Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Benefiting Urban Refugees in South Africa
04/12/2017 09:17 AM EDT
Funding Opportunity Announcement
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
April 11, 2017
Funding Opportunity Number: SFPOP0001609
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.517 – Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Africa
Announcement issuance date: Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Proposal submission deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. noon Eastern Daylight Time. We are unable to consider proposals submitted after this FIRM deadline.
**ADVISORY: All applicants must submit proposals through theGrants.gov website only. Please note that if you apply on the SAMS Domestic site, your application will be disqualified. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address any difficulties that may arise.**
If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated. We urge you to refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “New to PRM Funding” section for information and resources to help ensure that the application process runs smoothly. PRM also strongly encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher.
Full Text of Notice of Funding Opportunity
A. Program Description
This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines which contain additional information on PRM’s priorities and NGO funding strategy with which selected organizations must comply. Please use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that your submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements and that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities. Submissions that do not reflect the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered.
Current Funding Priorities:
(a) Proposed activities should support refugees and asylum seekers residing in South Africa with priority areas being urban centers such as Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria. Programs should build capacity of national organizations and within communities to address refugee and asylum seeker needs and promote self-reliance. They should also, where relevant, include efforts to identify and reach out to “hidden” refugees, identify and build upon existing services (including government services), provide information about and referrals to existing services, establish a clear method and criteria for identifying and assisting the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, adopt a community-based approach that takes into account host community needs, and avoid creating refugee-specific parallel services to what already exists in the community. Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM will consider funding only those projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50 percent refugees and asylum seekers.
(b) Proposals should focus on advocacy and support for refugee protection and access to basic social services in urban settings in one or more of the following sectors:
- Protection: Proposal should bear in mind existing refugee protection mechanisms including formal laws and policies designed to protect refugees and asylum seekers as well as informal community-based protection efforts. Proposals should be designed to support and strengthen existing protection mechanisms rather than develop parallel systems that may not be sustainable over time. Key components of protection programs may include: (1) legal assistance and counseling, (2) community-based prevention and response to xenophobia, (3) prevention and response to gender-based violence, (4) child protection, and/ or (5) dissemination of information to promote enhanced refugee access to protection mechanisms and programs.
- Healthcare, Education, and/or Shelter: Proposals should focus on increasing refugee and asylum seeker access to existing government- and community-based social services rather than developing parallel services, with a focus on (a) health care (including mental health care and sexual and reproductive health services), (b) education and vocational training, and/ or (c) housing and shelter. Proposals should enhance local capacity to address refugee and asylum seeker needs and may include support to host communities who are assisting and protecting refugees and asylum seekers provided at least 50 percent of the beneficiaries are refugees and asylum seekers.
- Livelihoods: Proposals should be based on market assessments and should be designed to foster self-reliance among refugees and asylum seekers in urban areas. Components may include (a) training in language, literacy and vocational skills linked to local markets, (b) job-placement, , and/ or (c) legal support for businesses. Proposals should include plans to measure the impact of proposed activities on achieving self-reliance, or in the case of continuation applications, describe the impacts of previous livelihoods activities and include indicators of self-reliance. Programs may include host-community beneficiaries provided that at least 50 percent of the beneficiaries are refugees and asylum seekers
Proposed program start dates: August 1– September 15, 2017
Duration of Activity: Program plans for one or two years will be considered. Applicants may submit multi-year proposals with activities and budgets that do not exceed two years (24 months) from the proposed start date. Actual awards will not exceed one year (12 months) in duration and activities and budgets submitted in year one can be revised/updated each year. Continued funding after the initial 12- month award requires the submission of a noncompeting single year proposal and will be contingent upon available funding, strong performance, and continuing need. For the purposes of this announcement, a multi-year project should entail a progression of efforts and not just be two one-year projects; rather, it is one plan of up to twenty-four months of programming with a breakdown of activities and budgets between the first and second years of the overall two-year program plan. Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider whether livelihoods projects should be one- or two-years in duration to accomplish the project goals. In funding a project one year, PRM makes no representations that it will continue to fund the project in successive years and encourages applicants to seek a wide array of donors to ensure long-term funding possibilities. Please see Multi-Year Funding section below for additional information.
Funding Limits: Project proposals must be more than $100,000 and less than $300,000 per year or they will be disqualified.
C. Eligibility Information
- Eligible Applicants: (1) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; (2) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; and (3) International Organizations. International multilateral organizations, such as United Nations agencies, should not submit proposals through Grants.gov in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement. Multilateral organizations that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should contact the PRM Program Officer (as listed below) on or before the closing date of the funding announcement.
- Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not a requirement of an application in response to this funding announcement.
- Other:
(b) Proposals must adhere to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards including guidance on proposals for projects in urban areas.
(c) PRM strongly encourages programs that target the needs of vulnerable and underserved groups among the beneficiary population (women; children; adolescents; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) individuals; older persons; the sick; persons with disabilities; and other minorities) and can demonstrate what steps have been taken to meet the specific and unique protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively. See gender analysis requirements below in D.2.(c).
(d) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the above mentioned sectors although, given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
- a working relationship with UNHCR and/or current UNHCR funding, and/or a letter of support from UNHCR for the proposed activities (this letter should highlight the gap in services the proposed program is designed to address);
- a proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;
- evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as – where possible – local authorities;
- a strong sustainability plan, involving local capacity-building, where feasible;
- where applicable, adherence to PRM’s Principles for Refugee Protection in Urban Areas; and
- an understanding of and sensitivity to conflict dynamics in the project location.
- Address to Request Application Package:
- Content and Form of Application:
Page limits: Single-year proposals using PRM’s templates must be no more than 15 pages in length (Times New Roman 12 point font, one inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 10 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total however annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information. The proposal narrative must be able to stand on its own in the application process. For multi-year funding application instructions, see section (e) below. Proposals exceeding the page limit cannot be considered.
(b) To be considered for PRM funding, organizations must submit a complete application package including:
- Proposal narrative reflecting objectives and indicators for each year of the program period.
- Budget and budget narrative for each year of the program period.
- Signed completed SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B.
- Risk Analysis.
- Organizations applying for livelihoods project funding must include both a market analysis and a beneficiary competency/capacity assessment as part of the proposal package. Please see the General NGO Guidelines for more details.
- Most recent Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), if applicable or a de minimis rate calculation if the applicant elects to use the de minimis rate, if applicable.
- NGOs that have not received PRM funding since the U.S. government fiscal year ending September 30, 2004 must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the financial and accounting requirements of the U.S. government by submitting copies of 1) the most recent external financial audit, 2) proof of non-profit tax status including under IRS 501 (c)(3), as applicable, 3) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and 4) an Employer ID (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification number, as applicable.
- Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2016 for activities that are being proposed for funding under this announcement must include the most recent quarterly progress report against indicators outlined in the cooperative agreement. If an organization’s last quarterly report was submitted more than six weeks prior to the submission of a proposal in response to this funding announcement, the organization must include, with its most recent quarterly report, updates that show any significant progress made on objectives since the last report.
- Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. Wherever possible, baselines should be established before the start of the project.
- Include Specific information on locations of projects and beneficiaries (GPS coordinates if possible) to increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding.
- Outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If an organization believes that publicly acknowledging the receipt of USG funding for a particular PRM-funded project could potentially endanger the lives of the beneficiaries and/or the organization staff, invite suspicion about the organization’s motives, or alienate the organization from the population it is trying to help, it must provide a brief explanation in its proposal as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.
- The budget should include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization.
- Applicants whose proposals address gender-based violence (GBV) through their projects must estimate the total cost of these activities as a separate line item in their proposed budgets (see PRM’s budget template).Proposals and budgets must include details of any sub-agreements associated with the program.
- PRM partners must complete a gender analysis in the proposal narrative that briefly explains (1) Experiences of men, women, boys, and girls with a focus on the different familial roles, community privileges, and gender dynamics within the target population; (2) associated risks and threats experienced by women, girls, and other vulnerable populations based on their gender; (3) power imbalances and needs that arise based on gender inequalities that exist within the family or community; and (4) proposed responses that will address the above and mitigate any gender differences in access, participation, or decision-making that may be experienced by at-risk groups, particularly women and girls. The gender analysis should aim to specify and target specific at-risk sub-populations of women and girls, in particular women and girl heads of households, out-of-school girls, women and girls with disabilities, women and girl survivors of violence, married girls, and adolescent mothers, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI), and those who are often unaware of and excluded from programs and services and who may be the hardest to reach based on their gender.
- Summarize the risk analysis in the security and risk management section of the proposal narrative.
- Copy of the organization’s Code of Conduct that must include protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
- Copy of the organization’s Security Plan.
- Copy of the organization’s Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) framework.
- Completed PRM Award Data Sheet.
Applicants may submit proposals that include multi-year strategies presented in one year (12-month) cycles for a period not to exceed two years (24 months) from the proposed start date. Fully developed programs with detailed budgets, objectives and indicators are required for each year of activities. Applicants should use PRM’s recommended multi-year proposal template for the first year of a multi-year application. Multi-year funding applicants may use PRM’s standard budget template and should submit a separate budget sheet for each project year. Multi-year proposal narratives and budgets can be updated yearly upon submission of new noncompeting single year proposal narrative template with an updated budget, each year.
Page limits: Multi-year proposals using PRM’s multi-year template must be no more than 20 pages in length (Times New Roman 12 point font, one inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 15 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total however annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information. The proposal narrative must be able to stand on its own in the application process. Proposals exceeding the page limit cannot be considered.
Multi-year applications selected for funding by PRM will be funded in one year (12- month) increments based on the proposal submitted in the initial application as approved by PRM. Continued funding after the initial 12- month award requires the submission of a noncompeting single year proposal narrative and will be contingent upon available funding, strong performance, and continuing need. Follow-on funding applications must be submitted by the organization no later than 90 days before the proposed start date of the new award (e.g., if the next project period is to begin on September 1, submit your application by June 1). Follow-on year applications are submitted in lieu of responding to PRM’s published call for proposals for those activities. Late submissions will jeopardize continued funding.
Organizations can request single-year and multi-year funding proposal narrative templates by emailing PRM’s NGO Coordinator with the phrase “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line.
- Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and System for Award Management (SAM)
(b) Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. (Do NOT try to apply via SAMS Domestic which would result in disqualifying your proposal.) Grants.gov registration requires a DUNS number and active SAM.gov registration. If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated. We urge you to refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “New to PRM Funding” section for information and resources to help ensure that the application process runs smoothly. PRM also strongly encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher. Applicants may also refer to the “Applicant Resources” tools and tips page on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements.
(c) Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the deadline as it can take up to two weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers). We also recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered. PRM partners must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an active federal award or an application under consideration by PRM or any federal agency.
(d) When registering with Grants.gov, organizations must designate points of contact and Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs). Organizations based outside the United States must also request and receive an NCAGE code prior to registering with SAM.gov. Applicants experiencing technical difficulties with the SAM registration process should contact the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online or at 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.) and 1-334-206-7828 (International).
(e) Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative at the applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.
(f) 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.
(g) It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure the appropriate registrations are in place and active. Failure to have the appropriate organizational registrations in place is not considered a technical difficulty and is not justification for an alternate means of submission.
(h) Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424), the Department of State is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by Federal law or regulations for its federal assistance programs. The list of certifications and assurances can be found here.
(i) In accordance with 2 CFR §200.113, Mandatory disclosures, the non-Federal entity or applicant for a Federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. Non-Federal entities that have received a Federal award including the term and condition outlined in Appendix XII—Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters are required to report certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings to SAM. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.338 Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment. (See also 2 CFR part 180, 31 U.S.C. 3321, and 41 U.S.C. 2313.)
- Submission Dates and Times
Proposal submission deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. noon EDT.
- Intergovernmental Review – Not Applicable.
- Funding Restrictions. Federal awards will not allow reimbursement of Federal Award costs without prior authorization by PRM.
- Other Submission Requirements
(b) Branding and Marking Strategy: Unless exceptions have been approved by the designated bureau Authorizing Official as described in the proposal templates that are available upon email request from PRM’s NGO Coordinator, at a minimum, the following provision will be included whenever assistance is awarded:
- The Recipient shall recognize the United States Government’s funding for activities specified under this award at the project site with a graphic of the U.S. flag accompanied by one of the following two phrases based on the level of funding for the award:
2) Partially funded by the award: “Funding provided by the United States Government”
Exemptions from this requirement may be allowable but must be agreed to in writing by the Grants Officer.
All programs, projects, assistance, activities, and public communications to foreign audiences, partially or fully funded by the Department, should be marked appropriately overseas with the standard U.S. flag in a size and prominence equal to (or greater than) any other logo or identity. The requirement does not apply to the Recipient’s own corporate communications or in the United States.
The Recipient should ensure that all publicity and promotional materials underscore the sponsorship by or partnership with the U.S. Government or the U.S. Embassy. The Recipient may continue to use existing logos or program materials; however, a standard rectangular U.S. flag must be used in conjunction with such logos.
The U.S. flag may replace or be used in conjunction with the Department of State seal, the U.S. embassy seal, or other DOS program logos.
Sub non-Federal entities (sub-awardees) and subsequent tier sub-award agreements are subject to the marking requirements and the non-Federal entity shall include a provision in the sub non-Federal entity agreement indicating that the standard, rectangular U.S. flag is a requirement.
In the event the non-Federal entity does not comply with the marking requirements as established in the approved assistance agreement, the Grants Officer Representative and the Grants Officer must initiate corrective action with the non-Federal entity.
E. Application Review Information
- Criteria: Eligible submissions will be those that comply with the criteria and requirements included in this announcement. In addition, the review panel will evaluate the proposals based on the following criteria:
(ii) Program Description
(iii) Gender Analysis
(iv) Objectives and Indicators
(v) Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
(vi) Accountability to Affected Populations
(vii) Coordination
(viii) Sustainability and Capacity-Building
(ix) Management and Past Performance
(x) Budget
- PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel of at least three people will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced programmatic criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.
- Department of State Review Panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to enhance the proposed program, which must be addressed by the applicant before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of limited PRM funds, conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and program activities.
- New PRM Award Data Sheet: Prior to award and upon final negotiation, PRM will ask the selected NGOs to fill out and submit a PRM Award Data Sheet to capture a subset of information from the proposal.
- Federal Award Administration. A successful applicant can expect to receive a separate notice from PRM stating that an application has been selected before PRM actually makes the federal award. That notice is not an authorization to begin performance. Only the notice of award signed by the grants officer is the authorizing document. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified following completion of the selection and award process.
- Administrative and National Policy Requirements. PRM awards are made consistent with the following provisions in the following order of precedence: (a) applicable laws and statutes of the United States, including any specific legislative provisions mandated in the statutory authority for the award; (b) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); (c) Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions of the award; (d) the award’s specific requirements; and (e) other documents and attachments to the award.
- Reporting
(a) Program Reports: PRM requires program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. A program report is required within thirty (30) days following the end of each three month period of performance during the validity period of the agreement. The final program report is due ninety (90) days following the end of the agreement. The submission dates for program reports will be written into the cooperative agreement. Partners receiving multi-year awards should follow this same reporting schedule and should still submit a final program report at the end of each year that summarizes the NGO’s performance during the previous year.
The Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR) is a standard, government-wide performance reporting format. Recipients of PRM funding must submit the signed SF-PPR cover page with each program report. In addition, the Bureau suggests that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended program report template and reference this template as being attached in block 10 of the SF-PPR. This template is designed to ease the reporting requirements while ensuring that all required elements are addressed. The Program Report Template can be requested by sending an email with only the phrase “PRM NGO Templates” (without the quotation marks) in the subject line to PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov.
(b) Financial Reports: Financial reports are required within thirty (30) days following the end of each calendar year quarter during the validity period of the agreement (January 30th, April 30th, July 30th, October 30th). The final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within ninety (90) days after the expiration date of the agreement. For agreements containing indirect costs, final financial reports are due within sixty (60) days of the finalization of the applicable negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA).
Reports reflecting expenditures for the recipients overseas and United States offices should be completed in accordance with the Federal Financial Report (FFR SF-425) and submitted electronically in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Payment Management System (HHS/PMS) and in accordance with other award specific requirements. Detailed information pertaining to the Federal Financial Report including due dates, instruction manuals and access forms, is provided on the HHS/PMS website.
For more details regarding reporting requirements please see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines.
(c) Audit Reports: When a recipient-contracted audit is not required because the Federal award amount is less than the $750,000 threshold, the Department may determine that an audit must be performed and the audit report must be submitted to the responsible grants office(r) for review, dissemination, and resolution as appropriate. The cost of audits required under this policy may be charged either as an allowable direct cost to the award, or included in the organizations established indirect costs in the award’s detailed budget.
G. PRM Contacts
Applicants with technical questions related to this announcement should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to proposal submission. Please note that responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.
PRM Program Officer Chris Upchurch: UpchurchCM@state.gov, 202-453-9307
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