FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs be

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FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting Tibetan refugees in South Asia


February 14, 2012


Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-ANE-12-CA-SA-021312.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.519 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East and South Asia.
Announcement issuance date: Monday, February 13, 2012
Proposal submission deadline: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
ADVISORY: PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address any difficulties that may arise.
Proposed Program Start Dates: May 15 – September 1, 2012.
Duration of Activity: Twelve months.
Current Funding Priorities for Tibetan Refugees in South Asia: PRM will prioritize funding for proposed non-governmental organization (NGO) activities that best meet the Bureau’s priorities for Tibetan refugees in South Asia, as identified below.
(a) Proposed activities should primarily support Tibetan refugees in South Asia. Successful proposals will seek to address the needs of Tibetan refugees in both India and Nepal, although applicants may also submit proposals targeted to one or the other of these sub-populations.
(b) Proposals must focus on at least one of the following sectors: Protection; Health and Nutrition (including sexual and reproductive health); Livelihoods (including education); and/or Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).
(c) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the above mentioned sectors although, given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
· In Nepal, a working relationship with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), current UNHCR funding, and/or a letter of support from UNHCR for the proposed activities and/or overall country program (this letter should highlight the gap in services the proposed program is designed to address).
· A proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location.
· Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as local authorities, including Tibetan settlement officers and, in India, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). NGOs are encouraged to submit proposals that complement existing protection and assistance activities for Tibetans in South Asia, including ongoing and planned USAID programs benefitting Tibetan refugees.
· A concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective.
· Identification of sustainable programming opportunities that enhance the capacity and self-sufficiency of the Tibetan community and settlements.
· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-US government sources.
· Appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with other relevant organizations. Because of PRM's mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM considers for funding only those projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50% refugees.
· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See General NGO Guidelines ( http://www.state.gov/j/prm/156599.htm ) for a complete list of sector-specific standards.
(d) Country Specific Instructions: The following activities are priority areas for PRM in FY 2012.
In India:
· Protection. Priority protection activities include provision of reception services to incoming refugees. All programming should be age- and gender-sensitive.
· Health and Nutrition. PRM is particularly interested in proposals that build the capacity of the CTA and its partners to address priority public health issues, including sexual and reproductive health, over the long-term. Health care proposals should seek to: (1) assist the CTA and its partners in collecting, analyzing, and applying health information (2) build the capacity of the CTA and its partners to prevent, detect, and treat infectious diseases and other priority public health issues; and/or (3) develop the skill sets of health care providers, including awareness and implementation of treatment protocols, throughout the settlements.
· Livelihoods. Activities in this area may include education. Projects are encouraged to include a livelihoods support component. Proposed livelihoods activities should be coordinated with relevant USAID programming, be based upon market assessments and analyses, and consider protection issues related to the proposed livelihood activities. Stand-alone vocational training not linked to income generating activities will not be considered for funding. For more information on building strong livelihoods programming, please refer to: http://womensrefugeecommission.org/programs/livelihoods.
· Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Proposals may seek to address WASH needs in both rural and urban Tibetan refugee settlements.
Programs should be developed and/or implemented in coordination with the CTA, the Tibetan community including Tibetan settlement officers, and appropriate agencies of the host government. NGOs are encouraged to submit a letter of support from the CTA for the proposed activities and/or overall country program. Evidence of community-level participation in development of proposals and setting of activity priorities is strongly encouraged.
In Nepal:
· Protection. Reception services for incoming refugees are provided by UNHCR. NGO activities designed to address the vulnerable situation of new Tibetan arrivals as well as the long-standing Tibetan population in Nepal are encouraged.
· Health and Nutrition. PRM is particularly interested in proposals that build the capacity of the Tibetan community to address priority public health issues, including sexual and reproductive health, over the long-term. Activities should not duplicate services provided to Tibetans by local Nepalese health systems. Health care proposals are encouraged to develop the skill sets of Tibetan health care providers in Nepal, including awareness and implementation of treatment protocols, throughout the settlements. As appropriate, activities may seek to assist the Tibetan community in Nepal with the development and implementation of a sustainable and effective health information system that is compatible with ongoing efforts in the Tibetan settlements in India.
· Livelihoods. Activities in this area may include informal education. Proposed livelihoods activities should be coordinated with relevant USAID programming, be based upon market assessments and analyses, and consider protection issues related to the proposed livelihood activities. Standalone vocational training not linked to income generating activities will not be considered for funding. Proposed activities must take into account the legal environment governing work status for Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
· Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Proposals may seek to address WASH needs in both rural and urban Tibetan refugee settlements.
NGO proposals are encouraged to include local capacity building elements across all sector areas in Nepal. Proposals should address the needs of Tibetan refugees in urban and rural settlements. Appropriate consideration should be given to norms and conditions in surrounding Nepali communities and parity in resource distribution, so that surrounding Nepali communities are supportive of and open to the continued presence of the Tibetan community.
Relevant program components must be implemented in coordination with UNHCR, the Tibetan community including Tibetan settlement officers, and appropriate agencies of the host government. Evidence of community level participation in development of proposals and setting of activity priorities is strongly encouraged. NGOs are encouraged to submit a letter of support from the Tibetan community in Nepal as well as the Central Tibetan Administration in India for the proposed activities and/or overall country program.
International Organizations (IOs) that are engaged in programs relevant to the assistance addressed by this PRM funding announcement should ensure that these programs are made known to PRM on or before the closing date of this funding announcement so that PRM can evaluate all IO and NGO programs for funding consideration.
Funding Limits:
In FY 2012, PRM anticipates issuing awards totaling no more than $2.5 million to fund NGO programs benefitting Tibetan refugees in South Asia. PRM will consider projects submitted with budgets in the range of $150,000 to $2.5 million. Please note that proposals targeted solely or predominantly to the Tibetan refugee population in India should not exceed $2.25 million, and proposals targeted solely or predominantly to the Tibetan refugee population in Nepal should not exceed $250,000. Proposals submitted with budgets in the range of $2.25 million to $2.5 million must include substantial support for Tibetan refugee populations in both India and Nepal. As stated in the General NGO Guidelines (http://www.state.gov/j/prm/156599.htm) , PRM looks favorably on cost-sharing efforts and seeks to support projects with a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization.
Proposal Submission Requirements:
See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applic ... p#applying) on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights:
· Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the March 12, 2012 deadline as it can take up to two weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers). To register with Grants.gov, organizations must first receive a DUNS number and register with the Central Contract Registry (CCR) which can take weeks and sometimes months. See “Applicant FAQs” section on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/help/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) for complete details on registering.
· Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Applicants who have done so in the past and experienced technical difficulties were not able to meet the deadline. Please note: Grants.gov is expected to experience continued high volumes of activity in the near future. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to avoid submission delays. We recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered.
· If you encounter technical difficulties with Grants.gov please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726. Applicants who are unable to submit applications via Grants.gov due to Grants.gov technical difficulties and who have reported the problem(s) to the Grants.gov help desk and received a case number and had a service request opened to research the problem(s), should contact PRM Program Analyst Trisha Presto (PrestoTL@state.gov or 202-453-9294) to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.
· Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) at the applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.
· Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Department of State is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by Federal law or regulations for its federal assistance programs. The list of certifications and assurances can be found at: http://fa.statebuy.state.gov/content.as ... menu_id=68)
· NGOs that have not received PRM funding prior to the U.S. Government fiscal year ending September 30, 2004 must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the financial and accounting requirements of the U.S. Government by submitting copies of 1) the most recent external financial audit, 2) non-profit tax status under IRS 501 (c)(3), 3) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and 4) an Employer ID (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification number.
Proposal Content, Formatting and Template:
Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in PRM’s General NGO Guidelines. ( http://www.state.gov/j/prm/156599.htm ) PRM strongly encourages organizations applying for PRM funding to use the PRM recommended proposal and budget templates. Templates can be requested by sending an email to PRM's NGO Coordinator. ( mailto:PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov ) You must type “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line to receive an automated reply containing the template.
PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE PRM’s NGO GUIDELINES:
This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, ( http://www.state.gov/j/prm/156599.htm ) which contain additional administrative information and explain in detail PRM’s NGO funding strategy and priorities. Please use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities and that your proposal submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements. Proposal submissions that do not meet all of the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered. PRM recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available upon email request from PRM's NGO Coordinator. ( mailto:PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov ) Please send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line, to PRM's NGO Coordinator.
· Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding.
· Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. Wherever possible, baselines should be established before the start of the project.
· To increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding, include specific information on locations of projects and beneficiaries. Any project involving the building or maintenance of physical infrastructure must include coordinates of site locations (place name, P-Code, latitude and longitude coordinates).
· Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization. PRM strongly encourages multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs.
· Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2011 for activities that are being proposed for funding under this announcement must include the most recent quarterly progress report against indicators outlined in the cooperative agreement. If an organization’s last quarterly report was submitted more than six weeks prior to the submission of a proposal in response to this funding announcement, the organization must include, with its most recent quarterly report, updates that show any significant progress made on objectives since the last report.
Reports and Reporting Requirements:
Program reporting: PRM requires quarterly and final program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. It is highly suggested that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended program report template. To request this template, send an email with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line to PRM's NGO Coordinator. ( mailto:PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov )
Financial Reports: Financial reports are required within thirty (30) days following the end of each calendar year quarter during the validity period of the agreement; a final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within ninety (90) days after the expiration date of the agreement.
For more details regarding reporting requirements please see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines. ( http://www.state.gov/j/prm/156599.htm )
Proposal Review Process:

PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced proposal evaluation criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.
PRM may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will provide formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.
PRM Points of Contact:
Should NGOs have technical questions related to this announcement, they should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to proposal submission. (Note: Responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.):
· PRM Program Analyst Trisha Presto (PrestoTL@state.gov; 202-453-9294), Washington, D.C.
· Kathmandu Regional Refugee Coordinator Amanda Jacobsen (jacobsena@state.gov; +977-1-400-7200), U.S. Embassy Kathmandu
· Political Officer Isabelle Chan (chani@state.gov; +91 11 2419-8266), U.S. Embassy New Delhi