Space NOFO FAQs (1).docx

Advancing Strategic Space Partnerships in the Middle East Funding Opportunity Number: DFOP0017462 August 15, 2025

NOFO Q&A

1. Where do I apply for this Opportunity?

Please apply for this opportunity through MyGrants. There is a link in the description of the Grants.gov opportunity, and also could be found here: https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com/mygrants?id=mygrants_form&table=x_g_usd4_d_grant_funding_opportunity&sys_id=c605c4934736e6904f681864336d4310&view=Default

2. Where can I find the appendices and templates for this opportunity?

The appendices and templates could be found under “related documents” in the opportunity on Grants.gov, or at the above link in MyGrants.

3. What is the expected start date for this project?

This would be up to the discretion of the grantee and when the final award agreement could be signed. The earliest the grant could start would be October 1, 2025.

4. Can you provide a detailed definition of "appropriate protocol and decorum" as it pertains to Recipients of federal funding? Are there specific guidelines or examples that illustrate acceptable behavior in public communications?

Recipients should uphold reasonable standards of conduct, such as not disclosing sensitive internal discussions with USG collaborators or engaging in inappropriate or offensive behavior in public communications.

5. What constitutes "public communications" in the context of this award? Does this include social media, press releases, publications, and presentations?

Any award activities or communication accessible to or intended for public consumption would fall under this category.

6. How is compliance with this term monitored over the life of the award?

Compliance is through quarterly oversight with the grantor through reports, and meetings, in addition to possible grantor and/or third-party site visits and review of program materials or attendance at award activities.

7. “Recognizing that “for-profit” organizations are able to participate in this Opportunity, but the State Department prohibits profit for commercial organizations, would a “for-profit” or a “not-for-profit” Prime Awardee be allowed to bid and pay its subcontractor(s)/Sub Awardee(s) profit under the Grant?”

There should be no profit derived from this opportunity. The prime organization is allowed to pay subcontractors or sub awardees for work done on the project.

8. Could DOS please provide information on expected training participants, senior officials and technical specialists from national space agencies, diplomats, university researchers and students, private‑sector space entrepreneurs, legal experts, policy advisors, or a combination of these groups?

The expected participants could be any single group or combination of these groups.

9. Approximately how many classes are expected to be conducted in each country, and what is the anticipated number of participants per class?

This would be up to the specific program and program design from the grantee.

10. Could DOS please provide information on the sharing agreements in place with each country, including the level of classification that can be shared?

There are no sharing agreements in this award. This entire award is unclassified.

11. Page 8, Section D. The guidelines state that “one-time events, such as stand-alone conferences and one-off roundtables” are not allowed. Would an exception be made for high-profile events that significantly advance the program’s objectives?

One-time events can be considered if they are part of a larger project, but cannot be the entire project.

12. On page 9, the NOFO states, "Applicants shall provide a Logic Model and a Theory of Change (ToC)/Program Logic statement," yet on page 13, the Required Documents section states, "Include a logic model as appropriate." Please confirm that a logic model is required.

Yes, the logic model is required and will be evaluated as part of the proposal.

13. Page 9, Section G references Appendix 3 for the RMP template, yet it is not included as one of the appendices posted with the NOFO. Could DOS please provide a copy?

A copy of the RMP template is now provided. To clarify, use of the template is not required at the proposal stage. The project narrative must address how activities will be monitored and how the program will be evaluated. Once an applicant is selected, the RMP based on the template will be required.

14. Page 13, Section A, subsection I, "Required Documents," requests information on all previous grants from the State Department and/or U.S. government agencies. Due to our extensive history and the substantial volume of associated documentation, we respectfully request to provide a consolidated summary in lieu of submitting individual documents for each past grant.

If your organization has over 10 previous grants with the USG, please list the 10 most recent and/or most applicable to the project.

15. On page 14, the NOFO requires "dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events." Given that these events will depend on stakeholder availability, please confirm if providing the month and country for a particular activity suffices.

Yes.

16. Page 17. May applicants use smaller point font in textboxes, tables, and graphics?

Yes.

17. Page 17. May applicants include a non-counting cover page, cover letter, table of contents, and list of acronyms and abbreviations?

Yes.

18. Page 20, Section A, Achievable Objectives states: "The applicant includes a final evaluation of the project at the completion of the award." Will the awardee of this grant be expected to conduct the final evaluation or will it be conducted by a third party?

This will be completed by the applicant, but the grantee may be contacted by a Third Party Monitor at any point during the duration of the award.

19. Page 21, Section A. The evaluation criteria for Staff and Position Specifications require "a job description, including hiring criteria, is provided for each open key position." Given that applicants only have 15 pages for the proposal narrative, would DOS consider a) removing this requirement or b) allowing job descriptions to be non-counting annexes?

Staff and Position Specifications would be considered an annex and do not count in the page limit.

20. Does DOS expect a clearance requirement for any of the proposed staff This program is unclassified and there will be no expectation of clearances for any project staff. Depending on the organization and/or project, staff may be subject to vetting at the Department’s discretion.

21. Page 6: The program will target space professionals in both public and private sectors from countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Oman to build up a contingent of local space expertise on technical issues, business and commercial opportunities, strategy, and space policy. Due to the limited available funding, does this statement mean that the implementer has to work in the four specified countries or can it choose to select one or more country from the four to work with.

Proposals should work in all four specified countries.

22. Page 7: The implementer will refine program delivery and methods based on the post- program review outcomes and provide a return on investment (ROI) of the program by comparing total program costs with total program benefits. This means that the ROI exercise will not be presented as part of the proposal but will take place after the program’s expected outcomes are collaboratively designed with the respective assigned DOS contact in each country.

Yes, the ROI analysis will take place as part of a post-program review of outcomes.

23. Page 13: I) Required Documents-Federal Assistance Application Forms (SF-424 and SF424a) Form SF-424 is straight forward and contains pertinent information that can be easily filled. Form SF424A, however, includes the same information required in Appendix 1- AC Budget Sample Template and Budget Narrative Guidance, but in a much more complex form asking for “Assistance Listing Number”, “Estimated Unobligated Funds” classified under “Federal and Non-Federal”, and “New or Revised Budget”. It is unclear how these classifications can be made at this stage. Also, the required entries under Non-Federal Resources do not seem to be necessary since no Cost Share is expected, which means that all funds are federal. Assistance is needed to fill this form, or we request that we substitute it with Appendix 1.

The SF424A is a federal requirement for any grants made with funds from foreign assistance. If you are unable to fill out portions of the form, or they do not apply to you, you are welcome to leave portions blank.

24. Different terminologies were used in various sections of the NOFO: Letters of Support, Agreement, Intent and/or Commitment, also once mentioned as “not required” and another as “should include”. Please clarify the type of letters required, who should submit them, and whether they are required or not. Moreover, subsequent to the issuance of Executive Order “Reevaluating and Realigning U.S. Foreign Aid” on January 20, 2025, government agencies in the Middle East, under direct instructions from their respective security apparatus, have been instructed not to issue any support letters concerning U.S. foreign aid. This situation may change after an actual award is made. This is why, we request that government support letters are not evaluated as part of the proposal, and awardees can be directed to submit such letters upon award and before implementation starts.

Letters of support are supplementary to a proposal and are not required nor considered part of the page limit. If you feel a letter of support is appropriate for your application, you are welcome to provide one. Letter of support can come from any organization and/or individual.

25. Page 23: Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal bureau procedures. NEA/AC reserves the right to award funding to applicants under this announcement for a period of up to two years after the announcement’s close date. This is not a common clause seen in previous NOFOs. What is the probability of NEA/AC gaining a Congressional appropriation and actually funding this MENA Partnership within the coming year.

All federal awards are contingent upon funding availability and Congressional appropriations.

26. The RFP states: “The following activities and costs are NOT ALLOWED under this announcement: Travel costs for U.S. Government employees or contractors”. We assume “contractors” in this section is referring to contractors directly supporting existing State Department activities, not contractors that will perform the work under this grant. Correct?

Correct.