U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Public Affairs Section Offering Grants to Strengthen U.S.-Mauritania Cultural and Bilateral Ties

The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from the United States and Mauritania, including from:
• Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
• Educational institutions
• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Notice of Funding Opportunity: State of Interest

Funding Opportunity Title: U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Public Affairs Section: Request

for Statements of Interest

Funding Opportunity Number: PAS-Nouakchott-RSOI-FY-2022

Deadline for Applications: May 20, 2022, at 12:00 noon UTC/GMT. Applications for

programs are accepted on a rolling basis.

CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs

Estimated Total Amount Available: $300,000

Maximum for Each Award: $100,000 Requests for funding above this amount will not be

considered. 

Minimum for Each Award: $30,000

A.   PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State announces a request for Statements of Interest from organizations interested in applying for funding for program proposals that strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Mauritania through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. PAS invites organizations interested in potential funding to submit a Statement of Interest (SOI) application outlining program concepts that reflect this goal. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

SOI submission is the first step in a two-part process. Applicants must first submit an SOI, which is a concise, 3–5-page concept note designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit program ideas for PAS to evaluate prior to requiring the development of full proposal applications. Upon review of eligible SOIs, PAS will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications.

Purpose: PAS Nouakchott invites SOIs for programs that strengthen education, entrepreneurship, and cultural and environmental ties between the U.S. and Mauritania through programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Examples of PAS-funded programs include, but are not limited to:

·        U.S. experts conducting lectures, seminars, or speaking tours

·        Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions

·        Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs

·        Professional and academic exchanges and programs

·        Libraries, community centers, or other institutions that are interested in becoming an American Space

·        Programs developed by an alumnus/a of a U.S. sponsored or supported educational or professional exchange program

·        Projects to promote English language teaching skills or widen access to books and other sources of information about the United States

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Priority Program Areas:

Proposals should be related to one or more of the following U.S. Embassy priority program areas:

1. Strengthened Security for Americans and Mauritanians

           Example projects under this program area could focus on:

• Crime and safety awareness
• Countering Violent Extremism

1. Increased Opportunity and Reduced Poverty

           Example projects under this program area could focus on:

• Entrepreneurship
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)
• Environmental protection

1. Promoting an Inclusive Society

           Example projects under this program area could focus on:

• Promoting social inclusion
• Reducing discrimination in all its forms
• Advocacy for inclusive national identity
• Cross-Cultural dialogue and understanding
• Human rights
• Cultural and ethnic diversity

Participants and Audiences:

The target audiences should be youth, women, culturally/ethnically diverse communities, and/or marginalized groups.

The following types of programs are among those not eligible for funding:

• Programs relating to partisan political activity.
• Charitable or development activities.
• Construction programs.
• Programs that support specific religious activities.
• Fund-raising campaigns.
• Lobbying for specific legislation or programs.
• Scientific research.
• Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization.
• Programs that are not Mauritania-specific.
• Programs submitted on behalf of individuals.
• Programs that duplicate existing programs.

Authorizing legislation, type, and year of funding:

The Statutory Authority for this program is the Smith-Mundt Act. The source of funding is FY2022 Public Diplomacy Funding. 

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION:

Length of performance period: 1 to 12 months

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

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $30,000 to a maximum of $100,000

Total estimated available funding: $300,000

Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2022 Public Diplomacy Funding

Anticipated programs start date: During Fiscal Year 2022

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from the United States and Mauritania, including from:

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

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.  

1. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not required. When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal.

1. Other Eligibility Requirements

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.     Application Package

The U.S. Embassy Nouakchott Public Affairs Section will accept proposals until May 20, 2022, at 12:00 noon UTC/GMT. A grant committee including U.S. Embassy employees will review eligible applications. The review and selection process may take up to about six weeks from the deadline of the proposal submission. All application materials must be submitted by email to PASNouakchott@state.gov.

All SOIs should ensure that the following requirements are met. Please follow all instructions below carefully. SOIs that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

2.     Content and Form of Application Submission

Please ensure:

• The SOI clearly addresses a brief project description summarizing goals, objectives outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, and proposed timeline.
• A clear statement of the applicant’s organizational capacity to carry out the proposed activity and manage U.S. Government funds.
• All documents are in English
• All budgets are in U.S. dollars
• All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

3.      Program Statement (not to exceed 3-5 pages in Microsoft Word) that includes:

• Name of the organization.
• The target country/countries.
• The total amount of funding requested from PAS, total amount of cost-share (if any), and total program amount (PAS funds + cost-share), and program length.
• A synopsis of the program, including a brief statement on how the program will have a demonstrated impact and engage relevant stakeholders.
• A concise breakdown explicitly identifying the program’s objectives, activities and expected results that contribute to each objective.
• A brief description of the applicant(s) that demonstrates the applicant’s expertise and capacity to implement the program and manage a U.S. government award.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA

1.     Criteria

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

Quality of Program Idea – 50 points: The SOI is responsive to program framework. The idea is communicated well and is feasible. SOI’s that promote creative approaches to address program objectives are highly encouraged.  The proposed timeline is reasonable.  

Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants –35 points: The SOI should demonstrate the organization’s expertise and previous experience in administering programs. If a local partner is identified SOI should briefly describe the partner’s role and experience.

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15 points: The SOI should clearly articulate proposed program activities and expected results towards achieving program objectives and goal(s).

 This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Organizations are not required to have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number –formally referred to as DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number- nor active SAM.gov registration to apply at this stage of the solicitation. However, if a SOI is accepted for a full proposal application, the organization must obtain a UEI and have an active SAM.gov registration before submitting its full proposal application. Therefore, we recommend starting the process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration as soon as possible. The process can take several weeks. Please note there is no cost associated with UEI or SAM.gov registration.

Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.