U.S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section Grant for Peace and Stability in Nigeria’s North West and North Central Regions

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for individuals and organizations to submit program proposals to support Nigeria’s response to the ongoing instability in the North West and North Central regions. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

Priority Region: Nigeria’s North West and North Central regions

Program Objectives:

PAS seeks to award a limited number of grants to individuals, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations that are actively working to support the Nigerian government’s community outreach efforts towards fostering inter-communal and interfaith dialogue, establishing forums for constructive advocacy and conflict resolution, early warning mechanisms, and/or amplifying government’s security efforts in under served areas.

PAS will prioritize grant program proposals that protect against security threats and foster peace and stability through measures to prevent and counter violent extremism, mitigate rural violence and encourage peaceful dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution.

This funding will prioritize individuals and organizations that have already commenced projects, can demonstrate capacity to manage programming, and have clear records of achievement. Humanitarian assistance, social welfare and construction are not allowed under this funding instrument. Projects must be safe and follow current healthcare regulations. Applicants are permitted to submit only one proposal per individual/organization.

Participants and Audiences:

The funding is intended to target the root cause of violence in the region through grassroots efforts that encourage participation from youth, women, religious leaders/credible voices and the security apparatus.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period:         Six (6) months to Twelve (12) months

Number of awards anticipated:         Dependent on individual amounts

Award amounts:                                Awards may range from a minimum of $5,000.00 to a maximum of $50,000.00

Type of Funding:                              FY20 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds & Fulbright-Hays Act

Anticipated programs start date:       September 1st, 2020

Funding Instrument Type: Grant – Fixed Amount Award

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
• Public and private educational institutions
• Individuals
• Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions

2.     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 D.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov.

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

1.     Address to Request Application Package

Application forms required below are available at: ng.usembassy.gov, grants.gov.

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

The following documents are required: 

1. Mandatory application forms

•     SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance –individuals)
•     SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

2. Summary Page: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program.

3. Proposal: The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below. 

• Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact.
• Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies.
• Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed
• Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable.
• Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.
• Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal. Include a logic model as appropriate.
• Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.
• Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program? 
• Program Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees.
• Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time-frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant?
• Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

4. Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget, use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. 

5. Attachments:

• 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program
•  Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner
• If your organization has a 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
• Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

Required Registrations:

All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

•         Unique entity identifier from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)
•         NCAGE/CAGE code
•         www.SAM.gov registration

Step 1: Apply for a DUNS number and an NCAGE number (these can be completed simultaneously)

DUNS application: Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet. If your organization does not have one already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866-705-5711 or visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform 

NCAGE application: Application page here: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx 

Instructions for the NCAGE application process:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf 

For NCAGE help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423

For NCAGE help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766

Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil for any problems in getting an NCAGE code.

Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE Code, proceed to register in SAM.gov by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

3.     Submission Dates and Times

Applications are due no later than July 31, 2020, 11:59pm WAT. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All applications should be submitted to PASAbujaGrants@state.gov using the subject line “NW NC Submission”. Please note that there is not a required template or format, but due to the volume of submissions, applications should be no more than 3 pages.

4.     Funding Restrictions

Activities that are not funded include, but are not limited to:

•         Social welfare projects
•         Tuition assistance
•         Individual travel to conferences
•        Construction projects
•         Completion activities for projects begun with other funds
•         Projects that are inherently political in nature or that convey partisan support to

individual or single party electoral campaigns; and,

•         Political party activities.

Authorizing statutes for the funding opportunity are:

1) Fulbright-Hays Act, which allows the Department of State to use funds for the purpose of

supporting international exchanges that address issues of mutual interest to the United States

and host nations: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/fulbrighthaysact.pdf

2) Smith-Mundt Act that outlines the terms by which the U.S. government engages global

audiences: http://www.state.gov/pdcommission/library/177362.htm

5.     Other Submission Requirements

Proposals should be submitted online to PAS, U.S. Embassy Abuja at PASAbujaGrants@state.gov by July 31, 2020 no later than 11:59pm WAT. Please indicate “NW NC Submission” in the subject line. Applications and all supporting documents are accepted in English only. While budget figures may be calculated in naira before converting to U.S. dollars, final budget figures must be stated in U.S. dollars (use $1=N381). 

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1.     Criteria

Each application will be evaluated and rated based on the evaluation criteria outlined below.

Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – 20 points: The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.  

Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants – 20 points: The organization has expertise in its stated field and has the internal controls in place to manage federal funds. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15 points: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Budget – 10 points: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities.

Monitoring and evaluation plan – 15 points: Applicant demonstrates it can measure program success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured.

American Content – 10 points: American content emphasizes informing others about the U.S. and increasing their understanding of U.S. policy, values, etc. This can be as complex as having a U.S. citizen speaker or trainer (virtual), or as simple as having alumni run a program. The key is to visibly tie the program in some way to the U.S., our priorities, and established Public Diplomacy programs/exchanges.

Sustainability – 10 points: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.

2.     Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications.

3.  Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)

For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold on any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity may include, over the period of performance (see §200.88 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants:

i. That the Federal awarding agency, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

ii. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

iii. That the Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

F. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: Public Affairs Section, PASAbujaGrants@state.gov