QA SFOP0010239 5.pdf

NOFO SFOP0010239

Project to Support the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion (RESI) Goals

Questions and Answers April 3, 2024

Question: Does this NOFO welcome proposals from the UN system under the PIOs category?

Response: Yes, public international organizations are eligible to apply.

Question: Reviewing the terms of reference, please clarify what “locally” means.

Response: In the context of the NOFO, locally means based in the country or countries where activities are to take place.

Question: Are resources up to 1,973,359 USD distributed among the host countries?

Response: The selected applicant organization will receive the total amount of funding available, pending availability of funds.

Question: Is a single project chosen as the winner or are several projects winning for funding?

Response: One grant to one applicant organization will be selected for funding.

Question: Can Colombian NGOs based abroad apply?

Response: Yes, locally based organizations are encouraged to apply.

Question: Could you please verify that the proposal narrative should not exceed 10 pages in Word format?

Response: This is correct, the proposal narrative should not exceed 10 pages in Word document format. Please note the page limit does not include the Table of Contents, Executive Summary and Attachments, such as Budget/and Budget Narrative, Audit Report, and NICRA, if applicable.

Question: Is it a requirement of the above grant that it be in the countries listed?

Response: Applications must include all of the countries required in the NOFO (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico).

Question: Regarding the amount of the award, we noticed in the Q&A document that “There will be one award which will include activities in all five countries listed in the NOFO” – Does that mean that each country might be eligible to receive up to 1/5 of the total funding (i.e., USD 394,671.8 per country) for the 36 months implementation period? Will the USD 1.9 will be evenly distributed per country?

Response: One grant to one applicant organization will be selected for funding. Applicants may propose appropriate activities and funding levels for each country as long as all five countries are included in the application.

Question: In terms of the outcomes for Mexico, what are the expectations on workforce development on the tech sector? Does this mean strengthening skills to facilitate job access in the tech sector through training on coding, A.I., etc., or could it also mean digital literacy to reduce the digital gap in marginalized communities?

Response: Applicants are expected to develop and propose appropriate activities to address workforce development in this sector.

Question: Is there a standard format structure for submission of grant proposals?

Response: Formatting requirements are included in the NOFO and PSI documents on the Grants.gov announcement related documents tab.

Question: Are target due dates for deliverables within the proposal required?

Response: Target date estimates are required within the required timeline attachment, as described in the PSI document.

Question: Can the WHA/PPC team share or provide additional details such as the below regarding past RESI FY22 alumni, as mentioned in page 7-8: How many RESI FY22 alumni are there? In which countries are RESI FY22 alumni located? What type of fellowship or RESI project implemented?

Response: There will be between 40-50 RESI alumni located in Colombia and Brazil. Additional details will be provided to the selected applicant.

Question: Page 3 of the updated PSI RESI document states that there are six mandatory attachments (up to 9 pages) including the detailed budget and budget narrative. However, page 17 of the NOFO states “Please note the ten-page limit does not include the Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Attachments, Detailed Budget, Budget Narrative, or NICRA.” Can WHA please clarify whether there is a page limit on the budget narrative?

Response: There is no page limit on the budget narrative.

Question: Can WHA please clarify whether the summit described under component 5 on page 7 of the NOFO is the same summit as defined in the outputs on page 8?

Response: Yes, it is the same summit.

Question: Can we proceed with a program proposal focusing only in our geographic area of work (Brazil)?

Response: Applications must include all of the countries required in the NOFO (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico).

Questions: Are we allowed to work as a coalition and distribute project resources among project participants through subgrants?

Response: Applications must originate from one prime applicant, but applications may include partnerships and/or sub-grants with other eligible entities to carry out project activities.

Partnerships with locally based NGOs are encouraged.