U.S. Embassy in Poland Grant for Rule of Law Promotion Programs

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland are pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for grants to support in-person programs that promote rule of law in Poland. This call is for organizations only, not individuals. Organizations may apply for up to $50,000. This NOFO is for projects whose activities begin no earlier than November 1, 2022. The deadline for this NOFO, #WAW-NOFO-FY22-04, is Monday, July 4, 2022. 

A. ELIGIBILITY:

• Grants will be awarded to local representatives of Polish non-governmental organizations, cultural or educational institutions, media whose proposals support the topics listed below.
• Organizations which currently have an open grant from the Embassy should not apply.
• Organizations may apply for up to $50,000.
• All grantees must have a non-profit status.
• One application per organization.
• NGOs from the United States may apply but should present evidence of a relationship with a local partner operating in Poland in their proposals.
• In order to receive a grant, all organizations must have an NCAGE number and a valid SAM.gov registration (registrations are valid for one year). Instructions are in Section F. Please start this process immediately as it can take several weeks to complete.

B. PROJECT THEMES:

These funds may be used to support projects that:

• Offer educational activities such as trainings, workshops, or speakers about rule of law for lawyers and legislators
• Provide educational workshops for university and/or high school students about rule of law

C. GRANT AWARD INFORMATION:

• All grants are subject to the availability of funds from the U.S. Department of State, and any costs and expenses incurred prior to receipt of grant money will not be reimbursed by the U.S. Embassy. Project duration may not exceed 12 months.
• Generally, grant funds may not be used to cover:
• projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns
• exchange programs
• social welfare projects
• projects that support specific religious activities
• trade activities; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research; construction projects; projects whose primary aim is the institutional development of the organization itself
• travel to the United States for conferences, scientific research, studies, reporting tours, cultural events, etc.
• book publishing or translation for the purposes of publishing a book
• ongoing salary costs of organization staff
• equipment, including but not limited to: office equipment, sports equipment, cameras, etc.
• completing activities begun with other funds
• food and drink beyond the cost of coffee breaks and working lunches (alcohol cannot be funded at all)
• Your budget may include project coordination fees and administrative costs (accounting, office supplies, etc.) but the total of those costs should not exceed 20% of the total amount of the grant.

D. HOW TO APPLY:

Send your application materials to grantspoland@state.gov by 17:00 on Monday, June 27, 2022. Your email must include all of the below elements: 

• Completed application form (no more than six pages)
• CVs for the project coordinator and the head of the applying organization
• U.S. Government form SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
• U.S. Government form SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)
• Confirmation of SAM.gov registration for your organization – registration instructions are listed below.

E. APPLICATION GUIDELINES:

Please read carefully – proposals that do not meet the requirements listed will be eliminated in the technical review and will not be evaluated by the committee.

• All proposals must be in English.
• Proposals may not exceed 6 pages in length (including budget) in Times New Roman Size 12 font.
• Budgets must be expressed in U.S. dollars and must be written in the budget template in the application. Do not send the budget as an additional attachment.
• Any cost listed in the budget must be described in the project narrative.
• Examples of budget items might include project coordinator fees, honorarium for a speaker or expert, graphic design costs, or equipment rental.
• Examples of “units” include hours of design work, months of coordinator fees, number of workshops by a speaker, etc.
• The last row of the spreadsheet should show the total cost of the project, and the total amounts that will be covered with U.S. Embassy funds, the applicant’s funds and funds from other sponsor(s).

Submitting your application:

• All required forms and instructions can be found at https://pl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants/nofo_rule_law/
• Please send one email with all required documents to: grantspoland@state.gov
• The subject line of the email should list the name of the applying organization followed by the NOFO number, which is WAW-NOFO-FY22-04.

F. INSTRUCTIONS FOR NCAGE and SAM REGISTRATIONS:

To register in SAM one must first obtain an NCAGE number. This process may take from several days up to several weeks, so applicants are advised to start early. Please note that no fee or payment is required to register for SAM or obtain an NCAGE number. 

NCAGE Registration (NATO Commercial and Governmental Entity)

• To request a NATO Commercial and Governmental Entity (NCAGE) code, please go to https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx.
• More information is also available at: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf
• When obtaining your NCAGE number, please make sure that you provide exactly the same organization details (name, address) as in KRS and REGON.
• As you register for NCAGE, we recommend you take a screenshot of the information you have entered (or note it in some other way) to ensure you enter that information in the exact same way in SAM.gov to avoid delays in your registration.  For example, if you enter your address in NCAGE as Ul. Aleje Ujazdowskie, enter it exactly that way in SAM.gov.  Do not change Ul. to Ulica – any discrepancies will cause problems in the SAM.gov system. 

SAM Registration (System for Award Management)

• To register in SAM please go to SAM.gov. No fee or payment is required to register for SAM.
• Please make sure you enter your organization’s information in the exact same way you entered it in the NCAGE system to avoid delays in your registration.  If you entered your address in NCAGE as Ul. Aleje Ujazdowskie, enter it exactly that way in SAM.gov.  Do not change Ul. to Ulica – any discrepancies will cause problems in the SAM.gov system.
• SAM.gov registration is only valid for one year. If your organization registered prior to September 1, 2021, you must renew your registration.

G. SELECTION PROCESS

Applications will be reviewed by a committee at the U.S. Embassy and Consulate and all applicants will be informed of the outcome. Please note that the decisions of the committee are final. There is no right of appeal and the Embassy is unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful proposals.

In addition to addressing one of the themes listed above, priority will be given to innovative projects that:

• forge people-to-people connections between Americans and Poles
• create ties between U.S. and Polish institutions, organizations, and networking groups
• include and/or benefit diverse audiences and beneficiaries, such as persons with disabilities, immigrants, ethnic minorities and people in rural areas

H. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

All grants that are disbursed to successful applicants will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds may be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner. All other details related to grant administration will be specified in the grant agreement between the U.S. Embassy and successful applicant and are governed by the U.S. Department of State’s Standard Terms and Conditions.

I. REQUESTS FOR “HONORARY PATRONAGE”

The Public Affairs Section frequently receives requests from individuals and institutions seeking “honorary patronage” from the U.S. Embassy or the Ambassador (including the use of U.S. Embassy seal) for projects or events. Due to U.S. government ethics guidelines, however, the U.S. Embassy is unable to issue “patronage” or letters of support to institutions that do not receive funding from the United States government.  

INQUIRIES

All questions about the U.S. Embassy’s Grants Program should be sent to: grantspoland@state.gov.