Embassy Belgrade - Democracy Commission Small Grants Program (FY2024)

Program Objectives:

Proposals should align with the U.S. Embassy’s objectives to strengthen democracy and

protect human rights and empower local organizations to advance these changes and reforms

throughout Serbia.

Grant activities may take any number of forms, including trainings, conferences, workshops,

courses, academic competitions, summer camps (focused on language study, sports, etc.),

cross-border exchanges, curriculum development, exhibits, hackathons, or app development,

online projects, mock trials or moot court competitions, simulations, and role-playing

activities (e.g., Model Congress, Model United Nations), film or theater festivals,

performances, or other activities.

The proposal should also demonstrate how the program will further engagement in underserved communities and with individuals from underserved communities. Proposals should demonstrate how addressing racial equity and underserved communities will enhance the program’s goals and objectives, as well as the experience of participants.

Participants and Audiences:

Primary audiences for proposals should be youth, students, teachers and administrators, young professionals, and/or others related to your program theme. Depending on focus, projects may have secondary audiences or beneficiaries including media, civil society organizations or wider professional audiences, which you may note in the proposal.

Participants or audiences for the proposal should be citizens or legal residents of Serbia.  

If your project idea might involve citizens of other countries, please see the full text of the NOFO, to understand restrictions on funding.  

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

·      Length of performance period: Any length of time up to a maximum of 18 months (including the 3-month evaluation period).

·      Number of awards anticipated: Approximately 10 awards (dependent on amounts)

·      Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $50,000

·      Total available funding: $265,000

·      Type of Funding: FY23/24 Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act.

·      Anticipated program start date: Your project should start no earlier than July 1, 2024, and no later than September 30, 2025.

Note: PDS strongly recommends that first-time applicants keep their budget under $25,000.

Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing is allowed but not required and will not impact funding decisions.

While filling out the application, you will be required to tell us whether you are also receiving funding from other donors for your project. Please be aware, however, that you must be able to carry out all the activities described in your application with the funding you receive, even if the contributions from other donors or other funding sources fail to materialize.  

C. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1.    Requesting the Application Package: Application forms required below are available at https://rs.usembassy.gov/grants-programs

2.    Content and Form of Application Submission: Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

Content of Application

Please ensure:

·       The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity

·       All documents are in English

·       All budgets are in U.S. dollars

·       All pages are numbered

·       All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and

·       All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Calibri font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

The following documents are required: 

1. Mandatory application forms

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

·       SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

·       SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) (note: the SF-424B is only required for individuals and for organizations not registered in SAM.gov)

2. Grant Application Form for FY2024 (Fiscal year 2024). Note: Detailed instructions for filling out the grant application are included with the form.

3. Budget Justification Narrative (Excel Spreadsheet): After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use the Excel spreadsheet template to describe and explain each of the budget expenses in detail. See section Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions in the full text of the NOFO for further information.

4. Attachments:

·      1-page CV or resume of all key personnel who are proposed for the program

·      Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner, if applicable.

·      If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file.

·      Official permission letters, if required for program activities.

·      If you still have not completed SAM.gov registration, a screenshot from SAM.gov reflecting that you have started the process.

·      APR (Agencija za privredne registre) document to prove that your organization is a non-profit organization. 

Required Registrations: All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. To be eligible for consideration, every Serbia-based applicant organization must also be registered in the territory of the Republic of Serbia with the Agencija za privredne registre (APR), or the relevant court.

Submission Dates and Times; Applications are due no later than May 10, 2024 at 15:00h.

Funding Restrictions: You may NOT apply for a grant from PDS if your project:

 ·      involves partisan political activity.

·      funds attendance at overseas conferences or trips abroad. 

·      international travel to/from the U.S. or countries outside the Balkan region.

·      involves giving charitable activity and humanitarian aid.

·      involves fundraising.

·      is commercial in nature, i.e., you are making money.

·      focuses on academic or scientific research.

·      is focused on arts, culture, or any other areas beyond the themes listed above.

·      is focused on skill learning or training programs unless the activity is specifically aimed at promoting the integration of disadvantaged groups into society.

·      duplicates an already existing project.

·      involves the provision of health care or services, childcare, food subsidies, or other social services to populations.

This funding opportunity aims to support specific projects with objectives which can be achieved within a set timeframe. We will not accept applications which are aimed more broadly at supporting your organization’s usual or typical daily activities and operations. Those will be deemed technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding by the review committee.

Other Submission Requirements: All application materials must be submitted by email to DemComSerbia@state.gov.  

If PDS does not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. 

MAXIMUM LENGTH IS 10 (TEN) PAGES (NOT INCLUDING ATTACHMENTS). 

As a backup, we strongly recommend that you also send a paper copy via post (postmarked before the deadline) to the following address: 

Democracy Commission

Public Diplomacy Section (PDS), U.S. Embassy

Bulevar Kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica 92

11040 Belgrade

Review and Selection Process:  

A review committee will evaluate all eligible applications. You may be asked to submit additional information and/or a revised budget. Please also be aware that, depending on the availability of funding, PDS might be able to fund only part of the budget that you have requested.  

Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates: PDS anticipates that final funding decisions will be made by July 1, 2024.

D. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

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

The full text of the NOFO and the required documents are available at https://rs.usembassy.gov/grants-programs/ and in the Related Documents tab.