A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Diplomacy section at the U.S. Embassy Zimbabwe announces an open competition for public and private Zimbabwean higher education institutions to submit applications to carry out a program (or programs) to strengthen ties between the United States and Zimbabwe’s academic libraries in supporting faculty educational, learning and research activities. Program Objectives: The program shall improve access to educational resources and use of technology for learning and research to academic libraries working with Faculty in the following subject areas: One Health, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in Agriculture, Mental Health, and Peace and Conflict Resolution. By the end of the program, faculty and students will have access to relevant publications, online research databases and digital educational resources to improve their access to information, research methodologies and overall learning outcomes. The program may also include the purchase of information communication equipment to adequately access the Internet for a host institution; these requests should be reasonable and explicitly explained in the budget, not to exceed 20% of the overall budget. All materials funded by this program must ensure open access to all students and faculty Program Goals: The goal of this program is to strengthen ties between the United States and Zimbabwe’s academic libraries to support higher education partnerships through the provision of educational resources and promote access to digital educational resources that support One Health, STEM fields in Agriculture, Mental Health, and Peace and Conflict resolution for Zimbabwean higher education. Proposals must promote increased access to U.S. educational resources (both digital and physical). Project themes must include some or all the following components. Only proposals that relate to the stated program objectives, in partnership with the specific relevant faculty departments will be considered: · Access to Academic Journal and Electonic Thesis Databases: programs that promote access to academic journals and electronic thesis database subscriptions that cover One Health, STEM in Agriculture, Mental Health, and Peace and Conflict resolution. · Higher Education Collections: Programs collaborating with faculty in One Health fields, STEM in Agriculture, Mental Health, and Peace and Conflict resolution to source the relevant materials and enhance student access to higher education print collections and resources. · Access to Internet: Programs that seek to strengthen library Internet connection to enhance access to online research databases and digital content to support higher education research and development of faculty staff through collaborative research opportunities. NOTE: All educational materials must be obtained from U.S. sources. Participants and Audiences: Proposals must engage with a specific university faculty involving undergraduate and post- graduate students in the priority subject areas and academic library staff. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 12 months or less Number of awards anticipated: 5 awards Award amounts: US$10,000 Total available funding: US$50,000 Type of Funding: Public Diplomacy Funds – Smith Mundt Anticipated program start date: April 1, 2023 Funding Instrument Type: Grant THIS NOTICE IS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants: The following organizations are eligible to apply: Zimbabwean or U.S. media organizations, civil society, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations. *For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply. 2. Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required but encouraged. 3. Registration: In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. To Request Application Package: Email
[email protected]; an automatic reply with the application forms will be sent. Forms are also available at www.grants.gov 2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Content of Application – the proposal should: · Clearly serve the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity; · Be specific and concise in describing the who, what, why, when, where, how and cost aspects of the project; · Provide all documents in English; and · Include a budget narrative and a budget table in U.S. dollars breaking down costs per unit rates, quantities as well as totals. Application Forms required: · Completed application (form attached) · Detailed projected budget (form attached) · SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance – Individuals) · SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) · SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) Attachments · Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner · If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file. If you do not have a NICRA, indirect and overhead costs can’t be over 10% of the budget. · Official permission letters, if required for program activities. 3. Required Registrations: All organizations (not individuals) applying for grants must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge: · www.SAM.gov registration which will generate a unique entity identifier (UEI) · NCAGE/CAGE code 4. Submission Dates and Times PD Harare will accept proposals starting November 1, 2022. All applicants should submit their proposals prior to January 31, 2023 for consideration. 5. Other Submission Requirements All application materials may be emailed to
[email protected] (with “Democratic Principles Grant Proposal” in the subject line). E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION Review and Selection Process Applications are reviewed on a competitive basis by the Public Diplomacy Grants Committee. Organizations whose applications are not selected for funding will be notified via email no later than September 30, 2023. All qualified proposals will remain on file for up to 12 months for the committee for consideration at any time, if funds become available. If you wish to receive an update on the status of your proposal, please email
[email protected] with the Subject line: “Request for Update on my Submitted Proposal [Title/Date of submission].” F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 1. Federal Award Notices The grant award or cooperative agreement will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email. The recipient may only start incurring program expenses on, not before, the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grants Officer. If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State. Issuance of this Funding Opportunity announcement does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received. Payment Method: Payments will be made via electronic funds transfer. 2. Administrative and U.S. National Policy Requirements Terms and Conditions: Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include: · 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, Certifications and Assurances, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions, all of which are available at: https://www.state.gov/m/a/ope/index.htm. · Note the U.S. Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions. 3. Reporting Requirements Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. Reports will include an accounting for expenditure of amounts already received before the next tranche of funds can be released. The award document will specify how often these reports must be submitted. G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact PD Harare at
[email protected] . Note: Once an application has been submitted, State Department officials and staff — both in the Department and at embassies overseas — may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.