Please note that this notice is subject to availability of funding. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for the University Partnership Program. Priority Region: Serbia. Program Objectives: The U.S. Embassy works to assist the Serbian people to strengthen democracy, rule of law, and the protection of human rights; help fight brain drain and advance the country’s economic development; promote regional stability and cooperation; cooperate with international partners to combat crime, terrorism, human trafficking, and other global challenges; and make further progress towards Serbia’s accession into the European Union. We also strive to explain U.S. policies, culture, society, and values to Serbian audiences and deepen ties between our two countries. University partnership proposals should support these goals while facilitating lasting connections between Serbian and American institutions of higher education. We welcome proposals which provide Serbian students and professors: o American academic perspectives on shared areas of interest and lessons learned from the American experience in the focus subject(s); o Insights into current research and academic debates in the U.S. on the focus subject(s); o The chance to engage in discussions and debate with their American counterparts; and/or o The opportunity to experience and assess teaching methodologies used in American university classrooms. Partnership program proposals should be two-way exchanges that also give American participants the opportunity to broaden their perspectives, provide them with new insights, and allow them to learn firsthand from Serbian academics about their research projects. In light of social distancing measures, and to limit the spread of COVID-19, we welcome proposals that utilize video conferencing, distance learning tools, etc. If your proposal includes in-person activities, please consider the inclusion of contingency plans, if the health situation requires that social distancing measures be implemented during the grant period. Grantees are expected to: publicize your activities, including through social media and/or traditional press outlets; and highlight U.S. Embassy support, with our logo included on project-related materials. Participants and Audiences: Participants or primary audiences for university partnership proposals should be Serbian and American students, professors/academics, and/or administrators. Depending on focus, projects may have secondary audiences or beneficiaries including media, civil society organizations or wider professional audiences, which you may note in the proposal. If your project idea might involve citizens of any other countries, check C.4. in the full text of the NOFO to understand restrictions on funding. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Number of awards anticipated: 1-5 awards (dependent on dollar amounts of the grants) Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $60,000 to a maximum of $300,000 Total available funding: $300,000 Type of Funding: FY21/22 Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act. Anticipated program start date: Flexible, but no earlier than September 1, 2022. Funding Instrument Type: Grant. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 30 months or less (including the evaluation). Other Eligibility Requirements: In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must receive a unique entity identifier (UEI) from Dun & Bradstreet called a Data Universal Numbering System or DUNS number, as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 in the full text of the NOFO for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov. Funding Restrictions: You may NOT apply for a grant from PDS if your project: · involves partisan political activity; · involves charitable activities and/or the distribution of humanitarian aid; · is a fundraising campaign; · is commercial in nature, i.e., you or a project partner are making money from this project, or the activity supports a current or future business or entrepreneurial venture. · involves the provision of health care or services, childcare, food subsidies, or other social services to populations. The funding opportunity aims to support specific projects with objectives which can be achieved within a set timeframe. We will not accept applications which are aimed more broadly at supporting your organization’s usual or typical daily activities and operations. Those will be deemed technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding by the review committee. For this particular NOFO, grant funding can be used to cover the cost of travel within the region or between the United States and Serbia for program participants if that is an essential part of the project. As a general rule, participants or audiences should not be charged for taking part in any PDS-funded activity. If you envisage that your project activity will not be free for some reason, please contact PDS while you are in the process of completing the application to see whether that could be allowed. Depending on the funding source, PDS might be able to support your project, but only if you can demonstrate how the revenue generated will be used to support the larger objectives and explain that your organization will profit from the modest entrance fee. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Requesting the Application Package All the mandatory application forms required below are available online in the Related Documents tab and at https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/. We do not send out hardcopy versions of the application packages. 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. Please ensure that: · the proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity · all documents are in English · All budgets are in U.S. dollars · All pages are numbered · All documents are formatted either to A4 or 8 ½ x 11 paper. The following documents are required: a. SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) if the applicant is an organization; b. SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) c. SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) if the applicant is an organization whose registration in SAM.gov is still pending. d. Grant Application Form for FY2022 (Fiscal Year 2022). · Note: Detailed directions for filling out the form may be found in Appendix A. · Please note that for this particular NOFO for University Partnerships you do not need to constrain yourself to the maximum word limits in each of the sections of the Grant Application Form. e. Budget Justification Narrative (Excel Spreadsheet): After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use the Excel spreadsheet template to describe and explain each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H. Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions in the full text of the NOFO for further information. f. 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 applicable. · 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. · If you still have not completed SAM.gov registration, a screenshot from SAM.gov reflecting that you have started the process. Please follow all the instructions in Appendix A when filling out the Application Form. 3. Required Registrations: Registration for a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), obtaining an NCAGE/CAGE code, and registering within the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) is not optional for organizations, i.e., it is mandatory. Please be aware that SAM registration must be renewed annually. Submission Dates and Times: Applications are due April 15, 2022. Other Submission Requirements: All application materials must be submitted by email to
[email protected]. If PDS does not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. Review and Selection Process: A grants review committee will evaluate all eligible applications. You may be asked to submit additional information and/or a revised budget. Please also be aware that, depending on the availability of funding, PDS might be able to fund only part of the budget you have requested. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates: PDS anticipates that funding decisions will be made by May 20, 2022. The full text of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is available in the Related Documents Tab and on the Embassy Belgrade website. Information Session: PDS will hold a virtual information session on February 1, 2022, at 16:00 (4 pm) Central European time to discuss this funding opportunity and to answer questions from potential applicants. Please contact PDS at
[email protected] for details. Please check for information on other PDS funding opportunities on the U.S. Embassy website at: https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/.