U.S. Department of State

Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-AFR-11-CA-AF-022511-SUDAN

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.517

Announcement issuance date: Friday, February 25, 2011

Proposal submission deadline: Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) (EDT)

Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

ADVISORY: Grants.gov continues to experience a high volume of activity. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address any difficulties that may arise due to system delays. Any such delays will not lead to an extension of the deadline.

Proposed Program Start Dates: June 1, 2011 – September 30, 2011

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 if pursuing a multi-year strategy of reintegration and transition to early recovery support.

NOTE: This will be the only Sudan funding round in FY2011, unless new emergencies occur.

Current Funding Priorities for Refugee Reintegration:

(a) Proposed activities should attract and/or support the return and reintegration of Sudanese refugees via programs in return communities in southern Sudan.

(b) Proposals should comment on the point of refuge (i.e., refugee camps in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, or elsewhere) of targeted returnee beneficiaries and should address the needs of those who have returned since 2009.

(c) Proposed activities may also target areas of potential return, with the inclusion of an analysis of the reasonable prospect for returns to the targeted geographic area. Priority will be given to Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile, and Jonglei States, given the provenance of the remaining southern Sudanese refugees.

(d) Proposals must focus on activities from among the following sectors: Health, Water and Sanitation, Primary Education, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Assistance, and/or Livelihoods.

NOTE: PRM is transitioning away from return and reintegration programming in southern Sudan and will likely not be able to support start-up projects. Please note that PRM does not expect to be able to maintain recent year funding levels for return and reintegration activities.

Current Funding Priorities for Congolese and CAR Refugees in Sudan:

(a) Activities should support refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic in Makpandu, Lasu, and Napere (Ezo) settlements, southern Sudan. Proposals should specify refugee population numbers and/or projections in proposed locations.

(b) Priority sectors include WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), health and nutrition, livelihoods (crop-production), primary education, and protection including prevention and response to GBV and HIV/AIDS. Target beneficiaries, sectors, and proposed programs should be developed in full coordination with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

General Funding Priorities:

(a) Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM only considers funding projects that include a target direct beneficiary base of at least 50% refugees or refugee returnees (refugees returning from other countries, not IDPs returning from other parts of Sudan, including the north). 

(b) Proposals should focus on activities that can produce sustainable results within a 12-month period that is expected to include implementation of the final steps in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

(c) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO that is able to satisfy these guidelines, although, given our budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:

• a working relationship with UNHCR, current UNHCR funding, and/or a letter of support from UNHCR for the proposed activities and/or overall country program specifying the gap that this project would fill;
• a proven track record in providing assistance to Sudanese refugee returnees or Congolese refugees in both the sector(s) and specified location(s) covered in the submission;
• evidence of coordination with and support from local authorities for the proposed project, including co-funding of projects and/or in-kind donations from the local government or local community (please note that for any NGO project that PRM funds, PRM will share budget and project activity information with appropriate ministries and local authorities in Sudan and with other USG entities involved with reconstruction efforts);
• evidence of coordination with International Organizations (IOs) and other NGOs and development organizations in the proposed region or sector of work, a well-developed transition strategy, and prospects for sustainability after the conclusion of 12 months of programming;
• a budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and evidence of cost-sharing efforts and a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization;
• appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations;
• 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 have at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective; and
• appropriate consideration in the implementation plan of programmatic limitations due to the rainy season (approximately May – October).

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:

PRM will consider projects with funding requested from PRM in the range of $100,000 to $1,000,000; any submissions over this amount will automatically be disqualified. GBV proposals or GBV components of multi-sectoral proposals should not exceed $500,000. As of the release of this RFP, the U.S. Government is operating under a Continuing Resolution. As such, all decisions regarding these projects are subject to the availability of funds.

As stated in the PRM’s General 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.

Proposal Submission Requirements:

See “How to Apply” 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 April 5, 2011, 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 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. 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 confirmation that a service request has been opened to research the problem(s) should contact PRM Program Officers Margo Huennekens (202-453-9383 or HuennekensMM@state.gov) or Chris Upchurch (202-453-9384 or UpchurchCM@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. 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) 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. 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. 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 PRM’s NGO GUIDELINES:

This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, 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. Please send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line, to PRM’s NGO Coordinator.

• Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. PRM will not fund reintegration projects that require a period of time at the beginning of the project for community assessments or establishment of baselines. These activities must already have occurred and be incorporated into proposed indicators, and baselines should be provided to the greatest extent possible.
• 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 2010 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.
• Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding.

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.

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 PRM’s reporting requirements please see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines.

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 Officer Margo Huennekens (HuennekensMM@state.gov or 202-453-9383) in Washington, DC; or

PRM Program Officer Chris Upchurch (UpchurchCM@state.gov or 202-453-9384) in Washington, DC; or

Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Horn of Africa Lubna Khan (KhanL@state.gov) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia