NOFO Supporting Efforts to Secure Justice for Sri Lanka.docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of Global Criminal Justice Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Title: Supporting Efforts to Secure Justice for Sri Lanka Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0009081 Deadline for Applications: July 25, 2022 Assistance Listing Number: 19.990 Total Amount Available: $1,000,000

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice (J/GCJ) works to prevent atrocities, mitigate their effects, and foster justice and accountability to enhance respect for human dignity and stability worldwide.

GCJ seeks to strengthen justice processes to redress atrocity crimes committed during armed conflict and under repressive regimes. GCJ seeks applications for one award to support the implementation of the justice and accountability components of Human Rights Council resolution 46/1 “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.”

Areas of focus are not limited to, and may include: Strengthening OHCHR’s capacity to effectively collect, consolidate, analyze, and preserve information and evidence; Developing and honing strategies for current and future accountability processes for alleged human rights violations and abuses or violations of international humanitarian law; Supporting relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in HRC Member States with competent jurisdictions; and Supporting actors working toward credible justice and accountability for atrocities in Sri Lanka.

Problem Statement:

Sri Lanka is a country with a legacy of atrocities, ongoing human rights abuses, and a longstanding culture of impunity. A range of actors, including members of armed groups as well as government and military officials, have been alleged to be implicated in past atrocities and ongoing human rights abuses. The United States has been working with the Sri Lankan people and international partners for over a decade to promote justice and accountability for these abuses. However, there has been little meaningful progress on justice and accountability in Sri Lanka. In March 2021, the United States re-joined the Sri Lanka core group at the HRC and the HRC passed resolution 46/1 “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.” This resolution lays out a range of actions to support justice and accountability for alleged atrocities committed in Sri Lanka, including, amongst other things, calling on OHCHR to “collect, consolidate, analyse, and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka, to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in Member States, with competent jurisdictions.”

Program Objectives:

A successful project will support implementation of the justice and accountability components of HRC resolution 46/1. Programming may include, but is not limited to, at least one or more of the following areas:

1. Strengthening OHCHR’s capacity to effectively collect, consolidate, analyze, and preserve information and evidence, including digital evidence and “big data”, of violations or abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka.

2. Develop and hone strategies for current and future accountability processes for violations or abuses of human rights or violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka.

3. Support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in HRC Member States, with jurisdiction over international crimes allegedly committed in Sri Lanka.

4. Support justice sector actors, including investigators and prosecutors, working toward credible justice and accountability for atrocities in Sri Lanka.

Proposals are encouraged to identify ways in which any of the above programming areas will also support other current or future accountability measures in and for Sri Lanka.

Key Considerations:

Applicants must incorporate support and complement ongoing transitional justice, including justice and accountability, work being undertaken by other U.S. government entities and international donors, as well the United Nations, other international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Applicants must demonstrate a capacity to monitor and evaluate activities; as well as coordinate activities with the Department of State and other relevant U.S. government entities and international donors.

Applicants must demonstrate a clear understanding of relevant international law, and operational expertise in accountability measures.

Applicants should be sensitive to the in-country context of Sri Lanka. Applicants should demonstrate experience in program implementation and monitoring. Applicants should ensure coordination with local and international civil society, including medical and legal professionals, where appropriate.

Applicants must demonstrate that they have consulted with and have the buy in of relevant partners and beneficiaries.

Applicants are encouraged to foster collaborative partnerships, especially with local organization(s), where applicable. Where appropriate, applicants are invited to form consortia for submitting a combined proposal, but one applicant must be designated as the lead (“prime”) applicant and others listed as sub-recipients.

The following activities and costs are not allowed under this announcement and applications that include any of these activities or costs above will not advance to the Technical Review stage:

· Buying evidence, including paying inducements to conduct interviews;

· Social welfare projects;

· Paying to complete activities begun with other funds;

· Activities that appear partisan or that support individual or party electoral campaigns;

· Academic or analytical research (if not necessary as part of a larger project);

· One-time events, such as stand-alone conferences;

· Medical and psychological research and clinical studies;

· Projects of a commercial or profit-making nature;

· Cultural presentations, cultural research, cultural clubs, or festivals, etc.; and

· Entertainment costs (e.g., receptions, social activities, ceremonies, alcoholic beverages, guided tours).

Desired Results and Indicators

Applicants are expected to achieve the following desired results: 1) measurable increases in implementation of HRC resolution 46/1; and 2) foster expansion of the rule of law regarding accountability in Sri Lanka.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Estimated Length of Project Period: Up to 48 months Estimated Number of Awards: 1 Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,000,000 Estimated Award Ceiling: $1,000,000 Estimated Award Floor: $1,000,000 Type of Funding: FY21 Economic Support Funds, authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 Cost-Sharing or Matching: Encouraged; NOT Required Funding Mechanism Type: Cooperative Agreement Cooperative Agreements are different from grants in that the bureau is more actively involved in the grant implementation. The Department of State’s substantial involvement may include but is not limited to:

· General program management through consultation and technical collaboration

· Collaboration in establishing and approving opportunity engagement work plans

· Providing policy and technical consultation on program activities

· Government-provided key resources or logistical support for the project

· Define the measurements and indicators of progress and development, including qualitative and quantitative indicators

· Vetting of grantees and sub-grantees

Contingent on the availability of funds, approximately $1,000,000 in Economic Support Funds (ESF) funding for one award will be awarded through this announcement. If selected to receive an award, an applicant will be awarded funds. The Department of State reserves the right to award more or less than the estimated program funding and reserves the right to award funding under this announcement for a period of up to two years after the announcement’s close date.

This request for full applications does not constitute an award or commitment on the part of the U.S. government to make any awards, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application.

Non-Competing Continuation

Continuation grants funded under these awards, beyond the initial budget period, will be contingent upon the availability of funds; grantee’s progress in meeting grant requirements, including timely submission of required reports and compliance with all terms and conditions of the award; timely submission of a request for additional funding; and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Department of State.

Pending successful implementation of this project for the initial estimated length of time as indicated above and pending the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, GCJ may extend this grant for additional time, not to exceed a four year total project period.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

All applicants will be screened by GCJ to determine whether they meet all of the program eligibility requirements detailed below.

NOTE: Applications that do not demonstrate that they meet all of the eligibility requirements in Section A and Section B will not advance past the Technical Eligibility Review stage and may be deemed ineligible for funding under this announcement. Nothing can be added to an application once the competition deadline has passed.

C.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include U.S. or foreign:

· Non-profit organizations;

· For-profit organizations;

· Private institutions of higher education;

· Public or state institutions of higher education;

· Public international organizations;

Applicants should have functional experience in laying the foundation for transitional justice-related activities, as specified above.

Applicants may form consortia and submit a combined proposal. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant with the other members as sub-award partners.

The Department of State is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. The Department of State welcomes applications irrespective of an applicants’ race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. We encourage applications from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth.

Applicants must have the organizational capacity to implement program components in countries proposed. Applicants must also have experience in conducting risk assessments and monitoring and evaluating programs and sub-recipients in order to document and assess the short- and long-term outcomes of proposed projects. Applicants will be required to include partnerships with local individuals and/or organizations, including those displaced, as part of their project design. Extensive partnerships with international accountability mechanisms, national law enforcement agencies, documentation organizations, and/or international or professional legal associations, are useful to ensure that all program activities can be implemented quickly. Additionally, applicants must:

C.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost-sharing or matching is NOT required and not an evaluation criteria of this NOFO.

However, GCJ encourages applicants to provide cost sharing and funding in support of its programs, if available.

C.3. Other Eligibility Requirements, Including Registrations

To apply for Department of State funding, organizations, whether based in or outside the U.S., must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and an active registration with the System for Award Management (SAM). Consortium and local partners receiving federally funded sub-awards are required to have a UEI. Please see Section D.3 for more information on how to obtain these registrations. Applicants who do not meet all registration requirements are NOT eligible for funding under the opportunity.

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that 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 EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D.1. Address to Request Application Package

Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials needed to apply on www.grants.gov and SAMS Domestic (https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com) under the announcement title “Supporting Efforts to Secure Justice for Sri Lanka,” funding opportunity number “SFOP0009081” Please contact the GCJ point of contact listed in Section G if requesting reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or for security reasons. Please note that reasonable accommodations do not include deadline extensions.

D.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

For all application documents, please ensure:

· All documents are in English and all costs are in U.S. Dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided (please note the Department of State, as indicated in 2 CFR 200.111, requires that English is the official language of all award documents). If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version;

· All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;

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

· All documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins.

· Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Times New Roman font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.

D.2.1. Application Requirements

The Standard Forms 424 (SF-424, SF-424a, and SF-424b) are excluded from the page numbering. It is strongly recommended that applicants submit grant applications using Microsoft Office. If applicants do not have access to Microsoft Office products, Adobe PDF files may be submitted.

Complete applications must include the following:

1. Completed and signed:

· SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations)

· SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

· SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) (note: the SF-424B is only required for individuals and for organizations not registered in SAM.gov)

2. Summary Page (not to exceed one (1) page): Cover sheet stating the organization name, proposal date, program title, name of any consortium/local partners, brief purpose of the program, and name and contact information for the applicant’s name point of contact.

3. Proposal (10 pages maximum, preferably as a Word Document): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. The proposal must easily identify the following:

· Executive Summary: Short narrative that clearly outlines the (1) the problem statement addressed by the project (2) research-based evidence justifying the applicant’s approach, and (3) quantifiable project outcomes and impacts.

· Introduction to the Organization: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the project, including information on all relevant or similar type projects from previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies.

· Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the project is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be results-focused, measurable and achievable in a reasonable timeframe. If forming a consortium, include involvement of partner organizations and examples of proven capacity.

· Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.

· Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal.

· Risk Analysis - identify the internal and external risks associated with the proposed project, rate the likelihood of the risks, rate the potential impact of the risks on the project, and identify actions that could help mitigate the risks.

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

4. Key Personnel (preferably in a Word Document): Include short bios that highlight relevant professional experience. Provides names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. Include the proportion of their time in support of this program.

5. Logic Model (preferably in chart format)- Logic models, and alternative approaches, can be helpful when planning and designing programs. These tools can be used to visually depict or outline how and why a project will work—i.e. the rationale behind your project approach. Detailing how a program’s planned activities lead to certain outcomes can often help applicants understand the assumptions within the approach. Detailing factors outside your control, such as policy shifts (i.e. external factors) within a logic model can identify areas that should be included within your program’s risk analysis. It details planned activities, the immediate services or product of project activities (outputs), and the expected changes or benefits that occur after activities have been implemented (outcomes). Applicants should specify objectives, identify what resources (inputs) are needed, outline proposed activities (outputs) and beneficiaries, and illustrate how activities lead to expected results.

6. Timeline (preferably in Excel or spreadsheet type format): The timeline of the overall proposal should include activities, evaluations, and program closeout.

7. Program Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative and Plan:

· An M&E Narrative (maximum one page) outlines how a project’s M&E system will be carried out and by whom. It details how you will track your project’s performance toward its objectives, over time. Provide a clear description of the approach and data collection strategies and tools to be employed (e.g., pre- and post-test surveys, interviews, focus groups). The description should include how the applicant will track and document whether activities occurred (outputs) and the results or changes caused by these activities (outcomes). If the project includes work with local partners or sub-partners, explain how M&E efforts will be coordinated amongst the organizations. Explain if an external evaluation will be included. Evaluations, internal or external, should be systematic studies that use research methods to address specific questions about project performance. They should provide a valuable supplement to ongoing monitoring activities. Evaluation activities generally include baseline assessments, mid-term and final evaluations.

· The M&E plan should draw on the objectives, activities and expected changes from the logic model, and link those areas to indicators. The M&E plan is generally structured as a table with output- and outcome-based indicators. It explains how data will be collected (data collection methods) to show that certain changes occurred. It outlines baselines (where your project is starting) and quarterly targets (what you would like to achieve) for each indicator.

8. Budget (preferably as an Excel workbook or similar type) that includes three (3) columns containing the request to GCJGCJ, any cost sharing contribution, and the total budget. A summary budget should also be included using the OMB-approved budget categories (see Budget Guidelines for New Awards as a sample) in a separate tab. Costs must be in U.S. Dollars. Detailed line-item budgets for sub-grantees should be included as additional tabs within the Excel workbook (if available at the time of submission).

9. Budget Justification Narrative (preferably in a Word Document): Justify each line-item in the budget and explain how the amounts were derived, consistency with the applicants documented policies, as well as the source and description of all proposed costs (and cost-share, if applicable). The narrative should complement the budget rather than repeat information provided in the budget. For example, the narrative should provide details on the purpose of costs, reasonability of costs, cost price analysis, explain allocations, explain any yearly variances and tie expenses to program activities and/or objectives where appropriate. Sources of all cost-share offered in the application should be identified and explained in the budget narrative. See Tab 1”Budget Guidelines” of Budget Guidance for New Awards for more information.

10. Attachments:

· Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner

· If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file.

· Official permission letters, if required for project activities

D.2.2 Additional Information Requested For Those Receiving Notification of Intent

Successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award:

· Written responses and revised application documents addressing conditions and recommendations from the GCJ review panel;

· A completed copy of the Department’s Financial Management Survey, if receiving DOS funding for the first time;

· Submission of required documents to register in the Payment Management System managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, if receiving GCJ funding for the first time (unless an exemption is provided);

· Other requested information or documents included in the notification of intent to make a Federal award or subsequent communications prior to issuance of a Federal award;

Applicants who submit their applications through Grants.gov will be required to create a SAMS Domestic account in order to accept the final award. Accounts must be logged into to every 60 days in order to maintain an active account.

D.3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

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

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

All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must follow these steps for proper registration:

1) NCAGE Code: Required for organizations physically located outside the United States and its territories. Applicants must use the NCAGE Request Tool and request an NCAGE code before starting a SAM.gov registration. If your organization is not physically located outside the U.S. and its territories, move to step 2.

NCAGE Request:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/Codification/CageTool/home NCAGE Tool Help Center:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/Codification/Support/en/Products/NCAGE

2) Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov registration - Organizations must have a UEI which will be automatically assigned by SAM.gov upon registration in SAM.gov. Once the UEI is received, continue on by completing the section applicable to your entity’s registration purpose.

Effective April 4, 2022, the DUNS Number has been replaced by the Unique Entity Number (UEI) as the primary means of entity identification for all federal awards U.S. government wide. For more information, please visit: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp

3) CAGE Code - Required for organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States. If you do not have a previously issued CAGE, one will be assigned to your entity after you submit the SAM.gov registration.

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

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

D.4. Submissions and Times

Applications must be time stamped before 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on July 25, 2022 https://www.grants.gov/ or SAMS Domestic (https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com) under the announcement title “Supporting Efforts to Secure Justice for Sri Lanka,” funding opportunity number “SFOP0009081”.

Grants.gov and SAMS Domestic automatically log the date and time an application submission is made, and the Department of State will use this information to determine whether an application has been submitted on time. There will be no grace period, and any application not received by the application deadline will be deemed ineligible and will not advance to be reviewed. Known system errors caused by Grants.gov or SAMS Domestic (https://mygrants.service-now.com) that are outside of the applicant’s control will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Applicants should not expect a notification upon GCJ receiving their application. announcement.

D.5. Funding Limitations, Restrictions, and other Considerations

GCJ will not consider applications that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization. Please refer the link for Foreign Terrorist Organizations: https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/ Project activities whose direct beneficiaries are foreign militaries or paramilitary groups or individuals will not be considered for GCJ funding given purpose limitations on funding.

In accordance with Department of State policy for terrorism, applicants are advised that successful passing of vetting to evaluate the risk that funds may benefit terrorists or their supporters is a condition of award. If chosen for an award, applicants may be asked to submit information required by DS Form 4184, Risk Analysis Information, about their company and its principal personnel. Vetting information is also required for all sub-award performance on assistance awards identified by the Department of State as presenting a risk of terrorist financing. Vetting information may also be requested for project beneficiaries and participants. Failure to submit information when requested, or failure to pass vetting, may be grounds for rejecting your proposal prior to award.

The Leahy Law prohibits Department foreign assistance funds from supporting foreign security force units if the Secretary of State has credible information that the unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. Per 22 USC §2378d(a) (2017), “No assistance shall be furnished under this chapter [FOREIGN ASSISTANCE] or the Arms Export Control Act [22 USC 2751 et seq.] to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.” Restrictions may apply to any proposed assistance to police or other law enforcement. Among these, pursuant to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), no assistance provided through this funding opportunity may be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country when there is credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. In accordance with the requirements of section 620M of the FAA, also known as the Leahy law, project beneficiaries or participants from a foreign government’s security forces may need to be vetted by the Department before the provision of any assistance. If a proposed grant or cooperative agreement will provide assistance to foreign security forces or personnel, compliance with the Leahy Law is required.

Organizations should be cognizant of relevant country restrictions when developing project proposals as these restrictions will require appropriate due diligence of program beneficiaries and collaboration with GCJ to ensure compliance with these restrictions. Program beneficiaries subject to due diligence vetting will include any individuals or entities that are beneficiaries of foreign assistance funding or support. Due diligence vetting will include a review of open source materials.

D.6. Other Submission Requirements

Applicants must submit their application electronically via www.grants.gov or SAMS Domestic (https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com). Both systems require registration by the applying organization. Please note that the Grants.gov registration process can take ten (10) business days or longer, even if all registration steps are completed in a timely manner.

SAMS Domestic requires that the applying organization have an account with the system, a UEI number, and SAM.gov account as detailed in D.3 above. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they have an active account and will be able to submit its application. GCJ bears no responsibility for disqualification that result from applicants not being registered before the due date, for system errors in either SAMS Domestic or Grants.gov, or other errors in the application process. Additionally, applicants must save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully.

Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted. Reasonable accommodations may, in appropriate circumstances, be provided to applicants with disabilities or for security reasons. Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in the applicable NOFO and these instructions.

GCJ encourages organizations to submit applications during normal business hours (Monday – Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM Eastern Standard Time (EST)). If an applicant experiences technical difficulties and has contacted the appropriate helpdesk but is not receiving timely assistance (e.g. if you have not received a response within 48 hours of contacting the helpdesk), you may contact the GCJ programs email listed in the NOFO in Section G. The point of contact may assist in contacting the appropriate helpdesk.

Note: The Grants Officer will determine technical eligibility of all applications.

SAMS Domestic Applications:

Applicants using SAMS Domestic for the first time should complete their “New Organization Registration.” To register with SAMS Domestic, click “Login to https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com” and follow the “create an account” link.

Organizations must remember to save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully.

SAMS Domestic Help Desk:

For assistance with SAMS Domestic accounts and technical issues related to the system, please contact the ILMS help desk by phone at +1 (888) 313-4567 (toll charges apply for international callers) or through the Self Service online portal that can be accessed from https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home. Customer support is available 24/7.

Grants.gov Applications:

Applicants who do not submit applications via SAMS Domestic may submit via www.grants.gov.

Please be advised that completing all the necessary registration steps for obtaining a username and password from Grants.gov can take ten (10) business days or longer.

Please refer to the Grants.gov website for definitions of various "application statuses" and the difference between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from Grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Additionally, organizations must remember to save a screenshot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully.

Grants.gov Helpdesk:

For assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Contact Center at +1 (800) 518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

See https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ for a list of federal holidays.

Payment of funds awarded under this Notice of Funding Opportunity will not be disbursed until the DOS has been assured that the Recipient’s financial management system will provide effective control over and accountability for all Federal funds in accordance with 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 600 as applicable. Awards issued under this NOFO are subject to the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions and 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 600 as applicable.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

E.1. Application Review Criteria

Each application will be evaluated individually and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. Please use the below criteria as a reference, but do not structure your application according to the sub-sections.

Achievable Objectives (20 points) One or more of the project objectives listed above (in Section I) are clearly addressed.

· Impact and Effectiveness: The applicant describes the project’s potential contribution to solving the problem addressed in the problem statement and achieving results within a difficult environment.

· Timeframe: The applicant describes realistic results to be accomplished within the timeframe of the proposed award.

· Milestones: The applicant provides realistic milestones to indicate progress toward goals and objectives as described in the program announcement.

· M&E: The applicant explains how monitoring and evaluation activities will be carried out throughout the award’s period of performance and who will be responsible for them.

Project Design (40 points) The applicant clearly describes how each proposed project activity will address on or more of the objectives outlined in the requested priority area above (Section I).

· Responsiveness to NOFO: Explain how the proposed activities respond to the objectives listed in the NOFO.

· Rationale: To justify how the proposed activities will achieve the above objectives in this context.

· Project Management: Clear description of how the project will be managed in terms of initiation, planning, implementation and closing.

· Partnerships and Buy-ins: The applicant addresses how the project will engage or obtain support from relevant stakeholders and identifies local partners.

· Feasibility and sustainability: The applicant proposes activities that are feasible, and are also practical, and/or experiential in nature to encourage innovation. Activities will result in benefits that will continue beyond the funding period.

· Duplication: The applicant acknowledges if activities similar to those proposed are already taking or have taken place previously, and provides an explanation as to how proposed new activities will not duplicate or merely add to existing/recent activities.

· Contingency Plan: The applicant articulates programming assumptions and potential challenges to project implementation and proposes contingency plans.

· Division of Labor: The application describes the division of labor among the applicant and any partners.

· Program Logic: Is it theoretically sound? Do all elements of the logic model fit together showing plausible pathways to achieving project outcomes? Have all the key assumptions been identified and their potential influences described? Are the risks to implementation (external factors) fully accounted for and described?

Organizational Capacity (20 points)

· The applicant demonstrates experience (e.g., has previously worked and/or has established contacts/partners) in the proposed country/territory/region.

· The applicant demonstrates an institutional record of successful programs in the content area proposed.

· The applicant demonstrates capacity for responsible fiscal management of donor funding (e.g., successful management of a previous sub-award or grant).

· The applicant demonstrates the ability to meet monitoring and evaluation requirements.

· The applicant has adequate staffing and demonstrates the capacity to manage the proposed project.

· The applicant demonstrates expertise in GCJ’s strategic focus areas of advancing justice and accountability for atrocities.

· The applicant demonstrates experience gathering, storing, and analyzing information with attention to chain of custody.

· The applicant demonstrates experience building criminal cases, representing victims, advancing cases in national jurisdictions, and working with national authorities and international accountability mechanisms.

· The applicant demonstrates experience working with victims and witnesses of atrocities, and their families, to prevent revictimization, including specific training about issues related to sexual and gender-based violence.

· The applicant demonstrates experience managing and monitoring a significant number of sub-recipients and/or direct assistance projects. Applications must clearly outline this experience, including total volume (total dollar amount, number of partners, and number of projects), size and length of sub-awards managed, and geographic and thematic focus. If the applicant has provided capacity-building support to sub-grantees, please indicate the type of support.

· The applicant demonstrates in the program and budget narratives how the assistance mechanism will be managed, monitored and evaluated to ensure compliance with the project objectives and Federal regulations. (The successful applicant will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of all sub-recipients, and/or other direct assistance to ensure completion of activities, programmatic efficacy, institutional strengthening, and financial propriety.)

· The applicant demonstrates the ability to accomplish the required activities with minimal full-time staffing and without establishing a dedicated local office

· The applicant demonstrates the ability to involve local partners.

Staff and Position Specifications (10 points)

· Pre-identified key staff members, including volunteers, demonstrate experience working in proposed countries and contexts and with participants from that area (e.g., language skills, cultural understanding).

· A description of the roles of each person or position on the project, whether staff, partner, consultant, or volunteer demonstrates that the project will be adequately but efficiently staffed, avoiding redundancy or duplication of effort.

· Pre-identified key staff members, including volunteers, demonstrate experience and knowledge in the proposed content area.

Budget & Budget Narrative (10 points)

· The costs proposed are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results, which are clearly explained in the budget narrative.

· The budget provides details of calculations, including estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated.

· The preponderance of the budget is spent on supporting project activities to advance investigations and prosecutions in countries experiencing conflict or transition.

· Adequate travel costs are proposed.

· The budget accounts for monitoring and evaluation costs.

Support of Equity and Underserved Communities (Yes or No)

· Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the program will support and advance equity and engage underserved communities in program administration, design, and implementation.

Applicants shall provide a logic model to demonstrate how the proposed project (including activities, the project design, and the surrounding context) will achieve the stated objectives.

Successful applicants will work with the GCJ program and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams to create a plan based on the proposed logic model/theory of change to measure qualitative and quantitative indicators as part of the award negotiations process. The successful applicants will be responsible for collecting data against these indicators, which will be monitored throughout the period of performance of the award to gauge necessary modifications to the project’s design, and assess the results of the project’s success in meeting expected outcomes.

E.2. Review and Selection Process

The Department of State 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 outlined in section C and have submitted all required documents outlined in section D. 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.

The Department of State reserves the right to have all applications deemed to be eligible undergo a Subject Matter Expert (SME) review prior to the Merit Review Panel. Applications that do not pass SME review will not proceed to the Merit Review Panel.

All applications that proceed to the Merit Review Panel will be evaluated by U.S. government and non-governmental subject matter and/or country-specific experts and will be rated on a 100-point scale. Point values for individual elements of the application are presented in Part VII, Section A. Panel Reviewers’ ratings, and any resulting recommendations, are advisory.

Final award decisions will be influenced by whether the application meets the Department of State’s programmatic goals and objectives, how it supports the Department’s overarching foreign policy priorities, and the geographic distribution of the top-ranking applications.

E.3. Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)

For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold over the period of performance (see §200.88 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants:

i. That the Federal awarding agency, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

ii. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

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

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION

F.1. Federal Award Notices

GCJ will provide a separate notification to applicants on the result of their applications. Successful applicants will receive a letter electronically via email requesting that the applicant respond to review panel conditions and recommendations. This notification is not an authorization to begin activities and does not constitute formal approval or a funding commitment.

Final approval is contingent on the applicant successfully responding to the review panel’s conditions and recommendations; being registered in required systems, including the U.S. government’s Payment Management System (PMS), unless an exemption is provided; and completing and providing any additional documentation requested by GCJ or AQM. Final approval is also contingent on Congressional Notification requirements being met and final review and approval by the Department’s warranted Grants Officer.

The grant award or cooperative agreement will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature via SAMS Domestic. The recipient may only start incurring program expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grants Officer.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

F.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply.

These include:

· 2 CFR 25 - UNIVERSAL IDENTIFIER AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

· 2 CFR 170 - REPORTING SUBAWARD AND EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INFORMATION

· 2 CFR 175 - AWARD TERM FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

· 2 CFR 182 - GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE)

· 2 CFR 183 - NEVER CONTRACT WITH THE ENEMY

· 2 CFR 600 – DEPARTMENT OF STATE REQUIREMENTS

· U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department of State will review and consider applications for funding, as applicable to specific programs, pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity in accordance with the following: NOTE:

· Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), as updated in the Federal Register’s 85 FR 49506 on August 13, 2020, particularly on:

· Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives through an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR part 200.205),

· Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115—232) (2 CFR part 200.216),

· Promoting the freedom of speech and religious liberty in alignment with Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities (E.O. 13864) (§§ 200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 200.341),

· Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR part 200.322), and

· Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law, if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2 CFR part 200.340).

In accordance with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities, proposals should demonstrate how the program advances equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. The proposal should also demonstrate how the program will further engagement in underserved communities and with individuals from underserved communities. Proposals should demonstrate how addressing racial equity and underserved communities will enhance the program’s goals and objectives, as well as the experience of participants.

The support of underserved communities will be part of the review criteria for this opportunity. Therefore, proposals should clearly demonstrate how the program will support and advance equity and engage underserved communities in program administration, design, and implementation.

Due to the determination made under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for FY 2021, assistance that benefits the governments of the following countries may be subject to a restriction under the TVPA. The Department of State determines on a case-by-case basis what constitutes assistance to a government; the general principles listed below apply.

AF: Burundi,…