FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting Iraqi refugees and IDPs in the Near East

PRM will prioritize funding for proposed NGO activities that best meet the Bureau’s priorities for displaced Iraqis as identified below. NGOs submitting proposals in response to this funding announcement must be registered to operate in each of the countries of the proposed activities by the program start date. Within the body of the proposal, NGOs should clearly state their ability to operate in the proposed areas and include documentation providing verification of their registration status as an attachment. Documentation of registration status and/or description of current operating status are particularly important in Syria and Turkey. NGOs that do not currently have an active, sustained presence in Iraq should provide information on actions taken to initiate operations, including baselines. (a) Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees and conflict victims, PRM will only consider funding projects that include a direct beneficiary base of at least 50 percent Iraqi refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or returnees. In Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, proposed activities should primarily support Iraqi refugees. Inside Iraq, PRM is interested in projects that support both local integration of IDPs and reintegration of returning IDPs and refugees. PRM will consider proposals for activities in a single country as well as regional programs. (b) Proposals for programs outside Iraq should focus on health, protection, and livelihoods (including education). Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations. Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority):• Health care, including health education and preventative health care, reproductive health services, capacity building for local service providers, mainstreaming into local health care infrastructure, and clinical management of rape and other forms of gender based violence. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence, including men, boys, and LGBTI individuals, are incorporated into the project. NGOs will be required to provide their health program/beneficiary information to UNHCR. NGOs should also comment in detail on how, if at all, the fees they charge for their services differ from UNHCR’s healthcare rates, and whether and why they provide brand name and/or generic medications.• Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual as well as family/group counseling and/or therapy. Proposals should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and articulate how beneficiaries are identified; previous coordination with other mental health providers, including training; efforts to improve local capacity to provide adequate mental healthcare; the extent to which the NGO is able to utilize local organizations/resources to meet the mental healthcare needs of its beneficiaries; and an overview of the most prevalent mental health needs among the displaced Iraqi population that the NGO intends to address. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project. • Humanitarian assistance and protection, including: non-food items; gender-based violence prevention and response programs, including services for both female and male survivors and perpetrators; programs aimed at addressing the interrelated assistance and protection needs of vulnerable beneficiaries by providing services and referral networks; and other emergency assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals. Proposals should indicate how this assistance is filling an identified gap, including how the gap and the beneficiaries were identified.• Education, including remedial education and non-formal education programs, with special attention to adolescents, particularly those at risk of losing educational opportunities due to their interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Iraq. Proposals should address how the educational assistance will assist with integration into local educational structures and whether the certification earned from the educational assistance will be recognized by the Government of Iraq should the refugee voluntarily choose to return.• Vocational training, continuing professional education, and/or livelihoods/business development programs linked to current and/or future job opportunities. Where applicable, the proposal should include a description of what efforts will be made to assist in making job placements. (c) Proposals for programs inside Iraq should focus on livelihoods (including education) and gender-based violence prevention and response for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and IDP or refugee returnees. Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations, in addition to coordination with local authorities where possible. Programs should be limited to Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa, and Erbil governorates.Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority): • Gender-based violence prevention, response, and reintegration support for both female and male survivors and perpetrators. • Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual and family/group counseling and/or therapy, as well as capacity building of local mental health service providers. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project. • Formal education reintegration support for youth with an interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Iraq. This could include remedial education aimed at facilitating re-entry into the formal school system; assisting families in obtaining necessary documentation; training in literacy, life skills, and vocational skills linked to local markets; facilitating communication between IDP communities and local school administrations to ensure equality of access; or developing local solutions to promote school attendance among IDP communities.(d) All program design should take into account the following guidance: • Programs are encouraged to prioritize the needs of women and girls in a way that strengthens their roles in families and in the broader community. Programs should also target the needs of the most vulnerable groups among the Iraqi refugee, IDP, and returnee population (e.g., female-headed households; disabled or isolated refugees; GBV survivors; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals; etc.). Younger single men are also considered a vulnerable group for which PRM would consider targeted programming. Programs are encouraged to demonstrate how they will train their staff to meet the specific protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively. Programs should be accessible to physically disabled persons.• In proposals for follow-on activities for PRM-funded projects, NGOs should demonstrate the application of lessons learned and changes necessitated by the dynamic social and economic situation of Iraqis in the region. NGOs should assess the continuing effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance they currently provide, highlighting best practices developed and any programmatic adjustments that should be made in follow-on activities. • Proposals should include a realistic and detailed assessment of the sustainability of the project.• All NGOs must participate in UNHCR-designed and -managed refugee assistance information systems where applicable. (e) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the above mentioned sectors although, given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:• A working relationship with UNHCR and/or current UNHCR funding;• A proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;• Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector, as well as – where possible – local authorities; • A concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective; objectives should be clearly linked to the sectors in the RFP;• Projects inside Iraq, because of the return/local integration context, where feasible, must include strong transition plans in their proposals that detail specific benchmarks and/or a timeline for turning over the project to local organizations, Iraqi authorities, or development organizations;• A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources; • Appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations. • Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.(e) Country Specific Instructions • Iraq and Syria: NGOs should describe security arrangements for international and local staff, including contingency planning for deteriorating security conditions. *************************************************For more details on this specific opportunity, please click the "Full Announcement" Grants.gov link.For PRM's general NGO guidelines, please go to the Funding Opportunities page of PRM's website: http://www.state.gov/j/prm/funding/c50224.htm. After you've read both documents, please contact Program Analyst Trisha Presto at 202.453.9294 or PrestoTL@state.gov with any questions.