A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Kyiv / EUR Bureau of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to foster the development of civil society and public engagement in Ukraine. Please follow all instructions below. Priority Region: Ukraine Program Objectives: The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine calls for proposals from Ukrainian NGOs to foster the development of civil society and public engagement in Ukraine. The grant competition supports both new and experienced human rights organizations in their efforts to sustain the work of civic organizations affected by the war time as well as civic populations of Ukraine in need. The U.S. Embassy welcomes proposals from all regions of Ukraine. However, the priority will be given to civil society organizations remaining in or relocated from regions previously besieged by Russian troops, or in temporary occupation. The project activities must fall into the following areas to be considered for funding in this thematic competition: Developing and sustaining a network of civil society groups throughout Ukraine; Providing institutional support for small and medium-size organizations; Tracking and recording war crimes; Providing assistance to victims of sexual harassment in areas occupied by Russia; Conducting employment training for deficit fields; Facilitating security and safety of NGOs and civic activists; Providing services to affected population (shelters and legal assistance for IDPs, relocation inside Ukraine, support to vulnerable groups, assistance to persons with disabilities, work with children, and psychological services) Promoting volunteer activities and building partnerships in Ukraine to raise funds and increase support for Ukraine. Other innovative ways address these issues will also be considered. PAS strongly encourages proposals to include new and effective communication tools and demonstrate a clear target audience. Proposals must identify the project’s target audience; concrete and achievable goals and plans to measure progress against these goals; a realistic action plan; and a reasonable cost estimate. PAS strongly supports cooperation between different stakeholders and will give preference to projects that engage state and private institutions to implement the project and ensure its sustainability. Ten percent of grant funds may be allocated for administrative needs of the organization during the period of project implementation. Participants and Audiences: Ukrainian civic activists and initiative groups; human rights defenders; representatives of the vulnerable groups (including, but not limited by women, LGBT, people with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, IDPs); Ukrainian state institutions. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 5 to 12 months Number of awards anticipated: up to 20 depending on the quality of the proposals Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $250,000 Total available funding: $2,000,000 Type of Funding: FY22/23 AEECA Anticipated program start date: August 1, 2022 This notice is subject to availability of funding. Funding Instrument Type: Grant or fixed amount award. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants The following organizations are eligible to apply: Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations, 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is not required 3. Other Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov. 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. Address to Request Application Package Application forms required below are available via the U.S Embassy in Ukraine website: https://ua.usembassy.gov/education-culture/democracy-grants/ 2. Content and Form of Application Submission Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. Content of Application Please ensure: The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity All documents are in English (applicants may also submit applications in Ukrainian in addition to English) · All budgets are in U.S. dollars · All pages are numbered · All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins. The following documents are required: 1. Mandatory application forms · SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) · SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) · SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) (note: the SF-424B is only required for individuals and for organizations not registered in SAM.gov) 2. Summary Page: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program. 3. Proposal (3 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. The Democracy Commission Small Grants Program has an application that you may use (https://ua.usembassy.gov/uk/education-culture-uk/democracy-grants-uk/ ). You may also use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below. · Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact. Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies. Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable. Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives. Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal. Include a logic model as appropriate. Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events. Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program? Program Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees. Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time-frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant? Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable. 4. Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H. Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions below for further information. 5. Attachments : · 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program · 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. · Official permission letters, if required for program activities 3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Required Registrations: Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included. All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge: · NCAGE/CAGE code · www.SAM.gov registration Step 1: Apply for a NCAGE number (these can be completed simultaneously) NCAGE application: Application page here: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx Instructions for the NCAGE application process: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf For NCAGE help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423 For NCAGE help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766 Email
[email protected] for any problems in getting an NCAGE code. Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE Code, proceed to register in SAM.gov by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually. 4. Submission Dates and Times Applications are due no later than June 16, 2022. 5. Funding Restrictions Funding cannot be spent for political purpose as well as call to the actions that are contradicting the official position of the State Department. 6. Other Submission Requirements All application materials must be submitted by email to
[email protected]