Proposal submission deadline: Thursday, June 4, 2009, at 12:00 p.m. (EDT).
Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
ADVISORY: Grants.gov is expected to experience higher than normal volume of activity in the near future. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address issues that may arise due to system delays.
Proposed Program Start Dates: August 1, 2009-September 15, 2009 for new projects; continuing projects should follow the existing program end-date.
Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months.
Applicants with multi-year programs must continue to re-compete for PRM funding each year. Furthermore, in funding a project one year, PRM makes no representations that it will continue to fund the project in successive years and encourages applicants to seek a wide array of donors to ensure long-term funding possibilities.
I. Current Funding
II. Funding Limits
III. Proposal Submission Requirements
IV. Proposal Content, Formatting and Template
V. General PRM NGO Guideline Requirements
VI. Proposal Review Process
VII. PRM Points of Contact
I. Current Funding Priorities for: NGO GBV Prevention and Response Activities for refugee, returnee, and certain IDP populations specified below.
PRM will prioritize currently available funding for proposed non-governmental organization (NGO) activities that best meet the Bureau’s GBV and SEA prevention priorities as identified below. Proposals that do not meet the priorities and requirements outlined in this funding announcement and the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelines will not be considered.
(a) Priority countries and populations:
PRM’s central mandate is to provide assistance to refugees, returnees, and certain internally displaced persons (IDPs). Applicants must clearly show how their planned projects will benefit PRM’s primary target populations as identified below.
1) Africa: refugee and returnee assistance in the following locations (PRM will not consider IDP projects in this region):
a. Horn of Africa: Refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia, refugee returnee populations in Sudan;
b. Central Africa/Great Lakes: refugee returnees in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; refugees in Chad and Rwanda.
2) Europe, Central Asia and the Americas: refugee, returnee, stateless, and certain IDP populations as noted:
c. Russian Federation: IDP population in the North Caucasus.
d. Americas:
i. Colombian refugees and programs that complement ongoing PRM-funded IDP programs;
ii. Dominican Republic: stateless persons, refugees and asylum-seekers.
3) Asia and the Near East – refugee and returnee assistance in the following locations (PRM will not consider IDP projects in this region):
e. East Asia: Burmese refugees in Thailand, Bangladesh, or Malaysia;
f. South Asia: Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and Afghan returnees in Afghanistan.
(b) GBV activities should focus on one or more of the following (in no particular order):- To respond to current, identified gender-based violence issues in the field. Proposed activities may include provision of health and psychosocial care, livelihoods interventions, legal assistance or other activities that directly address GBV. These proposals should ensure and highlight ways in which appropriate referral services are available for survivors.
- To support measures to prevent GBV, including sexual abuse and exploitation (SEA). These may include public information and rights awareness campaigns among returnees and refugees, with an emphasis on involving men and adolescents in GBV awareness and prevention activities. Target audiences may also include health and social service workers, and justice officials.
- To create local capacity to respond to GBV in a competent and timely manner. Common emergency response mechanisms such as training for local staff or refugees themselves in prevention, recognition, and treatment of GBV (including victim counseling), or activities to enhance the timeliness of response to GBV could also be considered.
Applicants should carefully consider which activities will be most appropriate and effective in the given context. Proposals need not include all of the above activities.
(c) Given funding constraints, competition for FY2009 PRM funding will be rigorous. If supplementary funds become available later in the fiscal year, we may have the opportunity to provide additional support to organizations that submit a proposal in response to this announcement but that do not receive funding in the initial round. Priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
- a strong needs assessment defining the problem(s) that the application seeks to address, with an explanation of the gap(s) in the current response.
- clearly state whether PRM is supporting other activities in-country and if so, why additional targeted programming is needed;
- a working relationship with UNHCR and UNHCR funding and/or support for the proposed activities and overall country program;
- a proven track record in providing assistance in dealing with GBV prevention and response and an established presence in the specified location;
- evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as – if applicable – local authorities and development organizations;
- a well-developed transition strategy;
- 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 at least one impact indicator per objective;
- a strong evaluation plan designed to measure results and impact of the program;
- a budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-US government sources. Projects that receive other PRM funding must clearly account for shared costs between programs;
- appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations. For those countries in which refugee populations are the target population, PRM will only consider funding projects that include a target beneficiary base of 50% refugees.
Prevention and response to GBV should begin at the onset of every emergency. PRM funds targeted GBV prevention and response projects to help our partners develop strong, effective GBV interventions. Whenever possible, these targeted GBV projects should complement existing programs with the goal of becoming mainstreamed into multi-sectoral assistance activities. PRM strongly encourages its partners to include GBV programming in both multi-sectoral and function-specific projects.
GBV prevention and response programs should address GBV, including sexual abuse and exploitation (SEA) amongst refugees and refugee returnees, in a manner that respects the dignity of the individual and the culture in which s/he lives. To the extent possible, proposals should be developed in consultation with beneficiaries, communities, local authorities, and the larger humanitarian community.
Common GBV Indicator:
As organizations put together their objectives and indicators for proposals in response to these guidelines, we would like you to include the following indicator as part of your basket of indicators (other indicators should be customized to measure the results of the specific program proposed). Indicators should be informed by data gathered in baseline surveys:
Percentage of survivors of GBV who have received or been referred for psychological, medical, legal or any other form of support.
Measurement:
Numerator: Total number of survivors reporting GBV who have received or been referred for psychological, medical, legal or any other form of support.
Denominator:
Total number of survivors reporting GBV
(e) International Organizations:
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.II. Funding Limits:
PRM will only consider proposals in the range of $100,000-$400,000 of PRM-requested funding; any submission over this amount will automatically be disqualified. The budget for the proposed program should identify not only PRM requested funding, but also those portions of the program to be funded by the NGO itself, UNHCR or other UN/IO agencies, USAID, or other donors.
As stated in the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelines, PRM looks favorably on cost-sharing efforts and seeks to support projects with a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization. Proposals that receive co-funding are highly encouraged and will be weighted higher during the panel review.
III. Proposal Submission Requirements:
See “Applicant FAQs” section on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/help/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights below:
IV. Proposal Content, Formatting and Template:
Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelines. 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. Please include “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line.
V. General PRM NGO Guideline Requirements:
PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE GENERAL PRM NGO GUIDELINES.
- PRM’s CFDA number for Refugee Assistance Programs for Strategic Global Priorities is 19.522
- Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should sign up well in advance of the June 4 deadline as it can take up to two weeks for a registration to be finalized (and sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers).
- 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 high than normal volume 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 Officer Shanna Devoy at (202) 663-3344 or devoysk@state.gov 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. Submission of proposals should be closely coordinated between agency’s local, regional and headquarter offices. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.
- 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) proof of non-profit tax status including under IRS 501 (c)(3), as applicable, 3) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and 4) an Employer ID (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification number.
- Focus on impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one impact indicator.
- Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization (where applicable). PRM places great value on multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs. As noted above to receive copies of PRM's recommended templates please send an email with "PRM NGO Templates" in the subject line to PRM's NGO Coordinator.
- 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 the PRM-recommended program report template send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line, to PRM's NGO Coordinator.
-- 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.
- Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2008 for activities that are being proposed for funding again 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.
- This announcement is designed to accompany the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelines, which contain additional administrative information and explain in detail PRM’s NGO funding strategy and priorities. Please use both the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelinesand 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. Please send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line, to PRM's NGO Coordinator.
- If an organization believes that publicly acknowledging the receipt of USG funding for a particular PRM-funded project could potentially endanger the lives of the beneficiaries and the organization staff, invite suspicion about the organization's motives or alienate the organization from the population it is trying to help, it must provide a brief explanation in its proposal, for PRM's consideration, as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.
VI. 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.
In order to provide NGOs with timely feedback, PRM will inform applicants of the panel’s decision to recommend or not recommend funding proposed activities, and may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will follow up with formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.
VII. 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: Answers to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.):
- PRM Program Officer Shanna Devoy (devoysk@state.gov), Washington, D.C.
- Regional Refugee Coordinators:
- Horn of Africa: Inga Heemink (Heeminki@state.gov), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Central Africa/Great Lakes: Megan Larson-Koné (LarsonkoneME@state.gov) Kampala, Uganda.
- North Caucuses: Lisa Kierans (KieransL@state.gov), Moscow, Russian Federation.
- Andean Region: Scott Higgins (HigginsSC@state.gov), Bogotá, Colombia.
- Afghanistan: Carmela Conroy (ConroyCA@state.gov), Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Pakistan: Wahid Gul (GulW@state.gov), Islamabad, Pakistan.
- East Asia: Tim Scherer (SchererTM@state.gov), Bangkok, Thailand.
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