Statement of Interest - PGO-FY2019- Final.docx

PGO SOI 2019

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. Embassy Nouakchott/Mauritania Notice of Funding Opportunity: Statement of Interest

Funding Opportunity Title: PGO Request for Statements of Interest: Notice of Funding Opportunity Funding Opportunity Number: PGO-MRT-FY2019-01 Deadline for Applications: July 28, 2020 CFDA Number: 19.700 Total Amount Available: $400,000

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Program and Grants Office (PGO) of the U.S. Department of State announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in applying for funding for program proposals that promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. PGO invites organizations interested in potential funding to submit Statement of Interest (SOI) applications outlining program concepts that reflect this goal. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

The submission of a SOI is the first step in a two-part process. Applicants must first submit a SOI, which is a concise, 1-3-page concept note designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit program ideas for PGO to evaluate prior to requiring the development of full proposal applications. Upon review of eligible SOIs, PGO will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decision are made.

Program Objectives:

1. Implement innovative efforts to educate vulnerable Mauritanians, civil society actors, and the public on anti-slavery, anti-trafficking, anti-discrimination, and gender-based violence (GBV) legislations.

2. Implement activities to promote the rights of children victims of mendicity, this includes raising awareness on existing laws and collecting data to inform USG and GIRM’s programming.

Examples of PGO-funded programs in this area include, but are not limited to:

· National caravans to disseminate knowledge of rights, raise awareness on human rights and gender issues.

Priority Program Area:

Proposals should be related to the following U.S. Embassy priority program area:

Further Democratic Governance, Including Ending Slavery and Promoting an Inclusive Society.

Example projects under this program area could focus on:

· Promoting social inclusion

· Reducing discrimination in all its forms

· Advocacy for inclusive national identity

· Cross-Cultural dialogue and understanding

· Human rights

· Cultural and ethnic diversity

Participants and Audiences:

The target audiences should be vulnerable Mauritanians, civil society actors, human rights defenders, children victims of mendicity, community leaders, non-formal education teachers, the public (youth and women).

Project performance:

In addition to any custom indicators to track individual project performance and effectiveness, the following performance Indicators must be included:

Strengthen Democracy, Human Rights, and Good Governance Promote and Protect Fundamental Rights and Liberties

Support the protection, mitigation, and responses to violations against human rights, in particular human rights violations affecting the most vulnerable, by strengthening human rights frameworks, institutions, and oversight

· Performance Indicators:

· Number of individuals/groups from low income or marginalized communities who received legal aid or victim’s assistance with U.S. government assistance.

· Promote human rights principles, in accordance with American values and international norms

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 06 to 12 months Number of awards anticipated: 3 awards.

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $200,000 Type of Funding: FY 2019 Economic Support Funds-Overseas Contingency Operations (ESF-OCO) - Africa Regional Democracy Fund.

Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2020

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Grant.

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

· Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations

· Educational institutions

· Foreign Public Entities (FPE) for example: Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions)

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

N/A.

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System/DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section E.4 for more information.

· Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.)

· Applicants must be registered to operate in Mauritania.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Content and Form of Application Submission:

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

Content of SOI must include:

· A brief project description summarizing goals, objectives outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, and proposed timeline.

· A clear statement of the applicant’s organizational capacity to carry out the proposed activity and manage U.S. Government funds.

· Documents in English

· The anticipated total budget amount (in U.S. dollars)

2. Submission Dates and Times

SOIs are due no later than July 31 at 11:00 A.M. GMT.

3. Funding Restrictions:

Funding can be used only in Mauritania and for the purpose of this grant.

4. Other Submission Requirements

All application materials must be submitted by email to Nouakchottgrants@state.gov

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

Each SOI will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below.

Quality of Program Idea – 50 points: The SOI is responsive to program framework. The idea is communicated well and is feasible. SOI’s that promote creative approaches to address program objectives are highly encouraged. The proposed timeline is reasonable.

Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants –35 points: The SOI should demonstrate the organization’s expertise and previous experience in administering programs. If a local partner is identified SOI should briefly describe the partner’s role and experience.

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15 points: The SOI should clearly articulate proposed program activities and expected results towards achieving program objectives and goal(s).

2. Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible SOIs. All eligible SOIs will be reviewed against the criteria listed above. SOIs are reviewed individually against the criteria and not against competing SOIs.

3. Following the review, any successful SOI applicants will be contacted and instructed to submit full applications. A full application will include:

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

· SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

4. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov):

Required Registrations:

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.

Organizations are not required to have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number –formally referred to as DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number- nor active SAM.gov registration to apply at this stage of the solicitation. However, if a SOI is accepted for a full proposal application, the organization must obtain a UEI and have an active SAM.gov registration before submitting its full proposal application. Therefore, we recommend starting the process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration as soon as possible. The process can take several weeks. Please note there is no cost associated with UEI or SAM.gov registration.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Terms and Conditions: Before submitting the SOI, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply if a full proposal application is requested and awarded, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:

2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions which are available at: https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the SOI application process, please contact: Nouakchottgrants@state.gov