FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting Iraqi refugees and IDPs in the Near East


Funding Opportunity Announcement

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

February 28, 2012




Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-ANE-12-CA-001- NEA-022812-Iraqis.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number:
19.519 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East and South Asia
Announcement issuance date: Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Proposal submission deadline: Wednesday, March 28, 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: Proposed new projects may begin between August 15, 2012 and September 30, 2012. Proposed continuation projects that have been granted a no-cost extension may begin up until December 31, 2012, subject to the availability of funds.
Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months. 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.
Current Funding Priorities for Iraqi Refugees and IDPs in the Middle East: PRM will prioritize funding for proposed NGO activities that best meet the Bureau’s priorities for displaced Iraqis as identified below.
NGOs submitting proposals in response to this funding announcement must be registered to operate in each of the countries of the proposed activities by the program start date. Within the body of the proposal, NGOs should clearly state their ability to operate in the proposed areas and include documentation providing verification of their registration status as an attachment. Documentation of registration status and/or description of current operating status are particularly important in Syria and Turkey. NGOs that do not currently have an active, sustained presence in Iraq should provide information on actions taken to initiate operations, including baselines.
(a) Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees and conflict victims, PRM will only consider funding projects that include a direct beneficiary base of at least 50 percent Iraqi refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or returnees. In Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, proposed activities should primarily support Iraqi refugees. Inside Iraq, PRM is interested in projects that support both local integration of IDPs and reintegration of returning IDPs and refugees. PRM will consider proposals for activities in a single country as well as regional programs.
(b) Proposals for programs outside Iraq should focus on health, protection, and livelihoods (including education). Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations.
Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority):
· Health care, including health education and preventative health care, reproductive health services, capacity building for local service providers, mainstreaming into local health care infrastructure, and clinical management of rape and other forms of gender based violence. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence, including men, boys, and LGBTI individuals, are incorporated into the project. NGOs will be required to provide their health program/beneficiary information to UNHCR. NGOs should also comment in detail on how, if at all, the fees they charge for their services differ from UNHCR’s healthcare rates, and whether and why they provide brand name and/or generic medications.
· Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual as well as family/group counseling and/or therapy. Proposals should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and articulate how beneficiaries are identified; previous coordination with other mental health providers, including training; efforts to improve local capacity to provide adequate mental healthcare; the extent to which the NGO is able to utilize local organizations/resources to meet the mental healthcare needs of its beneficiaries; and an overview of the most prevalent mental health needs among the displaced Iraqi population that the NGO intends to address. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project.
· Humanitarian assistance and protection, including: non-food items; gender-based violence prevention and response programs, including services for both female and male survivors and perpetrators; programs aimed at addressing the interrelated assistance and protection needs of vulnerable beneficiaries by providing services and referral networks; and other emergency assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals. Proposals should indicate how this assistance is filling an identified gap, including how the gap and the beneficiaries were identified.
· Education, including remedial education and non-formal education programs, with special attention to adolescents, particularly those at risk of losing educational opportunities due to their interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Iraq. Proposals should address how the educational assistance will assist with integration into local educational structures and whether the certification earned from the educational assistance will be recognized by the Government of Iraq should the refugee voluntarily choose to return.
· Vocational training, continuing professional education, and/or livelihoods/business development programs linked to current and/or future job opportunities. Where applicable, the proposal should include a description of what efforts will be made to assist in making job placements.
(c) Proposals for programs inside Iraq should focus on livelihoods (including education) and gender-based violence prevention and response for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and IDP or refugee returnees. Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations, in addition to coordination with local authorities where possible. Programs should be limited to Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa, and Erbil governorates.
Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority):
· Gender-based violence prevention, response, and reintegration support for both female and male survivors and perpetrators.
· Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual and family/group counseling and/or therapy, as well as capacity building of local mental health service providers. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project.
· Formal education reintegration support for youth with an interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Iraq. This could include remedial education aimed at facilitating re-entry into the formal school system; assisting families in obtaining necessary documentation; training in literacy, life skills, and vocational skills linked to local markets; facilitating communication between IDP communities and local school administrations to ensure equality of access; or developing local solutions to promote school attendance among IDP communities.
(d) All program design should take into account the following guidance:
· Programs are encouraged to prioritize the needs of women and girls in a way that strengthens their roles in families and in the broader community. Programs should also target the needs of the most vulnerable groups among the Iraqi refugee, IDP, and returnee population (e.g., female-headed households; disabled or isolated refugees; GBV survivors; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals; etc.). Younger single men are also considered a vulnerable group for which PRM would consider targeted programming. Programs are encouraged to demonstrate how they will train their staff to meet the specific protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively. Programs should be accessible to physically disabled persons.
· In proposals for follow-on activities for PRM-funded projects, NGOs should demonstrate the application of lessons learned and changes necessitated by the dynamic social and economic situation of Iraqis in the region. NGOs should assess the continuing effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance they currently provide, highlighting best practices developed and any programmatic adjustments that should be made in follow-on activities.
· Proposals should include a realistic and detailed assessment of the sustainability of the project.
· All NGOs must participate in UNHCR-designed and -managed refugee assistance information systems where applicable.
(e) 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:
· A working relationship with UNHCR and/or current UNHCR funding;
· 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 – where possible – local authorities;
· 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; objectives should be clearly linked to the sectors in the RFP;
· Projects inside Iraq, because of the return/local integration context, where feasible, must include strong transition plans in their proposals that detail specific benchmarks and/or a timeline for turning over the project to local organizations, Iraqi authorities, or development organizations;
· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources;
· Appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations.
· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.
(e) Country Specific Instructions
· Iraq and Syria: NGOs should describe security arrangements for international and local staff, including contingency planning for deteriorating security conditions.
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.
Funding Limits:
In the past, PRM has funded NGO programs assisting Iraqis that ranged from $300,000 for a single-country project to up to $6 million for a regional project. The majority of the projects we funded were less than $2 million. In FY 2012, project proposals with solid and compelling budget justifications will be considered. Budgets based on a realistic and well-articulated assessment of needs and expenses will be noted favorably.
Budgets for regional projects should be broken down by country. As much as possible, all budgets should be broken down by objective, as per the revised budget template.
As stated in the 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” (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 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.
· 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 at (202) 453-9294 or PrestoTL@state.gov to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.
· 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. 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.
· 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 since 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 THE 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.
· Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. 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/or 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 as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.
· 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.
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.
Assistance Award Provision – SPOT
The following provisions will be included in the Bureau specific component of the Notice of Award for performance in a designated combat area (currently Iraq and Afghanistan). Recipients are required to include this provision in any sub-grant awards or agreements.
SPECIAL PROVISION FOR PERFORMANCE IN A DESIGNATED COMBAT AREA (CURRENTLY IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN)
(Revised January 2011)
All recipient personnel deploying to areas of combat operations, as designated by the Secretary of Defense (currently Iraq and Afghanistan), under grants over $100,000 or performance over 30 days must register in the Department of Defense maintained Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) system. Recipients of federal assistance awards shall register in SPOT before deployment, or if already in the designated operational area, register upon becoming an employee under the assistance award and maintain current data in SPOT. Information on how to register in SPOT is available from your Grants Officer or Grants Officer Representative.
Recipients must enter all U.S. and Third Country National (TCN) personnel into SPOT. If the Recipient has concerns about the safety of locally hired Iraqi or Afghan personnel because of personal data entered into SPOT, arrangements may be made with the Grants Officer or the Grants Officer Representative to report anonymous aggregate data.
Locally-hired Iraqi or Afghan personnel can be added anonymously through the use of the aggregate count template except as noted in the following paragraph.
Recipients utilizing personnel who are performing a private security function; are performing duties as a translator or interpreter; require access to U.S. facilities, services, or support; or desire consideration for refugee or special immigrant status under the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 (subtitle C of title XII of Public Law 110–181) must be entered into SPOT individually with all required personal information. If a locally-hired Iraqi or Afghan national falls into one of these categories, the Recipient must enter all of the required identification data into SPOT.
When the Grantee is ready to enter locally-hired individuals using the Aggregate Count method, the Grantee will notify the Grants Officer who will contact the Department SPOT Program Manager (A/LM/AQM) to obtain the “Aggregate Count” template. The Grantee will complete the “Aggregate Count” template and return to the SPOT Program Manager who will ensure that aggregate counts are loaded into SPOT. The Grantee SPOT Administrator is responsible for updating the aggregate locally hired national count on a quarterly basis by providing updated information via the “Aggregate Count” As template to the GOR/GO for each award who will forward to the Department SPOT Program Manager for SPOT entry.
Recipient performance may require the use of armed private security personnel. To the extent that such private security contractors (PSCs) are required, grantees are required to ensure they adhere to Chief of Mission (COM) policies and procedures regarding the operation, oversight, and accountability of PSCs. In a designated area of combat operations, the term PSC includes any personnel providing protection of the personnel, facilities, property of a grantee or subgrantee at any level, or performing any other activity for which personnel are required to carry weapons in the performance of their duties.
As specific COM policies and procedures may differ in scope and applicability, recipients of federal assistance awards are advised to review post policies and procedures carefully in this regard and direct any questions to the Embassy Regional Security Office (RSO) via the Grants Officer Representative (GOR). Any exclusion to these policies must be granted by the COM via the RSO. COM policies and procedures may be obtained from the RSO via the GOR. Recipients of federal assistance awards are also advised that these policies and procedures may be amended from time to time at the post in response to changing circumstances.
Recipients of federal assistance awards are advised that adherence to these policies and procedures are considered to be a material requirement of their grant.
Recipients of federal assistance awards are reminded that only the Grants Officer has the authority to modify the Notice of Award. Recipients shall proceed with any security guidance provided by the RSO, but shall advise the Grants Officer and the GOR of the guidance received and any potential cost or schedule impact.
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.
Regional Refugee Assistance Coordinator Rebecca Fong (FongRA2@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Amman, Jordan.
Iraq Refugee and IDP Assistance Coordinator Oni Blair (BlairOK@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq.