Agency Name: U.S. Embassy Bujumbura A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Mission to Burundi is pleased to announce an open competition for organizations and individuals to submit applications to carry out a program or project with funding through the Public Diplomacy Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. Purpose of Grants: PAS Bujumbura invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the United States and Burundi through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include a U.S. element, connection with U.S. expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with English Clubs, American Spaces or U.S. exchange program alumni to conduct activities Priority Program Areas: The Mission is particularly interested in projects that address one of our following Priority Program Objectives: · Skills for Success: o Programs promoting education, a lecture series, or an academic exchange o Programs promoting learning English o Programs promoting job training skills, such as resume writing, financial literacy, and digital literacy · Entrepreneurship: o Programs providing entrepreneurship opportunities for Burundian youth o Programs supporting increased economic opportunities for women and marginalized communities o Programs promoting sustainable economic prosperity. · Democratic Values/ Journalism: o Programs that help Burundian journalists produce high-quality reporting on topics of shared U.S.-Burundi interest o Programs that strengthen institutions to promote the rule of law, transparency, and accountability o Programs that promote universal freedoms and democratic principles and practices · Environmental sustainability: o Programs that support initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change o Programs that promote minimizing waste and regenerating our resources o Programs that support protecting the natural environment and sustainable agriculture Participants and Audiences: All proposals should clearly indicate their intended participants and audiences. The following types of programs are not eligible for funding: Activities that do not contain a distinctly U.S. component; Programs relating to partisan political activity; Development projects/programs; Infrastructure/construction programs; Individual scholarships; Personal development; 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 duplicate existing programs; Social travel/visits; Venture capital; Gifts and Prizes; Alcohol Food and drink not directly related to the program outcome; and For-profit endeavors Authorizing legislation, type and year of funding: The source of funding is FY2022 Public Diplomacy Funding. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: up to 12 months. Award amounts: Awards will have a maximum of $20,000 Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2022 Public Diplomacy Funding Anticipated program start date: To be considered for FY2022, all programs must start before September 30, 2022. Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award, Awards to Individuals, or Cooperative Agreement. Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation. The appropriate level of “substantial involvement” will be agreed upon by PAS Bujumbura and the grantee prior to award notification. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION Eligible Applicants The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from U.S. and Burundian: Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience; Individuals; and Non-profit or governmental educational institutions For-profit or commercial entities are NOT eligible to apply. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is not required. 3. Other Eligibility Requirements Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization/individual. If more than one proposal is submitted, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding. In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet, 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 DUNS number or be registered in SAM.gov. Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS): Organization registrations prior to April 2022 require applicants to obtain a DUNS prior to registering in SAM. By April 2022, the federal government will stop using the DUNS number as an entity identifier and will transition to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued by SAM. Beginning in April 2022, overseas organizations should apply for an NCAGE code and then go to SAM.gov to complete their registration, a UEI will be generated as part of the SAM.gov registration process. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 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 budgets are in U.S. dollars; All documents are in English or French. (Note: Because English is not widely understood in Burundi, applications do not need to be in English; successful applicants, however, will be required to submit additional forms in English as required by U.S. federal assistance regulations.) All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins All pages are numbered The following documents are required: 1. Mandatory application forms available at www.grants.gov: • SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424- I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals) • SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) • SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) or SF-424B-Individual 2. Summary Coversheet: Cover sheet stating the applicant’s name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program. 3. Proposal (five pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do and what the program will accomplish. You may 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; the total amount of funding requested from PD Bujumbura, total amount of cost-share (if any), and total program amount (PD funds + cost-share). 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. What aspect of the relationship between the U.S. and Burundi will be improved? 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. Proposed program schedule: 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? Media plan: All submissions must include a detailed press and social media plan that outlines how the implementer will publicize the activities and goals of the program. Program partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees. Budget justification narrative: please see Section H below for additional information. 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 Official permission letters, if required for program activities 6. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Submission Dates and Times: Pending funds availability, applications submitted for consideration before August 15, 2022, will be considered for this fiscal year. All application materials must be submitted by email (.pdf or .doc formats only, not iCloud) to
[email protected]. Applications received in hard copy will not be eligible for funding consideration. Applicants must submit a complete application package with a concise budget that reflects the scope of work as indicated on the proposal. Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated by a committee and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 1. Criteria A grants review panel will review and evaluate each application based on the criteria outlined below: · U.S. component: The project has a clear U.S. component that incorporates U.S. expertise, processes, or personnel. · Organizational capacity and record on previous grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and PAS is confident of its ability to undertake the program. This includes a financial management system and a bank account. · Quality and feasibility of the program idea: The program idea is well developed, with details about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline. · Goals and objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. · Embassy priorities: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy priority areas and target audiences outlined in Section A. · Budget: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities. · Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates an ability to measure program success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured. · Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program. 2. Review and Selection Process An Embassy Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications.