PKG00258797-instructions.pdf

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 1 2/28/2020

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues

Title: Women, Peace, and Security: Supporting Women’s Networks to Prevent, Resolve, and Mitigate Conflict

CFDA Number: 19.801 Funding Opportunity Title: Women, Peace, and Security: Supporting Women’s

Networks to Prevent, Resolve, and Mitigate Conflict

Announcement Type: New; Open Competition; Cooperative Agreement Number of Awards: One or Multiple, depending on funds Funding: ESF $3,000,000 (not to exceed) Deadline for proposal submission: 11:59 PM EST April 30, 2020 Deadline for question submission: 11:59 PM EST March 20, 2020 Deadline to submit non-binding notice of intent to apply: 11:59 PM EST March 20, 2020 Federal Agency Contact: S/GWI Programs Division, SGWIProjectProposals@state.gov

Executive Summary:

The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) announces this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a new agreement to advance U.S. foreign policy and national security priorities by supporting initiatives that make decision-making structures and processes in fragile, crisis, conflict-affected, or post-conflict contexts more inclusive and reflective of and responsive to the needs and perspectives of women and girls. Under this NOFO, S/GWI seeks proposals that will support the leadership of and collaboration with women’s networks in conflict prevention, transformation, and peacebuilding efforts in crisis- and conflict-affected areas. Beneficiaries could include, but are not limited to, women from the following countries: the Western Hemisphere: Colombia, Venezuela;

Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan; Europe: Ukraine; the Middle East and North Africa: Iraq, Syria, Yemen; South and Central Asia: Afghanistan, Sri Lanka; East Asia and the Pacific:

Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines.1 Priority will be given to proposals that include women from Sudan and areas affected by extremist organizations.

S/GWI works to ensure the integration of gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. In doing so, S/GWI follows the National Security Strategy (NSS) mandate to champion the American value of

1 Due to the determination made under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for FY 2019, certain assistance may be subject to a restriction under the TVPA. Because the TVPA restriction applies only to assistance to governments, activities proposed for those countries should not include government beneficiaries.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 2 empowering women and youth. Programs implemented under this NOFO will be a cornerstone of S/GWI’s implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 20172 (WPS Act), the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security3 and the Global Fragility

Act of 20194.

S/GWI Goal:

To promote inclusive decision-making that responds to the comprehensive needs and perspectives of conflict-affected women and girls.

S/GWI Theory of Change:

If the local perspectives of conflict-affected women and girls are incorporated into decision-making, then conflict prevention, resolution, and mitigation will be more equitable, just, and sustainable.

S/GWI Objectives:

1. Networks: Support existing women’s civil society networks to bring local expertise and needs into decision-making, including but not limited to ceasefire talks, peace negotiations and/or peace accord implementation, crisis mediation, political transitions, and/or policy development and implementation, to transform the inequalities, gendered and otherwise, that drive conflict.

2. Collaboration: Incentivize collaboration within and/or between existing women’s civil society networks to implement joint initiatives, overcome divisions and strengthen their collective influence and capabilities.

3. Learning and exchange: Strengthen peer-to-peer learning, peer-led capacity building, and the cultivation of future generations of peacebuilders.

Focus:

All proposals must include a description of:

1) The problem the applicant seeks to address,

2) Implementation context, including any relevant details on the socio-political environment and the target beneficiaries of the project,

3) How the proposal relates to Women’s Leadership and Women and Girls At

Risk from Extremism and Conflict appropriation language referenced below.5

2 WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY ACT OF 2017, Public Law 115-68, 115th Congress, 2017, which requires an interagency strategy that will be a part of S/GWI implementation.

3 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WPS_Strategy_10_October2019.pdf 4 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/727 5 Activities must align with funding described by section 7059(b) and (e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Division F, P.L. 116-6) (Fiscal Year [FY] 2019 SFOAA)., Congress appropriated funds to support:

(b) WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP.

(b)… programs specifically designed to increase leadership opportunities for women in countries where women and girls suffer discrimination due to law, policy, or practice, by strengthening protections for women’s political

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 3

Note: please see the language in the footnote, as it encompasses a range of circumstances beyond active conflict and violent extremism.

4) Which components of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 20176 (WPS Act), U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, and the Global Fragility

Act of 2019 will be addressed

5) An evidence-based model to address the identified problem,

6) The priority areas, countries, or geographic areas for the program, not including refugee or IDP camps,7 with a strategy for potentially scaling or replicating the program’s best practices in consultation with S/GWI, should additional funds become available,

7) A localized, iterative approach that is demonstrably driven by the needs and perspectives of local partners and the communities they serve (please see the Inclusion section for additional details),

8) Implementation plan, including assumptions, key steps, and timeline, and a results framework/logic model (please see the MEL section for additional details).

Please note: Each of these descriptions must be demonstrably informed by a contextually-specific gender analysis (please see the sample Gender Analysis Questions in Appendix 9 for additional details).

Eligibility for this NOFO is limited to educational and research institutions and U.S. not-for-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) subject to section 501 (c) (3) of the U.S. tax code, foreign educational and research institutions, and foreign not-for-profits/NGOs/social enterprises.

One or more grants may be issued as a cooperative agreement under this NOFO. The Recipient may work closely with S/GWI to design and implement targeted sub-grants to third-party organizations charged with programming the agreed-upon interventions.

status, expanding women’s participation in political parties and elections, and increasing women’s opportunities for leadership positions in the public and private sectors at the local, provincial, and national levels.

and

(e) WOMEN AND GIRLS AT RISK FROM EXTREMISM.

(1)… (A) empower women and girls to counter extremism;

(B) address the needs of women and girls adversely impacted by extremism and conflict;

(C) document crimes committed by extremists against women and girls, and support investigations and prosecutions of such crimes, as appropriate;

(D) increase the participation and influence of women in formal and informal political processes and institutions at the local level and within traditional governing structures;

(E) support reconciliation programs between impacted minority, religious, and ethnic groups and the broader community;

(F) develop and implement legal reforms and protections for women and girls at the national and local government levels; and

(G) create and sustain networks for women and girls to collectively safeguard their rights on a regional basis.

6 WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY ACT OF 2017, Public Law 115-68, 115th Congress, 2017, which requires an interagency strategy that will be a part of S/GWI implementation.

7 S/GWI funds are different from, but are intended to complement, other USG funds that working specifically with refugee camp populations.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 4

Funding authority rests in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. Applicants must be familiar with U.S. federal regulations for grants and cooperative agreements in 2 CFR Part 200.

Please read the entire NOFO package before submitting an application, and follow the steps to submit before the deadline. Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria and do not contain all of the required information will not be considered for review.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. The Government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received. It also reserves the right to fund more than one proposal.

S/GWI also reserves the right to share applications with other USG offices or agencies who may have funding available.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 5

Table of Contents Executive Summary:

A. Funding Opportunity Description

i. Background:

ii. Strategic Policy Framework:

iii. Policy Statement:

iv. NOFO Activity Framework

v. Conceptual Program Context:

vi. S/GWI Proposal Principles:

vii. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL):

viii. Demonstrating Organization Capacity:

B. Federal Award Information

i. Available Funding and Legislative Authority:

ii. Summary of Award Information:

iii. Deadline:

iv. Substantial Involvement:

C. Eligibility Information

i. Eligible Applicant:

ii. Cost Sharing or Matching:

iii. Other:

iv. Organization criteria:

D. Application and Submission Information

i. Address to Request Application Package:

ii. Key Registrations:

iii. Content and Form of Application Submission:

iv. Additional Information Requested:

v. Submission Dates and Times:

E. Funding Restrictions

F. Application Review Information

i. Proposal Evaluation Process:

ii. Evaluation Criteria:

G. Federal Award Administration Information

i. Award Notices:

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 6

ii. Compliance with Applicable Federal Funding Regulations and DOS Terms and

Conditions:

iii. Reporting Requirements:

a. Financial Reports:

b. Progress Reporting:

c. Final Report:

iv. Agency Contact:

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 7

A. Funding Opportunity Description

i. Background:

Global instability and violent extremism threaten U.S. and global security. The U.S.

WPS Act of 2017, further expanded upon by the U.S. Strategy on WPS, have identified women’s leadership and participation as crucial to sustainable peace and security.

Promoting women’s meaningful inclusion and participation across efforts to prevent conflict and build peace is not simply a women’s issue; it is a national security issue and vital for human progress.

Though women provide essential contributions to lasting solutions to conflict, terrorism, and crisis, their perspectives and leadership are often absent from places where decisions are made about their countries’ and communities’ future. In addition, violence against women and girls remain pervasive before, during, and after conflicts – which prolongs conflict and inhibits the meaningful participation of women in political and security processes. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that women are partners we cannot afford to ignore, as their participation leads to better outcomes not only for women, but also for entire societies.

S/GWI programs are flexible, civil society-focused, and global in reach. They incubate civil-society based solutions, inspiring and providing best practices to the Department to advance women’s empowerment as a keystone of U.S. foreign policy. S/GWI does not fund large-scale programs or long-term development work, but instead engages in the short-term practical realization of U.S. foreign policy.

S/GWI seeks applicants whose work fosters women’s leadership in preventing and mitigating conflict by making decision-making more reflective of and responsive to the needs and perspectives of conflict-affected women and girls.

S/GWI will analyze this program to inform other USG partnerships and to better integrate gender equality and empowering women and girls across the Department, thereby enhancing effectiveness and maximizing taxpayer investments in U.S. foreign policy.

ii. Strategic Policy Framework:

The U.S. National Security Strategy8 (NSS) states: “Societies that empower women to participate fully in civic and economic life are more prosperous and peaceful. We will support efforts to advance women’s equality, protect the rights of women and girls, and promote women and youth empowerment programs.” Under the WPS Act of 2017, the U.S. government demonstrated its commitment to “promoting the physical safety, economic security, and dignity of women and girls.” Aligned with the WPS Act of 2017, 8 S/GWI implements the National Security Strategy and the Department of State and USAID Joint Strategic Plan by promoting security, prosperity and American influence.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 8 the Global Fragility Act of 2019 directs the U.S. government to address the long-term underlying causes of fragility and violence through participatory, locally-led programs. Exclusion and inequality, including gender inequality, are known drivers of conflict.

One of S/GWI’s strategic goals is therefore to support women’s participation and leadership in promoting peace, responding to conflict, and building a more secure future.

Work under this NOFO will support this strategic framework by supporting women and girls to increase their leadership in decision-making on conflict prevention, mediation, resolution, and post-conflict peacebuilding.

iii. Policy Statement:

The end state of the U.S. Strategy on WPS is women’s meaningful participation in

“preventing, mediating, and resolving conflict and countering terrorism, in ways that promote stable and lasting peace, including in conflict-affected areas.” Though this funding opportunity is broader than countering violent extremism, it also aligns with the strategic objective of the U.S. Strategy to Support Women and Girls at Risk from Violent

Extremism and Conflict by supporting women’s and girls’, “resilience, safety, and protection, while engaging them as positive actors.” Similarly, it responds to the corresponding appropriations language (see footnote 8) to “address the needs of women and girls adversely impacted by extremism and conflict,” including by “increasing their participation and influence.”

Guided by these strategies, S/GWI seeks proposals to expand women’s leadership in preventing and mitigating conflict by making decision-making more reflective of, and responsive to, the needs and perspectives of affected women and girls.

Applicants should demonstrate how proposed interventions would support or complement these and/or other U.S. government strategies and programs, those of the proposed host country or countries, and ongoing women’s empowerment efforts in the proposed country or countries and communities of implementation.

iv. NOFO Activity Framework

Theory of Change:

If the local perspectives of conflict-affected women and girls are incorporated into decision-making, then conflict prevention, resolution, and mitigation will be more equitable, just, and sustainable.

Goal:

To promote inclusive decision-making that responds to the comprehensive needs and perspectives of conflict-affected women and girls.

Objectives and Intended Results:

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 9

1) Objective 1: Networks. Support existing women’s civil society networks to inject local expertise and needs into decision-making, including but not limited to ceasefire talks, peace negotiations, crisis mediation, political transitions, and/or policy, to transform the inequalities, gendered and otherwise, that drive conflict.

a. Intended Result 1: Women’s civil society networks have relationships and trust with diverse communities of conflict-affected women and girls to legitimately amplify their needs and perspectives

b. Intended Result 2: Women’s civil society networks have the technical knowledge, skills, and confidence to advance participatory solutions that transform the inequalities that drive conflict

c. Intended Result 3: Women’s civil society networks safely influence decision-making, including but not limited to ceasefire talks, peace negotiations and/or peace accord implementation, crisis mediation, political transitions, and/or policy

2) Objective 2: Collaboration. Incentivize collaboration within and/or between existing women’s civil society networks to implement joint initiatives, overcome divisions, and strengthen their collective influence and capabilities.

a. Intended Result 4: Women’s civil society networks work together towards joint aims

3) Objective 3: Learning and exchange. Strengthen peer-to-peer learning, peer-led capacity building, and cultivation of future generations of peacebuilders

a. Intended Result 5: Women’s civil society networks, young and old, learn and grow together

Objectives and Sample Supporting Activities:

S/GWI recognizes that change happens at different levels and through a combination of activities. Strong proposals will use tested, scalable activities to advance this goal and objectives. The following are intended only as an example of what types of activities could be submitted. S/GWI does not necessarily expect proposals to include these sample activities and welcomes others that may not be listed here. We suggest reviewing the Women’s Leadership and Women and Girls at Risk from Extremism appropriations language for additional guidance9. All proposals should address each of the three objectives.

9 Activities must align with funding described by section 7059(b) and (e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Division F, P.L. 116-6) (Fiscal Year [FY] 2019 SFOAA)., Congress appropriated funds to support:

(b) WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP.

(b)… programs specifically designed to increase leadership opportunities for women in countries where women and girls suffer discrimination due to law, policy, or practice, by strengthening protections for women’s political status, expanding women’s participation in political parties and elections, and increasing women’s opportunities for leadership positions in the public and private sectors at the local, provincial, and national levels.

and

(e) WOMEN AND GIRLS AT RISK FROM EXTREMISM.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 10

1. Objective 1: Networks. Support women’s civil society networks to bring local expertise and needs into decision-making, including but not limited to ceasefire talks, peace negotiations and/or peace accord implementation, crisis mediation, political transitions, and/or policy, to transform the inequalities, gendered and otherwise, that drive conflict. Sample activities may include:

a. Women’s networks conduct consultations with conflicted-affected women and girls to understand the different forms of violence that must be banned in a ceasefire, including conflict-related sexual violence and other types of violence that disproportionately affect women and girls

b. Through step-down trainings on coalition-building and strategic advocacy, a women’s network helps other women mobilize their communities to participate in a constitution-reform process

c. Women’s networks create a civil society forum to provide recommendations and support to women negotiators on all sides of a peace process

d. A women’s network brings an international mediation team to different conflict-affected areas to listen to local women’s and girls’ priorities

e. Combining short videos, social media, and public screenings, women’s networks bring the voices of rural women and girls into a national dialogue

f. A women’s network organizes community-level discussions between women and senior law enforcement officials to help the latter understand the security challenges women and girls face in their daily lives, including threats related to gender-based violence

g. Women’s networks collect testimony from and/or support conflict-affected women and girls to safely testify in a reconciliation or transitional justice process or determine alternative options for supporting victims of violence

h. Through radio and community theater, women’s networks educate women and girls on how they can monitor implementation of a new peace agreement to ensure accountability of decision-makers on agreed provisions

i. Women’s networks conduct a mapping exercise of existing networks to inform their activities under each of the three objectives

j. Women’s networks from different conflict-affected areas train grassroots women on messaging community-based needs to policymaker audiences

(1)… (A) empower women and girls to counter extremism;

(B) address the needs of women and girls adversely impacted by extremism and conflict;

(C) document crimes committed by extremists against women and girls, and support investigations and prosecutions of such crimes, as appropriate;

(D) increase the participation and influence of women in formal and informal political processes and institutions at the local level and within traditional governing structures;

(E) support reconciliation programs between impacted minority, religious, and ethnic groups and the broader community;

(F) develop and implement legal reforms and protections for women and girls at the national and local government levels; and

(G) create and sustain networks for women and girls to collectively safeguard their rights on a regional basis.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 11

2. Objective 2: Collaboration. Incentivize collaboration within and/or between existing women’s civil society networks to overcome divisions and strengthen their collective influence and capabilities. Sample activities may include:

a. Organizational members of a women’s coalition commit to co-designing and implementing a joint peace initiative with at least two other members

b. Women’s networks from different backgrounds, areas, or regions, but with similar and/or adjacent expertise on peace and conflict, form a coalition to advocate for the development or implementation of a country’s National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325

c. Members of a regional women’s mediator network co-design a joint initiative to bring women’s voices into different regional mediation processes

d. Women’s networks from different sides of a religious conflict organize visits to the other’s localities to cultivate empathy and build trust, then organize joint advocacy meetings with policymakers

e. A women’s coalition organizes its members to partner with a lawyers’ association to provide technical support to legislators on gender-responsive policymaking

f. Women’s networks from different sides of a regional conflict form a cross-border coalition to track early warning indicators of violence, including gender-specific indicators

3. Objective 3: Learning and exchange. Strengthen peer-to-peer learning, peer-led capacity building, and cultivation of future generations of peacebuilders. Sample activities may include:

a. Women’s networks from different conflict-affected areas establish a joint information-sharing platform to share lessons on peacebuilding

b. A women’s network that works with tribal leaders on harmful gender norms provides technical assistance and small grants to smaller women’s networks seeking to do the same in their communities

c. Organizational members of a women’s coalition provide trainings to one another in their respective areas of expertise

d. Women’s networks from different conflict-affected countries organize a series of “peace retreats” to build solidarity, exchange learning, and share skills

e. Women’s networks from different sides of a conflict provide fellowships to members of women’s organizations from another side of the conflict

f. A seasoned network of women peacebuilders from the global south establishes a partnership with a youth network in the global north to mentor future generations of women on WPS

Possible indicators, though not required, may include:

• GNDR-6 Number of people reached by a USG-funded intervention providing GBV services (e.g. health, legal, psychosocial counseling, shelters, hotlines, other)

• GNDR 10: Number of local women participating in a substantive role or position in a peacebuilding process supported with USG assistance

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 12

• YOUTH 4b Number of females aged 10-18 who participate in civil society activities following social or leadership skills training or initiatives from USG-assisted programs

• DR4.2-2b Number of women’s rights civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions

• DR.4-1 Number of USG-supported activities designed to promote or strengthen the civic participation of women

• GNDR 4.3-1b Number of USG-assisted women’s CSOs that participate in legislative proceedings and/or engage in advocacy with national legislature and its committee

• GNDR-1 Number of legal instruments drafted, proposed, or adopted with USG assistance designed to promote gender equality or non-discrimination against women or girls at the national or sub-national level (and name them)

v. Conceptual Program Context:

Research and international best practice have shown that when women leaders with linkages to broader women’s groups meaningfully influence peace processes, the resulting agreements are more likely to last.10 According to several studies, civil society’s inclusion in peace processes increases diverse representation, injects ground-level knowledge, and helps build local ownership of the resulting accords.11

Where women’s civil society groups have influenced these processes in the past, they expanded the number of peace accord provisions aimed at sociopolitical reform -- shown to be one of the strongest predictors for durable peace.12 Women’s networks can therefore serve as a critical vector for funneling the power transformative demands of women and other marginalized communities into decision-making, including but not limited to ceasefire talks, peace negotiations, crisis mediation, political transitions, and/or policy. This includes, but is not limited to, addressing the protection needs of women and girls after conflict. Despite this, women’s civil society organizations are frequently underfunded,13 hampering their ability to build these relationships before the often better-funded peace negotiations begin, and sustain them into the often poorer-funded implementation phase. Ignoring these networks, expecting them to mobilize without resources, or limiting their funds to the formal timeline of an official peace process undermines the emergence of important constituencies for peace.

10 Jana Krause, Werner Krause & Piia Branfors (2018), “Women’s Participation in Peace Negotiations and the Durability of Peace,” International Interactions, 44:6, 985-1016 11 See, for example, Thania Paffenholz (2015), “Civil society and Peacebuilding Project,” Briefing Paper, Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Geneva: The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and Anthony Wanis-St. John & Darren Kew (2008), “Civil Society and Peace Negotiations: Confronting Exclusion,” International Negotiation, 13(1), 11-36 12 Madhav Joshi & J. Michael Quinn (2015), “Is the Sum Greater than the Parts? The Terms of Intrastate Peace Agreements and the Commitment Problem Revisited,” Negotiation Journal, 31(1):7-30 13 Radhika Coomaraswamy et al (2015), Financing of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda,” in Preventing

Conflict, Transforming Justice, and Securing the Peace: A Global Study on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325, UN Women: 369-391

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 13

Recognizing that many women’s civil society networks already exist around the world, this mechanism will not seek to create new, externally-driven networks, but rather seeks to partner with existing ones. It will prioritize areas where women’s networks are underfunded and that look likely to relapse into conflict, enter into a peace or political transition, or that are currently struggling to implement a peace accord. While proposals may focus on distinct stages of a conflict, political transition, or peace process, they should be designed to strengthen the broader ecosystem for women’s safe participation.

Relevant contexts may be, but are not limited to: the Western Hemisphere: Colombia, Venezuela; Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan; Europe: Ukraine; the Middle East and North Africa: Iraq, Syria, Yemen; South and Central Asia: Afghanistan, Sri Lanka; East Asia and the Pacific: Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines.14 Priority will be given to proposals that include women from Sudan and areas affected by extremist organizations.

Funding for Syria may require additional approvals and vetting.

As a result of limited funding and opportunity, women’s civil society groups are often pitted against one another in competition for resources and access.15 To minimize this competition and advance women’s collective power, this program elevates collaboration between women’s groups as one of its three objectives (Objective 2). It also seeks to facilitate exchanges within and/or among these networks to encourage peer-to-peer learning, peer-led capacity-building, and cultivation of future generations of peacebuilders (Objective 3).

As a donor, S/GWI’s comparative advantage is its smaller, flexible, civil-society focused approach to global programs. Priority will therefore be given to applicants that can demonstrate the ability to manage small projects in several different regions at the same time, and to scale-up should additional funds become available. However, all applicants must co-design, implement, and learn from their program in equitable partnership with local and/or regional women’s organizations and networks (see the “Inclusion,” “Do No Harm,” and “Local Engagement and Sustainability” sections for additional details.)

S/GWI welcomes creative partnership structures, including with smaller NGOs with deep and local expertise in relevant subject matters, as appropriate.

vi. S/GWI Proposal Principles:

S/GWI seeks proposals from qualified organizations with demonstrated in-country experience in developing partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including the public and/or private sector and grassroots organizations. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to design, implement, monitor, evaluate, adapt, and learn in programming that

14 Due to the determination made under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) for FY 2019, certain assistance may be subject to a restriction under the TVPA. Because the TVPA restriction applies only to assistance to governments, activities proposed for those countries should not include government beneficiaries.

15 Erin Blankenship (2014), “Aid in Contested Spaces: Afghanistan, ” Oxfam America Research Backgrounder series, http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/delivering-aid-in-contested-spaces-afghanistan

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 14 coordinates with existing efforts by U.S. government, other donors, the host country, and local actors.

S/GWI leverages evidence-based analysis and learning from its programs to catalyze shifts in the Department’s integration of gender equality across its policies and programs.

As such, proposed programming locations should:

1) Be able to incubate solutions that can be shared and/or replicated elsewhere, if successful, and

2) Involve strong local participation in, and ownership over, a program’s activities (this can be demonstrated through previous experience, letters of intent/support, or other evidence of local participation and leadership).

All proposals must include a description of:

1) The problem the applicant seeks to address,

2) Implementation context, including any relevant details on the socio-political environment and the target beneficiaries of the project,

3) How the proposal relates to Women’s Leadership and WGAREC appropriation language (see footnote 6),

4) An evidence-based model to address the problem,

5) The priority areas, countries, or geographic areas for the program, not including refugee or IDP camps,16 with a strategy for potentially scaling or replicating the program’s best practices in consultation with S/GWI, should additional funds become available,

6) A localized approach, demonstrably driven by the needs and perspectives of local partners and the communities they serve (please see the Inclusion section for additional details),

7) Implementation plan, including assumptions, key steps, and timeline, and a results framework/logic model (please see the MEL section for additional details).

Please note: Each of these descriptions must be demonstrably informed by a contextually-specific gender analysis (please see the sample Gender Analysis Questions in Appendix 9 for additional details).

Inclusion In identifying specific beneficiary populations, proposals must demonstrate a commitment towards, and plan for, the support and inclusion of marginalized and/or vulnerable communities. Many women and girls are particularly vulnerable due to other characteristics including disability, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, geography, indigenous status, etc. The applicant’s gender analysis should examine challenges and opportunities presented by engagement with women, girls, and

16 S/GWI funds are different from, but are intended to complement, other USG funds that working specifically with refugee camp populations.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 15 other marginalized communities at-risk of exclusion and violence and how they will be addressed to realize meaningful inclusion.

S/GWI welcomes submissions irrespective of race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

Gender Analysis Proposals must include a gender analysis for each of the countries or geographic areas where they propose to program; demonstrate how all activities account for the different ways in which they might impact, and be impacted by men, women, boys, and girls; and demonstrate challenges and opportunities for narrowing existing gender inequalities.

Proposals must also include a plan for: (1) regular updating of the gender analysis(-es) with local partners, and (2) making any necessary adjustments to the program design.

Risk Assessment, Do No Harm, Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Proposals must include a risk assessment and a plan for monitoring and mitigating the risks identified.

Risks to project implementation may include a variety of political, environmental, and other factors. Examples include outbreak of violent conflict, elections that change government partners, cybersecurity / hacking, misuse of personally identifiable information (PII), and diversion of financial or non-financial support to prohibited parties (terrorist financing).

The assessment should also identify risks to staff, implementers, participants, beneficiaries, or their communities, in alignment with Do No Harm principles. Besides political and environmental factors, risks may include online or in-person gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and assault, and other forms of potential physical, social, psychological, economic, and/or reputational backlash to beneficiaries as a result of their participation. They may also include unintended consequences of power shifts among individuals or communities, local competition and/or divisions over program funds and opportunities, and unintended crowding out of local civil society actors and/or “brain drain” of their or other organizations’ staff or members. Consider how resources or skills provided might be leveraged for abusive purposes, create grievances among non-recipients, or cause key actors to react in harmful ways.

The Applicant must submit copies of its organization-wide policies and procedures on Do No Harm and PSEA17, or explain whether the Applicant organization has plans to develop such policies. If not already explained in submitted policies and procedures, the Application should outline how the Applicant will work with any sub-grantees who do not yet have Do No Harm and PSEA policies and procedures to develop and/or apply them over the course of the program.

17 Please see https://www.usaid.gov/PreventingSexualMisconduct/fact-sheets/usaid-policy-against-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse for examples of related policies.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 16

Proposals must include a plan for regular review and updates of risk assessment(s).

Local Engagement and Sustainability Priority will be given to proposals that maximize the portion of funding, activities, and in-kind support dedicated to in-country women’s networks and their activities.

Proposals should describe any plans to build the organizational and technical capacities of local partners. Applicants may submit signed Letters of Intent from organizations that will participate in the program. If submitted, these should address the willingness of partner organizations to participate in the program and their understanding of each party’s unique role and responsibilities. In cases where an applicant (i.e., non-local) is not able to partner with a local network, organization, or institution, does not consider it feasible to do so, or does not consider it in the program’s best interest, the applicant must clearly explain the rationale.

Beyond local partners, proposals must demonstrate a clear understanding of the role that local networks, organizations, and institutions are playing and can play in achieving the award’s objectives. The proposal should include a participatory needs assessment, and explain how its implementers will engage with local actors throughout its lifecycle.

Strong proposals will also describe strategies to sustain the activities beyond S/GWI funding, or alternatively, how applicants will co-design a responsible exit strategy with local partners and in consultation with beneficiaries.

Psychosocial Assistance A section in the proposal, budget, and budget narrative should contain information on appropriate resources and support for the psychosocial health of staff (i.e., activities can range from access to educational materials and training opportunities to counseling services to other contextually-relevant support).

o References: For reference to international guidance, please see the following: Core Humanitarian Standard Commitment 8.9 (https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/files/files/CHS-Guidance-Notes-and-Indicators.pdf); and IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings Action Sheet 4.4 (http://www.who.int/mental_health/emergencies/guidelines_iasc_mental_ health_psychosocial_june_2007.pdf).

vii. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL):

All proposals must include a rigorous plan for monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

• A portion of the program should include compiling, analyzing, and disseminating program results and lessons learned.

• Applicants should outline a learning plan that demonstrates how the program will be monitored and how monitoring will be analyzed to adapt implementation to support effectiveness and avoid unintended consequences.

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 17

• Some form of independent evaluation must be included in proposals responding to this NOFO. Please elaborate on the type (quasi-experimental, developmental, outcome harvesting, process tracing, etc.). While the type of evaluation is flexible within Department of State guidance, it must be independent.

Logic/Results Framework For the purposes of the application, please submit a notional logic model/results framework18 and performance monitoring plan (PMP). This must include a succinct Theory of Change and indicators at each of the following levels: objective, intermediate outcome, and output. In addition, use this section to describe why the applicant’s approach to MEL is appropriate for this program. This may include the type of data you collect (qualitative and/or quantitative). It must include a timeline for data collection and analysis, and how this will inform midstream program management.

In Appendix 10 to the NOFO is a chart of U.S. Foreign Assistance (FA) indicators that S/GWI most commonly uses to tell the story of the programs it funds. In addition to designing their own indicators, applicants should select the most relevant indicators from this chart to integrate into their MEL plan, as appropriate.

Resources Please describe the resources needed to implement your MEL plan and address these in your budget. If you wish to include additional, non-required MEL activities in the program budget, please specify what these are.

MEL Inclusivity S/GWI strongly encourages applicants to consider whether their MEL plan utilizes human rights-based approaches, applies a gender equality lens, and includes the participation of sub-grantees and program participants. Within the MEL narrative, applicants should demonstrate their commitment to inclusive approaches and consider whether evaluation design, data collection, analysis, reporting and learning are conducted in an ethical, participatory, and responsible way.19 Applicants must make adequate provisions to protect the privacy of human subjects when collecting data from

19 For best practices, see the WHO Ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies.

Inputs Activities Outputs Short-Term

Outcomes

Long-Term

Outcomes

What we achieve

Changes to the knowledge and attitudes of the program’s beneficiaries or customers, such as a change in attitude as a result of an awareness campaign or a change in behavior due to a training program

What we get

Direct, tangible results of program activities such as number of people trained or number of awareness campaigns conducted

What we do

Actions or events undertaken by the program or partners to ultimately produce desired outcomes, such as conducting outreach, providing training, or developing a communication campaign

What we invest

Resources invested to start and maintain a program, such as money, time, personnel, materials, equipment, and in-kind contributions

What we achieve

System- or societal-level results such as behavioral, normative, or policy changes that a program seeks to achieve

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 18 individuals. For instance, when collecting data from program participants, consider whether your organization will have the necessary informed consent forms, confidentiality agreements, and data security protocols.

viii. Demonstrating Organization Capacity:

Proposals will be evaluated on their ability to present a compelling proposal that demonstrates:

● Organizational capacity to manage the proposed budget amount, including any history that demonstrates their ability to be a strong financial steward of U.S.

government resources. First-time USG grantees may need additional verification of their organizational capacity.

● Experience coordinating and collaborating with local partners and stakeholders in the countries or geographic areas of implementation.

● If sub-grants are proposed, demonstrated experience sub-granting to implementers, including strong established relationships with partners in the targeted countries of various sizes, and experience building others’ organizational capacity.

● Successful implementation of activities that have achieved goals relevant to this NOFO, including but not limited to empowering women and girls, advancing women and girls’ leadership in building peace and security, supporting women and girls affected by violent extremism and conflict, conflict prevention and transformation, and working towards gender equality.

B. Federal Award Information

i. Available Funding and Legislative Authority:

The source of this funding is Economic Support Funds. Please see Section E: “Funding Restrictions,” below for more info.

ii. Summary of Award Information:

Contingent on the availability of funds, approximately $3,000,000 in Economic Support Funds for approximately one or two awards will be awarded through this announcement.

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Appropriated Fiscal Year of Funds: FY2019

Approximate Total Funding Available: Up to approximately $3,000,000

Approximate Number of Awards: 1 or 2

Location of Project Activities One or more countries or geographic areas proposed by applicant and agreed by S/GWI

Approximate Project Duration: Up to five years

Cost-Sharing or Matching: Not required

Anticipated Award Date: June 30, 2020

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 19

If selected to receive an award, an applicant will be awarded funds for up to five years, depending on the activities proposed. The estimated start date for this program is July 1, 2020. S/GWI 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. S/GWI also reserves the right to share applications with other USG offices who may have funding available.

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.

Incremental Funding and Non-Competing Continuation Continuations beyond the initial budget period or funding amount 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 program and pending the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, S/GWI may add incremental funding and/or extend this grant for additional time, not to exceed a five (5) year total program period.

iii. Deadline:

iv. Substantial Involvement:

S/GWI anticipates awarding one or more cooperative agreement(s) based on the needs and risk factors of the program. The Grants Officer will make the final determination of award mechanism. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, S/GWI expects to be substantially involved during its implementation. Examples of substantial involvement can include:

i. Approval of the Recipient’s annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year and changes to any activity to be carried out under the agreement;

ii. Approval of sub-award recipients, concurrence on the substantive provisions of the sub-awards, and coordination with other cooperating agencies;

iii. Review of any notice of funding opportunities and selection of recipients;

iv. Approval of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning plan for the Recipient and sub-award recipients; and

v. Other approvals that will be included in the award agreement.

C. Eligibility Information

Deadline for Applications: April 30, 2020

S/GWI Notice of Funding Opportunity 20

i. Eligible Applicant:

S/GWI welcomes applications from educational and research institutions; U.S. not-for-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) subject to section 501 (c) (3) of the U.S.

tax code, and foreign not-for-profits/NGOs/social enterprises. If applicants determine that a consortium of expert organizations should implement the work, they must submit a list of their proposed partners, each of whom must also meet the eligibility criteria.

Applications that do not meet the eligibility by the time of an application deadline will not be reviewed. Applicants may submit only one proposal in response to this NOFO. If multiple proposals are received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process.

The Department of State is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities and welcomes proposals irrespective of applicants’ race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Program activities must take place outside the United States.

ii. Cost Sharing or Matching:

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

When cost sharing is offered, all cost share or matching must be included in detail in the line item budget and noted in the budget narrative. It is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing that it elects to stipulate in its proposal and that is later included in an approved agreement. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For accountability, recipients must maintain written records to support all costs that are claimed as their contribution, as well as costs to be paid by the federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with 2 CFR 200.306 – Cost Sharing and Matching.

iii. Other:

S/GWI is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities.

S/GWI welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

S/GWI encourages applications that include work with the most at risk and vulnerable communities.

Only organizations with an active DUNS number, CAGE/NCAGE…