Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) - U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland Grants Program 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 support the needs of marginalized communities in Poland. Eligible organizations may apply for up to $20,000. This NOFO is for projects beginning no earlier than May 1, 2023. The deadline for this NOFO, #WAW-NOFO-FY23-02, is Sunday, February 26, 2023. A. ELIGIBILITY: · Grants will be awarded to local representatives of Polish non-governmental organizations, cultural or educational institutions, or media whose proposals support the topics listed below. · Organizations may apply for up to $20,000. · All grantees must have a non-profit status. · One application per organization. Organizations which currently have an open grant from the Embassy should not apply. · 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 a valid SAM.gov registration (registrations are valid for one year). Instructions are in Section F. B. PROJECT THEMES: These funds are for projects that support the needs of marginalized communities in Poland, including but not limited to: people with disabilities, refugees, members of the LGBTQI+ community, members of the Roma community, religious minorities, and racial minorities. Please note that Mission funding cannot be used for construction projects, ongoing salary costs or social welfare projects (see Section C for more details on eligible costs). Funds from this grant call may be used for: · Educational programs, such as public outreach, awareness raising, diversity and inclusivity training, etc. · Capacity building for NGOs that support marginalized communities in Poland, such as training in advocacy, fundraising, facilitating dialogue, etc. · Workshops to enhance the knowledge and skills of those providing services to or otherwise supporting members of marginalized communities and/or their families, such as therapists, legal professionals, educators, etc. · Programs that celebrate the culture of and/or raise awareness of a marginalized community 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
[email protected] by Sunday, February 26, 2023. All required forms are available at https://pl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants/nofo_marginalized_communities/. Your email must include all of the below elements: · Completed application form (please do not exceed indicated word limits) · 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 required forms are available at https://pl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants/nofo_marginalized_communities/. · 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 written in U.S. dollars and must be in the budget template in the application. Do not send the budget as an separate attachment. · Any cost listed in the budget must be described above in the program activities field. · 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: · Please send one email with all required documents to:
[email protected] · The subject line of the email should list the name of the applying organization followed by the NOFO number, which is WAW-NOFO-FY23-02. F. SAM.GOV REGISTRATION (step-by-step instructions for new registrations and renewals are available in the Application Package box at https://pl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants/nofo_marginalized_communities/) · The waiting time for SAM.gov registration is currently approximately 45 days, so applicants are advised to start early. · If your registration is incomplete by the application deadline, you may send a screenshot showing that you have submitted your registration and apply for the grant even if the registration is not yet complete. · To register in SAM please go to www.SAM.gov. No fee or payment is required to register for SAM. · The assignment of a Unique Identity ID does not equate to SAM.gov registration. Once you receive your Unique Identity ID, you must complete your SAM.gov registration. · SAM.gov registration is only valid for one year. If your organization registered prior to May 1, 2022, you must renew your registration prior to applying for this grants call. The waiting time for SAM.gov renewal is currently approximately 45 days so please allow yourself sufficient time. · We strongly recommend you take a screenshot of the information you enter about your organization when you register so that when you renew your registration in the future, you will be able to enter the information in the same way and avoid any problems connected to mismatched information. 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. 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. J. INQUIRIES All questions about the U.S. Embassy’s Grants Program should be sent to:
[email protected]