U.S. Embassy New Delhi Public Affairs Section Grant: Fostering U.S.-India High School Partnerships for Communication & Global Collaboration

Funding Opportunity Title: NDRFP13-02 U.S.-India School Partnership for Real Communication

CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs
Date Opened: 05/30/2013
Contact: Grant Applications Manager, U.S. Embassy New Delhi
Email: ND_GrantApplications@state.gov

Application Deadline: 06/20/2013 12:00 midnight Washington, DC (EDT)

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section in New Delhi is soliciting proposals for grant agreements that fall into the area specified in Section II below from non-governmental organizations, and other legally-recognized non-profit institutions that meet U.S. and/or Indian technical and legal requirements to develop and implement educational and cultural programs as specified in Section II below. Information about the Public Affairs Section can be found at: http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/.

Section II. U.S.-India School Partnership for Real Communication
Individual high schools in India are linked with high schools in the U.S. for curriculum development partnerships, joint projects on selected themes, sharing cultural information and developing personal relationships between students and teachers. Making the most of available technology, students and teachers communicate and collaborate on a regular basis.

School linkages would provide the platform for American Studies / Indian Studies curriculum development in the partner schools. Partner schools also collaborate on projects related to global issues: climate change, innovation, conflict resolution, etc. – according to an annual theme selected by the U.S. Department of State (hereafter called USDOS).

The recipient organization will identify schools in all major cities in India and America. Number and names of these cities will be finalized after discussion with USDOS.

The recipient will conduct training workshops for all the selected school, so that schools have a clear understanding of the projects and its desired end results.

The recipient will work closely with the schools during the roll out to resolve any teething problems.

The recipient will monitor all aspects of project and conduct time bound evaluation by feedback, surveys and questionnaires, etc. and submit a mid-term and final valuation of the project for USDOS.

Section III. Award Information

1. Funding Type and Amount: Grant Agreement or Grant
Minimum (“Floor”) Award Amount: $10,000
Maximum (“Ceiling”) Award Amount: $46,326

The U.S. Embassy New Delhi Public Affairs Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under circumstances deemed to be in the best interest of the U.S. government.

2. Project and Budget Periods: Grant projects generally should be completed in one year or
less. The Public Affairs Section will entertain applications for continuation grant agreements funded under these awards, within and beyond the initial budget period, on a noncompetitive 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.

Section IV. Basic Eligibility Information:

1. Non profit. The U.S. Embassy New Delhi Public Affairs Section only accepts applications from U.S. and Indian organizations that are legally registered not-for-profit non-governmental organizations / think tanks with at least two years of experience working with Schools.

2. Proper and complete registrations and rights. Applicants must acquire all required registrations in the United States and / or India. All intellectual property considerations and rights must be fully met in the United States and India.

3. Additional requirements may apply.

Section V. Application Submission and Deadline
See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) on
www.grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights:

1. Register. Organizations not registered with grants.gov should register well in advance of
the deadline. It can take weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based
NGOs) to get the required registration numbers. To register with grants.gov, organizations
must first receive a DUNS number and register with the SAM.gov, a process which can also take weeks.

2. Submit proposal. Proposals must be submitted to grants.gov and to the following email
address ND_GrantApplications@state.gov. The subject line of your email should be as follows:
Applicant Organization name – NDRFP13-02 – U.S.-India School Partnership for Real Communication.

If you encounter technical difficulties with grants.gov please contact the grants.gov Help Desk
at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726 in the U.S.

Applications must be submitted by an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) of the
applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid
possible technical problems. Non-AOR personnel submitting applications will be rejected in
Grants.gov.

Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424),
Department of State is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by
Federal law or regulations for its federal assistance programs. Please refer to the link below for
a list of certifications and assurances:
http://fa.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=161&menu_id=68

2. English. Applications are accepted in English only. Final grant agreements and any
subsequent amendments will be concluded in English only.

3. Proposal plus SF-424. When submitting a proposal, applicants are required to fill out a
detailed budget and the Federal Assistance Application Standard Form 424. See two
attachments “U.S. EMBASSY NEW DELHI GRANTS PROGRAM- SUGGESTED APPLICATION FORMAT” and “SF-424.” While the grant proposal format is somewhat flexible, we recommend you use the template as a starting point, and add additional information as necessary. Please insert “Applicant Organization name – NDRFP13-02 – U.S.-India School Partnership for Real Communication” in the header, along with page numbers, on every page of your application.
At the minimum, your proposal should include:

Cover sheet: Provide an executive summary of the project description (no more than one
page) with reference to the amount and duration of the funding request.

Description and justification: Applicants must submit a full description of the
organizations and project, including goals and objectives. Describe innovative aspects of
the project. Include résumés for project partners and key personnel. List those
organizations, cooperating entities, consultants, or other key individuals who will work on
the project, along with a short description of the nature of their effort or contribution.

Activities: Outline a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the
proposed work will be accomplished. Account for all functions or activities identified in the
application. Cite factors that might accelerate or slow down the work and state reasons for
taking the proposed approach rather than alternatives. Describe any unusual features of
the project, such as design or technological innovations, reductions in cost or time, or
extraordinary social and community involvement.

Accomplishments, monitoring and evaluation: Describe how you plan to monitor progress of research, and determine overall success and impact of the program.

Budget: Provide a detailed budget of every cost associated with the project. The more
information and detail that you provide about the proposed budget, with a budget
narrative, the better we can determine the viability and completeness of your proposal.
For the budget line item “indirect costs” or “administrative overhead,” any figure you
provide without a specific breakout will be returned for additional information or rejected. If
your organization has an approved “Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement” or NICRA,
please note that on your application and provide supporting documentation.

Section VI. Review and Selection Process

1. Criteria. Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated
on the basis of the criteria enumerated in Section VII below. The criteria are designed to assess
the quality of the proposed project, and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria
are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application.

Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their fullness, coherence, clarity, and attention to
detail. Points are awarded only to applications that are responsive within the context of this
program announcement.

2. Acknowledgement of receipt. Applicants will receive acknowledgment of receipt of their
proposal. A technical review panel will review the proposal and, based upon the criteria noted
below, assess the general qualification. A qualitative determination will be made regarding the
program’s proposed area of activity, and those proposals that are deemed to be the best fit will be given additional consideration. A proposal that is approved but not funded will be kept on file for one year should the panel wish to reconsider, or if additional resources become available.

3. Follow up notification. Organizations whose applications were not approved or funded will
be notified thru email.

Section VII. Application Evaluation Criteria

1. Organizational Experience. Applicant’s experience and understanding of schools in India and the U.S., international travel/visa, and its detailed description in the proposal. (50 points)

3. Organizational capacity. The organization demonstrates expertise in identifying schools and arranging logistics for the round trip. Where project partners are included, the applicant details each partner’s respective role, provides partner organization information and résumés for all persons responsible for the project and its financial administration. (25 points)

4. Budget and narrative justification. The budget and narrative justification are complete and
reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The plan for services
and related cost estimates is realistic. (10 points)

5. Monitoring and evaluation. The applying organization describes how to monitor progress of research, and determine overall success and impact of the program. (15 points)

Section VIII. Award Administration

1. Award notices: The grant award or agreement shall be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grant agreements and grant agreements. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient. The grantee is likely to interact mostly with a Grant Officer Representative (GOR).

2. Anticipated time to award: Applicants of successful proposals will generally be notified
within 90 days after the submission deadline.

3. Reporting requirements: All awards issued under this announcement 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
award administration will be specified in the award agreement. The point of contact for
questions or issues related to the administration of the grant will be specified in the award
agreement.