PGO Request for Statements of Interest - ARDF

CFDA Number: 19.225                              

Total Amount Available: $400,000            

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

U.S. Embassy Nouakchott’s 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 (ESF/ARDF). PGO invites organizations interested in potential funding to submit Statement of Interest (SOI) applications outlining program concepts that reflect these goals. 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:

Programming supported with ARDF resources should address the following program objective:

Objective: Promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

a)    Support protection from, mitigation of, and responses to human rights violations and abuses, in particular human rights violations affecting the most vulnerable, by strengthening human rights frameworks, institutions, and oversight. 

b)    Support local and international human rights organizations and institutions to promote human rights systems, policies, and protection, with a focus on women and youth.

c)    Strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations, and resident, vendor, or other associations, through civic education and citizen participation to advocate for human rights and democratic norms that advance public involvement in civic life.

Under this program objective, applications should propose programs that aim to further Mauritania’s democratic governance by increasing respect for gender equality and children’s rights – an effort that will serve to create a more inclusive society. This will be done by implementing activities which will support two important instruments which the Mauritanian government has designed to improve its protection system: the National Strategy for the Protection of the Child for 2020-2025 (SNPE in French) and the (draft) Law for the Fight against Violence Inflicted on Women and Girls.

1.    To support the SNPE, proposed activities should plan to execute workshops to design regional action plans recommended by the SNPE. This is an important component for the delivery of comprehensive protection. These action plans will promote an enabling political environment, reinforce the protection system of the child, including children with disabilities, at community, departmental, regional, and national levels, and create a pathway towards an improved system of protection data collection. These workshops will:

1.1. Identify regional prevention and awareness-raising priorities.

1.2. Design regional action plans for prevention, awareness-raising, and emergency preparedness. All these activities must take into account all children, including children with disabilities.

1.3. Mobilize and reinforce community protection structures such as women’s groups, Elders, community-based associations, and host-families.

2.    To support the draft Gender law, proposed activities should spearhead a large awareness raising effort – through workshops and campaigns, in print and in social media - to amplify understanding of the provisions of the new law, which will clarify legal definitions of violence against girls and women. To this extent, proposed programs should plan to:

2.1.1.    Organize the largest dissemination efforts possible to bring knowledge of the law at all administrative levels: national, regional, and municipal. This dissemination effort will include working closely with religious leaders and other civil society actors.

2.1.2.    Adapt all provisions of the law in appropriate digital and media supports in local languages to ensure that girls and women have access to accurate and diversified content, so as to further their understanding of the law.

2.1.3.    Work with survivors to organize themselves, disseminate knowledge of the provisions and share experiences to model responses and motivate girls and women to seek justice.

2.1.4.    Disseminate provisions of the new Observatory for the Rights of Women and Girls (ONDFF in French)

2.1.5.    Provide capacity-building for key leaders of the ONDFF

2.1.6.    Contribute to setting up a database on violence against women and girls.

Participants and Audiences:

The target audiences should be vulnerable children, girls and women, government officers, civil society actors, human rights defenders, community leaders, and 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:

·      Number of human rights defenders trained and supported.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 12 to 24 months

Number of awards anticipated for ARDF: 2 awards.

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $200,000

Type of Funding:  FY 2020 Economic Support Funds (ESF) - Africa Regional Democracy Fund.

Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2021

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Grant.

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 to 24 months .

 C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1.    Eligible Applicants for ESF/ARDF:

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

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 15, 2021 at 6:00 P.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 based on 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. SOIs 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, the 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