U.S. Department of State

Deadline: Tuesday January 6, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (EST).
Please note the short turnaround time due to the emergency nature of the situation. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered. 

• Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov.


• PRM’s CFDA number for Refugee Assistance Programs for African refugees is 19.517.


• We encourage organizations to submit applications at least three days prior to the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in the proposal not being considered.


• If you experience technical difficulties in submitting your application through Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov help desk (support@grants.gov or call 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 immediately contact Program Officer Wendy Henning (Henningwl@state.gov or call 202 663-1030) or Mary Lange (LangeMM@state.gov or call 202 663-1041) 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.Once you have submitted your proposal through Grants.gov please e-mail Program Officer Wendy Henning (HenningWL@state.gov) and Mary Lange (MaryMM@state.gov) to confirm that the submission was received.

Proposed Start Dates: February 1, 2009 – March 15, 2009 

Duration of Activity: no more than 12 months
Please note that in funding a project one year, PRM makes no representations that it will continue to fund the project in successive years. PRM encourages applicants to seek an array of donors to ensure long-term funding possibilities if pursuing a multi-year strategy. 

Funding Priorities:

(1) Activities that support specifically the new influx of DRC refugee arrivals at the border or in receiving settlements. Proposals should specify refugee population numbers and/or projections in proposed locations. Priority sectors should include water and sanitation, emergency health and nutrition, and primary education. Target beneficiaries and proposed sectors should be selected in coordination with UNHCR.

(2) Organizations with an existing presence in the location and demonstrated capacity in the proposed sector of intervention. Organizations that are not already operational in the target areas are discouraged from submitting proposals. 

(3) Interventions that are coordinated with UNHCR and designed to fill gaps in current efforts to provide basic assistance to newly arrived refugees (as of August 2008). At the border interventions must target a minimum of 60% new refugee arrivals while considering impact on hosting communities. All proposals must demonstrate a working relationship with UNHCR as well as UNHCR funding and/or support for the proposed activities. 

(4) Interventions that are coordinated with the host government and other international and non-governmental organizations working in the area. Note: PRM shares project information with counterparts to identify most effective interventions and ensure complementarity of funding. 

(5) Projects with an immediate impact and concrete plan for completion and/or transition to a long-term funding source. All proposals must include an exit strategy or handover plan. 

PRM will accept proposals from any NGO that is able to satisfy these guidelines although priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate: 

• a concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, and time bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and at least one impact indicator per objective (please see FY2008 General PRM NGO guidelines for more on objective and indicators). Each proposed objective should be followed by a list of quantitative indicators of success.
• a budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives, includes a budget summary, and demonstrates co-funding by non-PRM sources.

Proposal Submission Requirements: See “How to Apply” section on Grants.gov for technical guidance and details on requirements, and note the following highlights below:

 

(1) Proposal formatting and content: Please refer to the FY2008 General PRM NGO guidelines available at http://www.state.gov/j/prm/fund/announcements/91668.htm. These general PRM NGO guidelines are also available on Grants.gov in the “How to Apply” section.

PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE GENERAL PRM NGO GUIDELINES:
 

• 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.


• Budgets for projects with multiple objectives should be broken down by objective.


• Focus on impact indicators as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one impact indicator.


• PRM will not fund projects that require a period of time at the beginning for community assessments or establishment of baselines. These activities must already have occurred and be incorporated into proposed indicators.


• NGOs that have not received PRM funding prior to the USG 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 providing 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) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number; and 4) Employer ID number (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification Number.

(2) Pre-submission preparation: Please read guidance in this announcement and the FY08 General PRM NGO Guidelines carefully 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.

NGOs may contact the PRM staff listed below with technical questions related to this announcement prior to proposal submission.

• PRM Program Officer Wendy Henning (HenningWL@state.gov,  202-663-1030) in Washington, D.C. or Mary Lange (LangeMM@state.gov, 202 663 1041).
• Central Africa/Great Lakes Regional Refugee Coordinator Megan Larson Koné (LarsonKoneME@state.gov) in Kampala.

Proposal Review Process: PRM’s Office of Assistance for Africa conducts formal competitive reviews of all proposal submissions by convening proposal review teams to evaluate proposals based on specific evaluation criteria and PRM’s priorities in the context of available funding. 

In order to provide NGOs with timely feedback, PRM will inform applicants of a 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.