Funding Opportunity Announcement for global programs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) in refugee and conflict-affected populations, including research and assessments to strengthen GBV prevention and response interventions among populations of concern.
Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-SGP-10-CA-06022010
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number:
19.522 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Strategic Global Priorities
Announcement issuance date: Wednesday June 2, 2010.
Proposal submission deadline: Thursday July 1, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
ADVISORY: Grants.gov is expected to experience continued high volume of activity in the near future. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address difficulties that may arise due to system delays.
Proposed Program Start Dates: July15-September 1, 2010
Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months.
I. FY 2010 Funding Opportunity Announcement for global programs to better prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) in refugee and conflict-affected populations, focusing on capacity-building, research and assessments to strengthen GBV prevention and response interventions among PRM populations of concern. Proposals should aim to strengthen the broader international community’s response rather than building the capacity of a specific or single organization. Proposals for GBV prevention and response programs in specific locations should be submitted through the appropriate regional and/or country specific funding opportunity announcement rather than through this announcement.
Applicants must clearly show how their planned projects will benefit PRM’s primary target populations.
PRM is seeking to support:
a) Global projects which seek to build the capacity of NGO and implementing partners to prevent and respond to GBV, including Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). PRM will consider proposals that provide assistance to refugees, returnees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Colombia and the North Caucasus. In all other regions, at least 50% of beneficiaries should be refugees or refugee returnees.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to, the following illustrative list:
· Strengthening SEA prevention and response, including training for humanitarian actors in conducting SEA investigations;
· Training for implementing partners on GBV standards and/or managing GBV programming;
· Designing InterAgency guidelines, accountability frameworks and/or tools on GBV and/or SEA.
b) Projects involving research, assessments, or formative evaluations that could inform and strengthen PRM policy and programming for GBV prevention and response among PRM populations of concern per the mandates of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). PRM will prioritize proposals that focus largely on refugees and refugee returnees.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to, the following illustrative list:
· Development of standards or best practices for psychosocial assistance, livelihood interventions, or addressing the needs of youth and adolescent GBV survivors.
· Research on best practices for monitoring and evaluating GBV interventions.
· Research on the links between education, fuel/firewood, engaging men/boys and GBV.
All standards and indicators developed should build on ongoing work in this field and adhere to existing guidelines and research, such as the Sphere Guidelines and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) GBV Guidelines.
Research, assessments, or formative evaluations should include concrete policy and program recommendations for relevant stakeholders.
PRM will accept proposals from any organization, including universities and research institutes, proposing to work in the above mentioned areas. Given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
· A working relationship and/or coordination with UNHCR, current UNHCR funding, and/or a letter of support from UNHCR for the proposed activities and/or knowledge of UNHCR operations and findings from previous UNHCR research and evaluations;
· A proven track record in providing capacity building programs on GBV prevention and response;
or
A proven track record conducting research on or evaluations of humanitarian assistance programs and policies for refugees and/or conflict victims;
· Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs), other NGOs, community-based organizations and – if applicable – local authorities working on related research and/or activities;
· Evidence of subject-matter expertise, and familiarity with current and past research and activities on GBV;
· A concrete data collection and implementation plan, project objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, and well-conceived linkages between research findings and recommendations for PRM metrics, policy, and/or programs;
or
A concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable, have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective;
· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the proposal’s objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources;
· Appropriate targeting of populations in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations. Because of PRM's mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and certain other victims of conflict, research activities should focus on the unique issues these populations of concern face;
· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See FY2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.
IOs that are engaged in programs relevant to the assistance addressed by this PRM funding opportunity announcement should ensure that these programs are made known to PRM on or before the closing date of this announcement so that PRM can evaluate all IO and NGO programs for funding consideration.
Funding Limits: In FY2010, PRM anticipates providing $1.4 million for global programs to prevent and respond to GBV in refugee and conflict-affected populations, including research and assessments to strengthen GBV prevention and response interventions among populations of concern. Individual proposals may not exceed $300,000 in PRM-requested funding. As stated in the FY 2010 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.
Proposal Submission Requirements:
See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#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 July 1 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 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-518-4726 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. 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) 459-9349 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (202) 459-9349 end_of_the_skype_highlighting 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. 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 the FY 2010 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. 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 FY2010 NGO GUIDELINES:
This announcement is designed to accompany the FY 2010 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 2010 General PRM 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.
· 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 (where applicable). PRM strongly encourages multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs.
· Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2009 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.
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 FY 2010 General PRM 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.
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.
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 Shanna Devoy (devoysk@state.gov); Washington, D.C.
PRM Program Officer Nicole Gaertner (gaertnernr@state.gov), Washington, D.C.
Moreinfo: http://www.state.gov/g/prm/142602.htm
