U.S. Embassy Accra Public Diplomacy Annual Program Statement: Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI)

The submission of the SOI is the first step in a two-step process. Applicants must first submit a statement of interest designed to clearly communicate program idea and objectives to include a concise concept note not to exceed 3 pages and a one-page budget with a solid budget narrative justification. This is not a call for a full proposal. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to requiring the development of a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program idea(s) by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decision(s) are made. SOIs may be submitted for consideration through March 24, 2024, 23:59 GMT. 

PURPOSE OF U.S. EMBASSY ACCRA GRANTS

PDS Accra invites SOIs for programs that strengthen ties and build relationships between the United States and Ghana through activities that highlight shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include a strong American element and/or connection with American expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) (separate and beyond any involvement with the U.S. Embassy or its American Corners) that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Priority will be given to projects that yield concrete, measurable results. Projects consisting solely of conferences or roundtable discussions, speaker series, theoretical research or surveys, or the writing or publishing of books, are unlikely to be funded.

PRIORITY PROGRAM AREAS

Economic: Activities that target women-led business ventures across Ghana to accelerate and expand environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship; promote skills training and access to business networks; and advocate for investment in and expansion of women-led SMEs so that they may grow their own businesses, employ more young people, and promote environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Education: Activities that create opportunities that support Ghanaian secondary institutions and educators to increase critical thinking, practical skills training, and experiential learning in the classroom and beyond; promote on-the-job skills training and professional development opportunities; and promote studying of subjects that advance strong democracy so that young, educated Ghanaians will be better prepared to fully engage in the democratic process and sustain Ghana’s economy in the 21st century. 

Peace and Security: Activities that give voice to Ghanaian youth, marginalized communities, and local government through civic education and conflict resolution skills that counter violent extremism and gender-based violence; or that strengthen citizenship and civic education so that communities will be able to engage in debate and sensitive conversations and to hold one another accountable, without resorting to violence. 

Media and Press Freedom: Activities that protect press freedom and strengthen the journalism profession through targeted training on fact checking, journalist ethics, and countering misinformation for journalists across the country; and promote media and information literacy, especially among youth, so that Ghana’s media institutions and journalists are less vulnerable to external threats to their credibility and more prepared to be valuable contributors to Ghana’s democratic process.  

Democracy and Civil Society: Activities that strengthen internal capacity for management, planning, and issue advocacy among civil society organizations, especially those reflecting marginalized voices that are underrepresented in the public debate, or engaged in democracy and governance issues, in order to support more diverse opinions in civic engagement and public debate. 

Human Rights: Activities that challenge norms that threaten human rights and deny equity for marginalized communities; create or support safe spaces for public advocacy; promote tolerance and respect for human rights for all (while urging zero tolerance for any form of abuse); and support civil society, media, and academia to promote democratic debate.  

PARTICIPANTS AND AUDIENCES

Programs may be geared to a variety of audiences, depending on the topic. Statements of Interest will be evaluated based on a well-reasoned strategy for addressing the intended audience, stakeholders, and beneficiaries (primary and secondary). Proposals for projects that include participation of U.S. Government exchange alumni will be given additional consideration.

Additionally, in accordance with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities, programs should advance equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Number of awards anticipated: 5 to 10 awards (dependent on amounts)

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $100,000

Total expected available funding: up to $300,000

Type of Funding: 19.040 — Public Diplomacy Programs, 19.022 — Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs, 19.979 — Regional Peace and Security

Funding Instrument Type: Grant or Fixed Amount Award

Length of performance period: 18 months or less

Anticipated program start date: July through October 2024

This NOFO is subject to availability of funding.

The U.S. Embassy Accra Public Diplomacy Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described in the absence of worthy applications or under such other circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. Government. All projects are subject to negotiation by the Grants Officer before final award.

PDS may entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

COMPETITION TIMELINE

This announcement requests SOI concept notes from qualified organizations. After a technical review and a merit review, Statements of Interest that are determined to have met the criteria explained in this NOFO will be invited to submit full proposals. Additional guidance and detailed instructions will be provided in the request for a full proposal.

March 24, 2024 – SOI submission deadline

April 18, 2024 – invitations sent to selected applicants to submit a full proposal

May 13, 2024 – full proposals due from selected applicants

May 30, 2024 – notification of selected proposals* 

*Additional projects may be selected after this date subject to available funding.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

The Public Diplomacy Section encourages applications from the United States and Ghana, including:

• Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
• Governmental institutions

* For-profit institutions are not eligible for this notice of funding opportunity. Proposals from individuals will not be considered for this funding opportunity.

OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D for more information. The process of obtaining or renewing a registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

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.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Visit the U.S. Embassy Ghana’s website for a complete set of instructions at: https://gh.usembassy.gov/education-culture/public-affairs-small-grants/. Please read the instructions carefully. Applications that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be considered ineligible. All submissions must include the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance. Forms and instructions are available at grants.gov/forms. PDS Accra will accept SOI proposals from the date this NOFO is posted until 11:59pm GMT March 24, 2024. A grants committee will review eligible applications received by this date. All SOIs should be submitted by email to PASAccraGrant@state.gov

Note: Any templates provided by the U.S. Embassy Accra (available on the U.S. Embassy Accra Grant’s webpage) are best practices, not mandated for use. Applicants are encouraged to use S.M.A.R.T. criteria when developing their program goals and objectives – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Applicants are also encouraged to use resources for grant writing and other education materials available on Grants.gov.

This Request for Statements of Interest (SOI) and any amendments and supplementary information can be found at www.grants.gov (search by Opportunity Number) or on the U.S. Embassy Accra’s website.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

An Embassy Grant Review Committee will review all eligible SOIs. Each application will be evaluated and rated based on the evaluation criteria outlined in this announcement. SOIs are reviewed individually against the criteria and not against competing SOIs. For a fair review all panelists will review the first page of the SOI up to the page limit and no further. Successful SOI applicants will be notified of the decision to present a full submission by March 24, 2024. Instructions on the requirements of a full application submission will be provided at that time. An invitation to present a full submission is not a financial commitment and is not a guarantee of any future funding.

U.S. Government Alumni participation: Statements of Interest for projects that include participation of U.S. Government exchange alumni will be given additional consideration.