NOFO PEPFAR Small Grants Capacity building 2018.docx

United States Department of State U.S. Embassy Maseru, Special Projects Office

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a capacity building project for selected grantees of the PEPFAR Small Grant Program 2018-19. U.S. Embassy Maseru is looking for a well-established countrywide organization that can built capacity of selected grantees, between 5-10 groups, in project management, financial management, grants management, team building and conflict resolutions, and reporting.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

U.S. Embassy Maseru issues one or more awards resulting from this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to applicants whose applications are the most responsive to the objectives in this NOFO. The Special Projects Office may a) reject any or all applications; b)accept other than the lowest cost application; c) accept more than one application; d) accept alternate applications; and/or e) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received. The Special Projects Office may give awards after discussions and negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest modifications in the project description, budget, or other aspects of the application.

Applicants should not request more than $20,000 USD. Applicants should include an anticipated start date of August 2018 and the project period should be no longer than 6 months.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1 Eligible applicants The Special Projects Office welcomes applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), or Faith Based Organizations (FBOs).

C.2 Cost sharing or matching There is no requirement for cost sharing, matching or cost participation.

C.3 Other Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 the implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p.189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p.235), “Debarment and Suspension”. Additionally, no entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Application guidelines can be requested via email, grantsmaseru@state.gov .

The PEPFAR Small Grants Program will accept applications from February 1, 2018 to April 30, 2018.

Applications can be emailed to grantsmaseru@state.gov or mailed to/handed in to U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office

Any application that is received after the deadline, is incomplete, or missing required documentation will be rejected.

Please Note: The Special Projects Office retains the right to ask for additional documents not included in this NOFO.

Additional information that successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal Award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, may include:

1. Pre-award site visit;

2. Written responses and any revised application documents addressing any conditions or recommendations from the review panel;

3. Bank account information and

4. Other requested information or documents discussed during negotiations prior to issuance of a Federal award.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

The Special Projects Office will determine eligibility for all applications and then each application will be evaluated and rated individually against the following criteria, listed below. The Special Projects Office strives to ensure each application receives a balanced evaluation by a review panel.

The application should be responsive to the NOFO, and have a clear project plan.

Competitive applications should clearly indicate the type of training expertise and experience of the organization The project must be achievable and realistic for the means and skills of the organization and will be completed within the 6 month timeframe.

The application should clearly detail how activities will be carried out and the objectives should be clear, measurable, and have a well-articulated timeline.

The project needs to be able to quantify and report on the number of beneficiaries/people to be trained with the funding received.

The budget must be complete and reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results and the plan for services and related cost estimates is realistic.

After rating, shortlisted applicants will be contacted and may be asked for an interview, to provide additional information or clarification on portions of their application and may be asked to accommodate a site visit. The final list of applicants will be presented to an internal review panel for final selection. Applicants not selected will receive notification that they will not receive a grant.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINSTRAION INFORMATION

The grant award shall be written, signed, awarded and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient.

All awards will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds will be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner.

All other details related to award administration will be specified in the award agreement as well.

G. CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions regarding this NOFO, please contact the Special Projects office at grantsmaseru@state.gov or +266 2231 2666 ext. 4119/4316