NOFO FY 2025_WC_WCC.pdf

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and

Migration

(PRM)

FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Welcome

Corps and the Welcome Corps on Campus

Table of Contents

FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Welcome Corps and the Welcome

Corps on Campus

Basic Information

Executive Summary

Contact Information

Program area (For PRM Use)

Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching

Number of Allowed Proposal Applications

Program Description

Substantial Involvement

Welcome Corps Guidance

General Guidance

Private Sponsor Entities

Privately Sponsored Refugee Caseload

Welcome Corps Infrastructure Components

Welcome Corps on Campus Guidance

General Guidance

Application and Submission Instructions

Application Package

SAM.gov and Grants.gov Registration

Submission Dates and Times

Other Requirements

Application Review Information

Criteria

Federal Award Information

Other Considerations

Post- Award Administration Information

Funding Restrictions

Disclaimer

Section 508

Basic Information

Executive Summary

The Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) seeks applications from eligible organizations to develop, implement, and manage the infrastructure for the Welcome Corps, a private sponsorship program for refugees. The operations for this program include six key components and support two specialized programs—Welcome Corps at Work and Welcome Corps on Campus—that enable private U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor refugees with employment and higher education arrangements.

The Welcome Corps aims to increase community involvement in refugee resettlement, complementing PRM’s Reception and Placement Program by providing new opportunities for individuals and organizations to have direct engagement in supporting refugees

Organizations can apply as consortia. For this notice, PRM defines consortia as a group of at least three organizations that form an agreement to undertake an assistance activity beyond the resources of any one member.

Funding Opportunity Number: DFOP0017031

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Assistance Listings number: 19.510 - U.S. Refugee Admissions Program

Announcement issuance date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Funding Instrument type: Cooperative Agreement

Proposal application submission deadline: Friday, December 20, 2024, at 11:59:59 p.m. (23:59:59) EST. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Funding limits: See specific funding limits for both the Welcome Corps and the

Welcome Corps on Campus guidance, below. Proposal budgets outside these limits will be disqualified.

Anticipated timeframe to award for selected proposals: Pending the availability of funds, PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, that awards will be made less than 1 months from the proposal submission deadline.

Anticipated number of awards: PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as two awards through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total: PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $15,000,000 total per year through this NOFO for the

Welcome Corps and up to approximately $5,000,000 total per year for the Welcome

Corps on Campus.

Advisory: All applicants must submit proposal application packages through the website Grants.gov. PRM recommends submitting your application packages early to address any technical difficulties that may arise on the Grants.gov website.

If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated.

Refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources to help ensure a smooth application process. PRM also encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher. Use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.state.gov/population-refugees-and-migration-funding-opportunities/ https://www.state.gov/population-refugees-and-migration-funding-opportunities/ your submission fully complies with PRM requirements and aligns with PRM’s priorities.

PRM recommends application narratives in Adobe PDF. Microsoft Word documents may produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations when transmitted. Submit tables and budget documents as Excel files. PRM strictly adheres to stated page limits and will not review pages of the narrative beyond the stated limit, which may negatively impact the proposal’s score. All documents must be in English, avoid jargon, and spell out all acronyms upon first use.

Contact Information

Applicants with technical questions related to this announcement should contact the

PRM mailbox listed below prior to submission. Please note that responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.

• PRM-Admissions-NOFO-Inquiries@state.gov

Program area (For PRM Use)

Proposals must align with one or more of the following program areas.

• Interim and Durable Solutions mailto:PRM-Admissions-NOFO-Inquiries@state.gov

Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

a. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (U.S.-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of non-profit tax status).

b. Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (overseas-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of registration in country of domicile); and

c. International Organizations. International multilateral organizations, such as United Nations agencies, should not submit proposals through

Grants.gov in response to this NOFO. Multilateral organizations that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should contact the PRM Program Officer (as listed below) before the closing date of the funding announcement.

Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not required for this funding announcement. However, proposals should describe additional funding sources and amounts that may complement PRM funding. These additional funds must:

• Not be paid by the Federal Government under another Federal award.

• Be verifiable from the non-Federal entity's records.

• Not be included as contributions for any other Federal award; and

• Be necessary and reasonable for achieving project and program objectives.

Please include this information in the Budget Summary, Budget Detail, and Budget

Narrative sections of the proposal, separate from the PRM share of the proposed budget.

Note: Including additional funding is viewed favorably but will not increase your competitive ranking during evaluation.

Number of Allowed Proposal Applications

Organizations can submit a maximum of one application per program only (i.e., one application for Welcome Corps and one application for Welcome Corps on Campus).

Any additional submissions will be disqualified. (Note: Submissions as a part of a consortium do not count toward an individual organization’s submission limit.)

Program Description

Funding comes from the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account to carry out section 2(b)(2) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act (MRAA) of 1962.

Substantial Involvement

The Department of State will be substantially involved in carrying out aspects of this cooperative agreement. Recipients should anticipate that PRM will undertake the following list of non-exhaustive activities:

• Provide overall policy guidance and program direction.

• Review and comment on proposed budgets, proposed changes, or revisions to the project.

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• Periodically monitor and evaluate the performance of the proposed project, including review of required program and financial reporting requirements.

Welcome Corps Guidance

General Guidance

The Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) seeks to partner with one or more NGOs to continue to develop, implement, and manage six key components that comprise the infrastructure of the Welcome Corps, a private sponsorship program for refugees. The Welcome Corps infrastructure also supports two smaller specialized programs—Welcome Corps at Work and Welcome Corps on

Campus—that enable private U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor refugees with employment and higher education arrangements upon arrival in the

United States.

The Welcome Corps program aims to increase and deepen local community involvement in effective refugee resettlement, recognizing the significant role local actors have long played in supporting refugees admitted to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). The Welcome Corps complements

PRM’s Reception and Placement Program (R&P) by creating new opportunities for individuals and organizations nationwide to engage directly in supporting refugee resettlement to increase domestic capacity in response to historic levels of displacement worldwide.

Private Sponsor Entities NGOs applying for this opportunity must submit a proposal that addresses their plan to oversee support to and implementation of the activities of the following entities:

• Private Sponsor Group: Groups of five or more U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents that apply to sponsor a refugee or a refugee family. Groups must reside in the local community where the refugee is expected to resettle. Groups are subject to background checks by the United States government or a designated third party and must accept primary responsibility for providing core resettlement services and assistance to the refugee or refugee family they are sponsoring.

Groups are responsible for the provision of services that are similar to those provided to refugees via the Reception and Placement (R&P) Program. This includes, but is not limited to, raising private funds, securing housing, and enrolling the refugee and refugee family in public benefits as needed.

• Private Sponsor Organization: Established organizations that apply to mobilize, organize, and support Private Sponsor Groups. These organizations can operate at a local, regional, or national levels and may have additional areas of focus within the

Welcome Corps, such as identifying refugees through networks (i.e., friends, family, colleagues, diaspora groups, religious groups, or LGBTQIA communities) and matching them to sponsor groups in the United States.

To strengthen the Welcome Corps and expand participation in the program by organizations, PRM will consider proposals that suggest additional, alternative models of engagement by established organizations with Private Sponsor Groups that may operate differently from Private Sponsor Organizations.

Privately Sponsored Refugee Caseload

Privately sponsored refugees supported through the Welcome Corps will undergo the same processing requirements as other USRAP refugee applicants, including security vetting, screening, and case review by Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs) and the

Refugee Processing Center (RPC). Cases will be assigned to private sponsors through two distinct components of the Welcome Corps:

• Sponsor Someone You Don’t Know / Matching: PRM will identify cases undergoing refugee processing (e.g., cases referred to the USRAP through the Priority 1, Priority

2 categories, and cases submitted to the USRAP by Private Sponsor Organizations and/or operational partners as designated by PRM) that are approved for admission to the United States and select a portion of these cases for private sponsorship.

Cases with and without U.S. ties or significant medical conditions will be considered for selection. PRM will match these cases with approved Private Sponsor Groups that will not have a pre-existing relationship with the refugee(s) they will sponsor.

• Sponsor Someone You Know / Naming: Private Sponsor Groups or Organizations that meet PRM’s eligibility criteria can identify refugees overseas to be referred to the USRAP through the Priority 4 (P-4) category. This is intended to facilitate broad-based participation by a range of Private Sponsor Groups or Organizations. For instance, sponsors may apply to support their resettlement based on the Private

Sponsor Group’s ties to that refugee and/or the Private Sponsor Organization’s specialized expertise, resources, and/or activities that make it well suited to identify and sponsor refugees from specific refugee populations. Sponsors may also identify and sponsor extended family members of refugees who currently reside in the

United States; higher education institutions to identify and sponsor refugee students/scholars; or community-based ethnic/affinity organizations to identify and sponsor refugees that align with the group’s area of service or support (e.g., LGBTQI+ refugees, refugees of a specific ethnicity or nationality, refugees with links to U.S.-based community groups such as veteran organizations). In addition, Private Sponsor Organizations and/or other operational partners may submit P-4 referrals and work with Private Sponsor Groups that did not have a pre-existing relationship with those referred refugees.

Private Sponsor Groups and Private Sponsor Organizations participating in the naming component must operate within this framework and follow the P-4 application process that PRM establishes. This includes proving that the refugees they apply to sponsor meet specific eligibility and access criteria.

Welcome Corps Infrastructure Components Organizations applying for this program must submit a proposal with activities that support the establishment of six key components of the Welcome Corps infrastructure:

1. Application and Screening:

Develop and manage a centralized and standardized application process to receive, screen, and approve applications for qualified Private Sponsor Groups and/or

Organizations. PRM is interested in proposals to establish and maintain an application process that can handle applications from Private Sponsor Groups and/or

Organizations that participate in both the matching and naming, and/or the two specialized programs, rather than an application process that can only cover one component. Activities include:

• Develop an application and application materials to evaluate the eligibility of

Private Sponsor Groups and/or Organizations and the individuals they wish to sponsor based on PRM criteria.

• Establish and manage procedures and processes for receiving and reviewing sponsor applications from Private Sponsor Groups and/or Organizations on a rolling basis, including creating a centralized or standardized application system that upholds data integrity and protections standards.

• Screen Private Sponsor Groups and/or Organizations, including background checks, fraud mitigation, and other safeguards, assessing their capacity to provide core initial resettlement assistance services.

• Establish and manage procedures and processes for receiving and reviewing

P-4 referrals from participating Private Sponsor Groups and/or

Organizations.

• Communicate application milestones and decisions to applicant Private

Sponsor Groups and/or Organizations.

2. Assignment and Placement:

Develop and manage a procedure for assigning refugee cases to approved Private

Sponsor Groups and assessing appropriate placement locations. Activities include:

• Establish and manage procedures for assigning approved Private Sponsor

Groups to cases.

• Coordinate and consult with key resettlement stakeholders in communities, such as State Refugee Coordinators, State Refugee Health Coordinators, and local government officials, to ensure community capacity.

• Establish and manage procedures for assessing and recommending appropriate placement of cases, to ensure privately sponsored cases are placed in locations best suited for the individual case, considering specific needs as such as mental health and psychosocial support, medical care, disability inclusion/accessibility, etc., and locations which have sufficient resettlement services and capacity (including access to services and assistance through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement).

• Coordinate communication with Private Sponsor Groups and/or

Organizations, informing them about matched cases, travel plans, and responding to inquiries from Private Sponsor Groups while cases are being processed.

3. Sponsor Training and Support:

Prepare Private Sponsor Groups before the arrival of sponsored refugees and provide ongoing support to sponsors and sponsored refugees. Activities include:

• Develop and deliver standardized pre-arrival training to educate Private

Sponsor Groups on their responsibilities and provide additional resources, such as materials that help Private Sponsor Groups understand state-specific procedures on refugee enrollment in state-administered benefits/services.

• Provide guidance and support during the sponsorship period, including mediation/resolution of disputes and liaising with PRM in the event of any strains to the sponsorship relationship. Models for providing support during the sponsorship period (including support provided after sponsored refugees arrive) can take various forms, including centralized forms of support offered to Private Sponsor Groups that are not affiliated with a Private Sponsor

Organization at the time of application, work through Private Sponsor

Organizations, and/or other models with a focus on operations that can support sustainable scale over time.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Data Collection/Analysis:

Monitor and evaluate the activities of Private Sponsor Groups and Private Sponsor

Organizations during the sponsorship period. Activities include:

• Monitor Private Sponsor Groups to ensure delivery of core services to sponsored refugees.

• Monitor Private Sponsor Organizations to ensure that they are in good standing and have met any obligations as established by the recipient.

• Collect, evaluate, and analyze data on outcomes of privately sponsored refugees, including an assessment of the impact of placement.

• Develop tools, methodologies, and strategies to use outcome data and other available research to inform future placements of privately sponsored cases.

5. Program Communications and Public Outreach:

Provide accurate, accessible public-facing information on the Welcome Corps.

Activities include:

• Develop public-facing materials, resources, and communications materials to inform and support: a) prospective and active Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations; b) sponsored refugees; c) operational partners; d) additional public audiences as needed.

In addition, PRM will accept proposals that cover the following activities that encourage Private Sponsor Groups and Private Sponsor Organizations to participate in the Welcome Corps (but these activities are not required):

• Promote the Welcome Corps and mobilize diverse participation through public awareness campaigns, traditional and social media content, storytelling, and/or direct outreach activities, including with program alumni.

6. Capacity Building of Organizations and Related Infrastructure:

Expand participation by and capacity of Private Sponsor Organizations, provide technical assistance to Private Sponsor Organizations, and support the establishment of cohesive private sponsorship infrastructure which could include alternative models for engagement by organizations. Activities include:

• Develop resources and knowledge management infrastructure to build the capacity of Private Sponsor Organizations.

• Coordinate Private Sponsor Organizations to share best practices and ensure a cohesive system approach to private sponsorship.

• Coordinate between Private Sponsor Organizations and state and local partners to establish streamlined referral channels for refugee beneficiaries served by Private Sponsor Groups.

PRM will prioritize proposals that support the matching and naming components of the program across Welcome Corps operations, as well as the technical infrastructure and website maintenance of two other specialized pathway programs, the Welcome Corps, the Welcome Corps at Work and Welcome Corps on Campus, to institute a cohesive brand. Proposals should detail a cohesive, effective, and scalable infrastructure, with program integrity safeguards to address fraud and protection concerns. PRM will also prioritize proposals that incorporate the use of technology that facilitates a strong user experience across all relevant components of Welcome Corps operations (e.g., the online application process, case management, communication with Private Sponsor

Groups and Organizations, etc.), both on the front-end for Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations and on the back-end for operational partners including coordination with PRM.

Additionally, PRM will also prioritize proposals that engage and mobilize a broad, diverse range of Private Sponsor Organizations and/or organizations with an interest in participating in the Welcome Corps in a different capacity. These activities should include:

1. Cohesive strategies for local, regional, or state-based mobilization and recruitment of Private Sponsor Groups to complete and submit Welcome Corps matching applications;

2. Development of a customer service-focused infrastructure to support Private

Sponsor Groups post-arrival.

3. A mobilization, recruitment, and conversion strategy that would support organizations seeking to be Private Sponsor Organizations or support organizations seeking to participate in the Welcome Corps in a different capacity.

Funding comes from the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account to carry out section 2(b)(2) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act (MRAA) of 1962.

Duration of Activity

Program plans for three years will be considered.

Period of Performance

Programs period of performance of 12 months will be considered.

Funding limits

Program proposals must not be less than the funding floor and not more than the funding ceiling per year or they will be disqualified.

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• Funding floor per year (lowest $ value): $5,000,000

• Funding ceiling per year (highest $ value): $15,000,000

Note: Funding ceilings and floors pertain to the PRM cost per year.

Anticipated Number of Awards

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as two awards through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $15,000,000 total per year through this NOFO for the Welcome Corps.

Welcome Corps on Campus Guidance

General Guidance

PRM aims to partner with one or more organizations to continue to develop, implement, and manage the Welcome Corps on Campus. This specialized program connects refugee students to higher education opportunities and a path to permanent legal status in the United States through the USRAP. In this program, participating U.S.

higher education institutions enroll refugee students in degree programs, and Private

Sponsor Groups from the campus community support their resettlement. Together, these institutions and sponsor groups play a crucial role in helping refugee students integrate long-term in the United States

a. Proposals for the education-based specialized program should leverage the existing Private Sponsor Group and Private Sponsor Organization framework of the Welcome Corps and include activities such as processing Welcome

Corps on Campus P-4 referrals of specific refugees, refugee groups, or populations for private sponsorship (e.g., prospective refugee college and university students). The proposal should clearly specify the targeted refugee population(s) for P-4 referrals, the target country/region(s) where the population is based, the methods organizations will use to identify, assess, prepare, and submit P-4 referrals of sponsored refugees who meet the academic qualifications of the participating U.S. colleges and universities, the estimated number of target P-4 referrals for each year of proposed activity, and how program integrity safeguards will address fraud and protection concerns such as abuse, exploitation or trafficking of sponsored refugees.

b. Development of sponsor application/screening processes and training/resource materials focused on certifying and supporting specific types of private sponsor entities.

c. Additional coordination and mobilization as required for the specific program

(e.g., syncing referral timelines with academic admissions timelines for refugee students; methods NGO(s) will use to identify and recruit higher education institutions to participate in the program, etc.).

Duration of Activity

Program plans for three years will be considered.

Period of Performance

Programs period of performance of 12 months will be considered.

Funding limits

Program proposals must not be less than the funding floor and not more than the funding ceiling per year or they will be disqualified.

• Funding floor per year (lowest $ value): $1,000,000

• Funding ceiling per year (highest $ value): $5,000,000

Note: Funding ceilings and floors pertain to the PRM cost per year.

Anticipated Number of Awards

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund as many as two awards through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $5,000,000 total per year through this NOFO for the Welcome Corps on Campus.

Application and Submission Instructions

A. Where to Request Application Package: Application packages may be downloaded from the website www.Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application: Organizations may submit a maximum of one proposal per program only. Any subsequent submissions received will be disqualified. PRM strongly recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available on PRM’s website.

Multi-Year Proposals:

http://www.grants.gov/

• Applicants proposing multi-year programs should adhere to the following guidance: Applicants may submit proposals that include multi-year strategies presented in one-year (12 months) cycles for a period not to exceed three years (36 months) from the proposed start date. Fully developed programs with detailed budgets, objectives and indicators are required for each year of activities. Applicants should use PRM’s recommended multi-year proposal template for the first year of a multi-year application.

• Multi-year funding applicants may use PRM’s budget templates, and must disaggregate budget by year, per year, and for each program year. Multi-year proposal narratives and budgets can be updated yearly upon submission of new noncompeting single year proposal narrative template with an updated budget.

• Multi-year program proposal page limits: multi-year proposals using PRM’s multi-year template must not exceed 20 pages in length (Times New Roman or

Calibri 12-point font, letter sized paper, one-inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 17 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal but are not required to do so. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total however annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information. The proposal narrative must be able to stand on its own in the application process.

o PRM strongly recommends application narratives be submitted in Adobe

PDF, as Microsoft Word documents may sometimes produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations. Tables and budget documents should be submitted as Excel documents.

o Page limits are strictly adhered to, and PRM will not review pages of the narrative beyond the stated limit, which may negatively impact the proposal’s score.

o All documents must be in English and should avoid the use of jargon and should spell out all acronyms upon first use.

• Multi-year applications selected for funding by PRM will be funded in one-year

(12-month) increments based on the proposal submitted in the initial application as approved by PRM. Continued funding after the initial 12-month award requires the submission of a noncompeting single-year proposal narrative and will be contingent upon available funding, strong performance, and continuing need. Follow-on applications are submitted annually for years two through three of proposals through non-competed directed announcements for the continuation funding. It is strongly recommended that

NGOs submit as early as possible after the directed announcement for continuation funding has been issued. Late submissions will jeopardize continued funding.

C. Consortia: Organizations may apply to this call as part of a consortium; however, for consortia, one organization must be designated as the lead applicant.

For purposes of consortia applying for PRM funding, PRM considers consortia to be groups of no fewer than three NGOs that comprise an agreement, combination, or group formed to undertake, or proposing to undertake, an assistance activity beyond the resources of any one member. PRM may request to review and approve of substantive provisions of proposed sub-awards.

Applicants may form consortia in order to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive program in one proposal. The consortium arrangement may allow for greater geographic coverage, inclusion of technical and sectoral strengths from multiple organizations, increased inclusion of local and national organizations, and/or the potential of much greater impact through collaboration.

Submissions by organizations as part of a consortium do not count toward an organization’s individual submission limit. If the applicant is applying as a consortium, a description of how the consortia will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees should be included in the proposal. The prime applicant would be responsible for overall implementation of the proposed program activities, preparation/presentation of annual work plans, M&E planning, and required reporting to PRM. The prime applicant should designate a single individual to be the liaison with PRM, although PRM would reserve the right to communicate with sub-grantees.

Application Package

To be considered for PRM funding, organizations must submit a complete application package, including:

a. Proposal Narrative not exceeding stated page limits.

b. Indicator Table: Including all required PRM indicators and targets for each year (if multi-year).

c. Completed Budget table including summary and detail tabs o disaggregated by year and for each year of the program period (for multi-year proposals).

d. Budget Narrative disaggregated by year and for each year of the program period.

e. Completed and signed SF-424 andSF-424A. PRM requires that Box 21 of the

SF-424 be checked.

o If the applicant organization has an active registration in SAM.gov that was either created or updated on or after February 2, 2019, then the applicant does NOT need to submit the SF-424B as they will be prompted to complete the representations and certifications in SAM.gov.

f. Risk Assessment and Security Plan.

g. Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Code of Conduct and a country or regional implementation plan specific to the country of region of the application o Note: Codes of Conduct must be consistent with the updated 2019 IASC

Task Force’s Six Core Principles. The country/regional implementation plan should outline how employees are trained and otherwise made aware of the Code of Conduct, how violations of the Code of Conduct against program participants are reported and followed up on in a safe and confidential manner, how program participants are made aware of the Code of Conduct and a mechanism to report any violations, and whether there is a focal point in the country or regional office for the

Code of Conduct.

h. Key Personnel for award applicant and sub-recipient(s) o Applicants must furnish names, titles, and brief biographical information on the education and experience of key personnel in implementing the program and key supervisory personnel; (i.e., the members of the professional staff in a program supervisory position engaged for or assigned to duties under the award).

i. Most recent Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), if applicable, or a de minimis rate calculation of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) if the applicant is eligible and elects to use the de minimis rate.

https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/iasc-six-core-principles-relating-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-2019 https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/iasc-six-core-principles-relating-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-2019

j. Most recent external audit report, or audit report plan for newer organizations, is required prior to issuance of an award, if proposal is chosen for implementation.

k. Information in support of any cost-sharing/cost-matching arrangements, if applicable.

l. Information detailing the source of any in-kind contributions, if applicable.

m. Details on any sub-agreements associated with the program including the budget detail (must be part of the budget submission as noted above), if applicable.

n. Organizational Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Framework (is required prior to issuance of an award, if proposal is chosen for implementation)

Additionally, organizations must consider the following considerations as part of their proposal package:

• To be considered a competitive proposal, the Proposal Narrative, Indicator

Table, and Budget Detail should include the following information:

o Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. Each objective should have at least one outcome or impact indicator.

o Include specific information on program locations and participants (GPS coordinates are highly recommended) to help PRM track the impact of its funding.

o Outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If publicly acknowledging USG funding could endanger lives, invite suspicion, or alienate the organization, you must provide a brief explanation in the proposal for the need of an exemption.

o Demonstrate protection mainstreaming by identifying potential protection risks associated with the program and how they will be mitigated. Analyze protection risks in relation to each programming sector and design assistance to minimize risks and maximize protection.

Introduce gender-specific risks in this section but provide a full analysis in the gender analysis.

o Complete a gender analysis in the proposal narrative that explains:

o Experiences of men, women, boys, and girls focusing on familial roles, community privileges, and gender dynamics within the target population.

o Risks and threats experienced by women, girls, and other vulnerable populations based on their gender.

o Power imbalances and needs arising from gender inequalities within the family or community.

o Proposed responses to address and mitigate gender differences in access, participation, or decision-making for at-risk groups, particularly women and girls. Specify and target at-risk sub-populations such as women and girls heads of households, out-of-school girls, women and girls with disabilities, women and girl survivors of violence, married girls, adolescent mothers, LGBTQI+ individuals, and those often excluded from programs and services.

o Include a specific breakdown of funds provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization in the budget.

o For consortia, include a description of how the partnership will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees.

SAM.gov and Grants.gov Registration

Each applicant is required to:

• be registered in SAM before submitting its application.

• provide a valid UEI number in its application; and

• continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active PRM award or an application or plan under consideration by PRM.

No federal award will be made until the selected applicant complies with all applicable

UEI and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not complied by the time the PRM award is ready, PRM may determine that the applicant is not qualified and use that determination as a basis to awarding another applicant.

Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov, which requires a UEI number and active SAM.gov registration. If new to PRM funding, refer to PRM’s General NGO

Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources. PRM also encourages past recipients to read this section as a refresher. Applicants may also refer to the “For Applicants” page on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements.

http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.state.gov/j/prm/funding/c78352.htm https://www.state.gov/j/prm/funding/c78352.htm https://www.grants.gov/applicants

Do not wait until the deadline to attempt to submit your application on Grants.gov.

Register well in advance of the deadline as it can take several weeks to finalize registration, especially for non-U.S. based NGOs. First-time applicants should submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties. PRM has extremely limited ability to correct or facilitate rapid resolution to technical difficulties associated with Grants.gov, SAM.gov or UEI number issues.

PRM partners must maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current and correct information at all times during which they have an active federal award or an application under consideration by PRM or any federal agency.

When registering with Grants.gov, organizations must designate points of contact and

Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs). As of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States not applying for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards do not need 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 to seek guidance on how to do so. For technical difficulties with the SAM.gov registration process should contact the Federal Service Desk online or at 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.)

and 1-334-206-7828 (International).

Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization

Representative at the applicant organization. Submitting proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp/?id=gsa_landing https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp/?id=gsa_landing

If you encounter technical difficulties with Grants.gov please contact the Grants.gov

Help Desk at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726.

Applicants who are unable to submit applications via Grants.gov due to Grants.gov technical difficulties and.

• who have reported the problem to the Grants.gov help desk.

• received a case number.

• have completed UEI and SAM.gov registrations.

• and had a documented service request opened to research the problem.

Applicants can contact the PRM NGO Coordinator before the submission deadline to determine if an alternative submission method is possible. However, PRM does not guarantee acceptance of applications outside the grants.gov system.

Each applicant must ensure their registrations are in place and active. Issues with registrations or discrepancies across platforms are not considered technical difficulties and do not justify an alternate submission method.

In accordance with 2 CFR §200.113, Mandatory disclosures, the non-Federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the

Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity whenever, in connection with the

Federal award (including any activities or subawards thereunder), it has credible evidence of the commission of a violation of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. Non-Federal entities that have received a federal award including the term and condition outlined in Appendix XII—Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance mailto:support@grants.gov

Matters are required to report certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings to

SAM. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.338 Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment.

(See also 2 CFR part 180, 31 U.S.C. 3321, and 41 U.S.C. 2313.)

Submission Dates and Times

• Announcement issuance date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

• Proposal submission deadline: Friday, December 20, 2024, at 11:59:59 p.m.

(23:59:59) EST. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Intergovernmental Review: Not Applicable

Other Requirements

Branding and Marking Strategy

The following provisions will be included whenever assistance is awarded:

The Recipient shall recognize the U.S. Government’s funding for activities specified under this award at the project site with a graphic of the U.S. flag accompanied by one of the following two phrases based on the level of funding for the award:

• Fully funded by the award: “Gift of the United States Government”

• Partially funded by the award: “Funding provided by the United States

Government”

PRM highly encourages recognition of U.S. Government funding on social media and website platforms to be included in proposals branding and marking strategy.

Recipients should tag PRM’s Twitter account @StatePRM and/or Facebook account

@State.PRM (rather than using hashtags). Additionally, the applicable U.S. Embassy should be tagged as well.

Updates of actions taken to fulfill this requirement must be included in quarterly program reports to PRM.

All programs, projects, assistance, activities, and public communications to foreign audiences, partially or fully funded by the Department, must be marked appropriately overseas with the standard U.S. flag in a size and prominence equal to (or greater than) any other logo or identity. The requirement does not apply to the Recipient’s own corporate communications or in the United States.

The Recipient must appropriately ensure that all publicity and promotional materials underscore the sponsorship by or partnership with the U.S. Government or the U.S.

Embassy. The Recipient may continue to use existing logos or project materials;

however, a standard rectangular U.S. flag must be used in conjunction with such logos.

Do not use the Department of State seal without the express written approval from

PRM.

Sub non-Federal entities (sub-awardees) and subsequent tier sub-award agreements are subject to the marking requirements and the non-Federal entity shall include a provision in the sub non-Federal entity agreement indicating that the standard, rectangular U.S. flag is a requirement. Exemptions from this requirement may be allowable but must be agreed to in writing by the Grants Officer. (Note: An exemption refers to the complete or partial cessation of branding, not use of alternative branding). Requests should be initiated with the Grants Officer and Grants Officer

Representative. Waivers issued are applied only to the exemptions requested through the Recipient’s proposal for funding and any subsequent negotiated revisions.

In the event the non-Federal entity does not comply with the marking requirements as established in the approved assistance agreement, the Grants Officer Representative and the Grants Officer must initiate corrective action with the non-Federal entity.

Application Review Information

Criteria

PRM is committed to ensuring a competitive and standardized process for awarding funding. Applications will be screened initially in a Technical Eligibility Review stage to determine whether applicants meet the eligibility requirements and have submitted all required documents. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not advance beyond the Technical Eligibility Review stage and will be deemed ineligible for funding under this NOFO.

PRM reserves the right to have all applications deemed to be technically eligible undergo a Subject Matter Expert (SME) review prior to the Merit Review Panel to determine whether an application is responsive to the information in this NOFO.

Applications that do not pass SME review will not proceed to the Merit Review Panel.

Eligible submissions will be those that comply with the criteria and requirements included in this announcement. In addition, the review panel will evaluate the proposals based on the following criteria:

• Management and Past Performance (15 points)

• System Scale, Cohesiveness, and Sustainability (15 points)

• Objectives and Indicators (15 points)

• Implementation Plan (15 points)

• Risk Management (10 points)

• Monitoring & Evaluation Plan (10 points)

• Program Description (5 points)

• Budget/Budget Narrative (5 points)

• Coordination (5 points)

• Gender Analysis (5 points)

• Accountability to Affected Populations (5 points) o (Note: The AAP section of a NOFO proposal narrative is specific to the program being proposed, is the criterion listed above being evaluated, and is distinct from the organization-level AAP framework.)

PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel of at least three people will evaluate submissions based on the programmatic criteria and PRM priorities mentioned above, considering the available funding.

Department of State review panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to improve the proposed program. Applicants must address these conditions or recommendations before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of limited PRM funds, these conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and program activities.

Before making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, PRM must review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the U.S. government-designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313).

Applicants can review and comment on any information about themselves that a

Federal awarding agency previously entered. Currently, federal agencies create integrity records in the integrity module of the Contractor Performance Assessment and Reporting System (CPARS) and these records are visible as responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov.

The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, along with other information in the designated integrity and performance system, when making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards. This part of the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

Federal Award Information

A. Proposed program start dates: January 17, 2025.

B. Duration of Activity: See country-specific guidelines above. Applicants can submit multi-year proposals with activities and budgets for up to three years from the proposed start date. Actual awards will not exceed three years. If selected for an award, activities and budgets can be revised/updated each year.

Continued funding after the initial 12-month period of performance requires a noncompeting single-year proposal. This funding depends on available funds, strong performance, and continuing need. Funding a program one year does not guarantee funding in successive years. PRM encourages applicants to seek various donors for long-term funding. Livelihoods programs are encouraged to be multi-year. Livelihoods proposals must include a market analysis, or they will be disqualified.

Other Considerations

Proposals must include a concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, reliable, time-bound, and trackable (SMART). They should also have established baselines and clearly link objectives to the sectors.

Proposals must following relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance, especially Sphere Standards. Refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards, including guidance on proposals for programs in urban areas.

PRM strongly encourages programs that target the needs of vulnerable and underserved groups among the program participants. These groups may include women, children, adolescents, LGBTQI+ individuals, older persons, the sick, persons with disabilities, and members of minority communities. Programs should demonstrate steps taken to meet the specific and unique protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively.

PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in…