.

Organization, Staff, and Partners The following documents may be submitted separately or combined into one document. If combined, please be sure to adhere to the page limits for each section.

Biographical Information of Applicant Organization – Maximum 4 pages Introduce the applicant organization, including biographical information such as mission statement, organization size, relevant office location(s), etc.

Provide a summary description of past and present operations, demonstrating the applicant’s ability to carry out the project Describe any experience the organization has in the target country or region

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Confirm whether the organization is a registered business entity within the target country or region

List of Key Personnel – Maximum 3 pages Names, titles, responsibilities, and relevant experience or qualifications of key personnel involved in the management of the project

Partner Information (if subrecipient) is being proposed) – Maximum 3 pages Introduce and provide relevant information about key partner organizations and sub-recipients Briefly describe the division of labor and/or distinct roles and responsibilities among the applicant organization and its partners If proposing a sub-recipient, please briefly describe the applicant organization’s experience related to managing sub-recipients

Letters of Support – If desired, applicants may submit letters of support from project partners, host government entities, or other relevant stakeholders

Project Budget and Cost Documents

Summary and Detailed Budgets A proposal budget must be submitted in spreadsheet format (e.g., Microsoft Excel). A template is located under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov for applicants as a reference. Refer to Appendix C for additional guidance on drafting a proposal budget.

One tab of the spreadsheet shall contain the Summary Budget, which lists the OMB-approved budget categories and total estimated cost per category

One tab of the spreadsheet shall contain the Detailed Budget, which breaks down the OMB-approved budget categories into individual line items and provides detailed cost estimates per line item

If applicable, federal costs and recipient cost share must be reported in separate columns

Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative is a companion document to the summary and detailed budgets, and must be submitted in word document format. A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov. Refer to Appendix C for additional guidance on drafting a Budget Narrative.

The Budget Narrative should communicate to INL any budgetary information that is not readily apparent in the detailed budget. Rather than simply repeating with words what is stated numerically in the budget, the Budget Narrative should explain the logic behind the amount budgeted for each line item

If applicable, proposed recipient cost share must be included in the Budget Narrative, including reference to the source of the cost share

Indirect Costs

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Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA):

If the applicant has an approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, a copy of the organization’s most-recent NICRA must be included in the application

If the applicant is proposing a sub-recipient that has an approved NICRA, and includes NICRA charges in the sub-award budget, a copy of the sub-recipient organization’s most-recent NICRA must be included in the application

10% de minimis Rate:

The applicant can elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC), which is allowable if the organization does not have a current agreement. (Please see Appendix C: Budget and budget narrative for more information regarding the 10% de minimis rate.)

Applicant Management Capabilities INL must assess each potential applicant for organizational risks related to the financial and programmatic management of a federal assistance project.

History of U.S. Government Federal Assistance Awards This document outlines the applicant organization’s experience with implementing U.S.

government-funded federal assistance awards, including current and completed projects.

The list should include the awarding agency, point of contact, name of the project, start and end dates, and amount of the award.

If the applicant has never received a U.S. federal assistance award, please list other projects the organization has implemented, including the information requested in the bullet above.

Organizational Audit

If the applicant organization is required to undergo an audit (per regulations outlined in 2 CFR 200.500 – Subpart F), a complete copy of the organization’s most-recent audit must be submitted. (The financial statement is not a substitute for a single audit report. The Single audit report is an additional requirement for domestic and foreign organizations that spend $750,000 or more in federal funds in the fiscal year.)

If the applicant organization is not required to undergo an audit (per the regulation cited above), a brief explanation must be submitted with the application. This explanation shall include confirmation that the organization is under the threshold for which an audit is required and/or plans for the organization to undergo an audit in the future.

Responses to the Pre-Award Risk Survey in reference to the Organizational Audit does not satisfy this requirement. Please provide the required explanation in addition to the Pre-Award Risk Survey.

INL Applicant Pre-Award Risk Survey This risk survey reviews the applicant organization’s financial capacity, policies, and infrastructure. A template is included under the Related Documents section of this NOFO announcement on www.grants.gov.

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Please take note of the questions within the survey that request additional documentation. These documents must be included in the application.

3. Document Formatting

Applicants must ensure that their application documents conform to the following requirements:

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

All documents are in English

All budgets are in U.S. dollars

All pages are numbered

All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 inch paper, and

All Word documents are, at minimum, single-spaced with 12 point Calibri font and 1-inch margins

4. Required Entity and Account Registrations for Applicants

All prospective applicant organizations must register and/or maintain active registration in the systems outlined below in order to submit an application to this NOFO.

Organizations that are first-time applicants may need to register and/or create accounts in these systems. INL encourages prospective applicants to initiate these registrations as soon as possible. Applicants that have previously applied to other opportunities may already have registrations and/or accounts in the necessary systems, though applicants should ensure their registrations are active.

Registration in these systems is free of charge; Applicants will never be asked to pay a fee to register or submit an application in these systems.

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

Unique Entity Identifier Organizations must have a UEI which will be automatically assigned by SAM.gov.

• If your organization does not have a UEI already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866- 705-5711 or submitting a request at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

NCAGE Code Organizations physically located outside the United States and its territories must also register for an NCAGE code. This request can be completed simultaneously with a UEI request. (Note:

CAGE codes for US-based entities will be automatically assigned in SAM.gov).

• NCAGE application: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx

• NCAGE application instructions:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%2 0NCAGE.pdf

Help with NCAGE Code registration issues:

• Call 1-888-227-2423 (callers within the U.S.)

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf

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• Call 1-269-961-7766 (callers outside the U.S.)

• Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil

System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Prior to submitting an application in grants.gov, organizations must register in SAM.gov and/or ensure that their SAM.gov registration is active. Organizations are required to renew their SAM.gov registration annually.

• Initiate the registration or renewal process at https://www.SAM.gov. Select “Entity Registration” to begin the registration or renewal request.

• First-time applicants should initiate the SAM.gov registration after receiving their UEI and, if applicable, NCAGE Code (for foreign organizations). CAGE codes will be automatically assigned to US-based organizations.

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) 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 November 2022 and February 2022 respectively, 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 Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code or CAGE code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration and wishes to remove a CAGE or 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 using the following language: “I do not intend to seek financial assistance from the Department of Defense. I do not wish to obtain a CAGE or NCAGE code. I understand that I will need to submit my registration after this incident is resolved in order to have my registration activated.”

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in SAM.gov is not eligible to apply for an assistance award. Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM.gov to ensure that no ineligible entity is included in their proposal.

Organizations based outside of the United States and that DO NOT plan to do business with the DoD should follow the below instructions:

Step 1: Proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI and complete the SAM.gov registration process. SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually.

mailto:NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil…