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Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Program

U.S. Department Of State U.S. Embassy Sarajevo, Office Of Public Affairs Notice Of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Title: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

Funding Opportunity Number: 002-FY2021

Deadline for Application: Friday, February 19, 2021

CFDA Number: 19.900

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Office of Public Affairs, is pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Program.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

This program supports NGO efforts to promote women’s leadership and increase participation of women in government and business as important factors for BiH’ s advancement and support for women having equal rights. We particularly welcome proposals for projects that equip women who have leadership potential with the skills and knowledge to advocate effectively for their rights and to become opinion leaders, successful communicators, businesswomen and drivers of positive change in their communities.

PROJECT THEMES

Projects should deal with one of the following themes:

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of Performance Period: 12 months

Number of Awards Anticipated: At least 10 depending on amount of each grant

Award Amounts: Awards may range from USD 1,000 to USD 50,000.

Total Available Funding: USD 300,000

Type of Funding: FY20/21 Assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia (AEECA) under the Foreign Assistance Act

Anticipated Award Date: June/July 2021

Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award (FAA), Cooperative Agreement

Award related to this notice is subject to availability of funding.

PROJECT PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The budget for single project proposals for the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Program should not exceed $50,000 and program activities are envisioned to take place between June/July 2021 and June/July 2022. Please note that the precise timeframe in which grant money will be received cannot be guaranteed. Grantees should design projects that can be implemented if money is received after June/July 2021.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C1. Who can apply: Non-government, non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society organizations), educational institutions and independent media that are based and legally registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina are eligible to apply. American or other donor country organizations and individuals are not eligible for grants under this program. Grants are generally awarded only to organizations.

C2. Other eligibility requirements: All organizations must have a DUNS number unique entity identifier and a valid registration on SAM.gov before their project proposals can be funded. Organization must obtain a DUNS number and SAM registration in order to receive funding. Please see Section E for information on how to obtain these registrations.

C3. Proposals from prior grantees: Organizations may only submit one proposal per program. Organizations that have received a grant from the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Program in a previous cycle and have not completed their projects are not eligible to apply for another Women’s Empowerment grant until they have submitted their final reports, but may still apply for grants from the Democracy Commission Small Grants Program or the Interethnic Reconciliation and Youth Small Grants Program.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D1. Mandatory application forms: Your application cannot be reviewed without all of the below elements. All forms and instructions are available under Application Package on the top of this page.

Please note: Obtaining the DUNS number and registering in the SAM system can take up to one month. We strongly encourage you to start this process as soon as possible.

D2. General Guidelines: Please read all instructions carefully – proposals that do not meet the requirements listed here will not be considered for funding.

The deadline for submission of the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants proposals /supporting documentation is Friday, February 19, 2021 by COB (close of business) 17:00.

Upon submission, please request a confirmation of the receipt of your application.

D3. Budget Guidelines: Any application not meeting the budget requirements below will not be considered for funding.

Grant funds may not be used for the following:·

D4. Application Instructions: Please read carefully and complete each question as instructed. Omitting any of the requested information will delay the review of your proposal and may result in it being eliminated from consideration.

Program Type: Please indicate which program you are applying for.

Applicant’s Contact Information:

Basic Information about the Proposal:

Detailed budget:

Present the budget in the form of a spreadsheet, in USD amounts, dividing the budget into the categories delineated in the application. Ensure that your stated project activities are properly budgeted based on reasonable market price for personnel, fringe, travel, contractual services, supplies, and other direct costs. The ratio between administrative costs (personnel, fringe and other direct costs) and program costs (travel, supplies and contractual) will have impact to project evaluation. Cost sharing is not required. However, the Recipient may present cost-sharing on voluntary basis including in-kind contributions. The absence of cost sharing will not in any way impact evaluation of the project. However, if the Recipient includes cost sharing in the project proposal, then the Recipient is accountable for providing it. In the event the Recipient does not provide the minimum amount of cost-sharing as stipulated in the Recipient’s approved budget, the government contribution may be reduced in kind.

Budget narrative:

Please explain your budget in narrative form, detail personnel duties, list names of trainers/moderators/experts and project staff and break down travel and lodging costs (i.e., how many people, how many overnights, cost per person per day).

E. HOW TO APPLY FOR REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS

Required Registration:

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

E1. Who must apply? All organizations applying for grants must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

E2. First, get your DUNS Number

Please use the link to obtain your DUNS number.

This system is set up to be user-friendly and we encourage you to use it to obtain your DUNS number for yourself. However, if you experience problems, you may seek further assistance from:

Bisnode BH, Vrazova 8, 71000 Sarajevo

info.ba@bisnode.com

Tel: +387 33 215 454

+387 33 215 452

www.bisnode.ba

E3. Next, get your NCAGE/CAGE code

E4. After you receive your NCAGE code, complete your SAM.gov registration

However, if you experience any problem in registering in SAM.gov use the following link to register for live chat, so the SAM administrators can answer your questions. Working hours for this service are from Monday through Friday after 14:00.

E5. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

All proposals will be evaluated by the Women’s Empowerment review panel on the below criteria.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

F1. Federal Award Notices

The grant award will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer and the grants management team. The Recipient may only start incurring project expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grant Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email.

Funding decisions are contingent on the availability of funds. Total amount for this program may not exceed 300,000 USD. The U.S. Embassy reserves the right to cancel this Notice of Funding Opportunity at any time without any commitment to any applicant.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Payment Method: The payment of the award amount will be effected in two or three installments. Certain percentage of the total award amount up to 50 % of the total award amount will be paid immediately after signing the grant and submission of the valid bank account by Recipient. However, if the project implementation requires a higher percentage of advance payment than 50 %, the Office of Public Affairs will make a payment based on the Recipient’s justification. The rest will be paid upon submission of the interim and final program financial reports by Recipient. Each award document will contain detailed payment information. The USG holds the right to retain the last payment up to 10 % of the award amount until all project activities are completed and the final program and financial reports submitted by the Recipient and approved by the Grant Officer and the Grant Officer Representative.

F2. Terms and Conditions

Before submitting an application, applicants may wish to review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department of State will review and consider applications for funding, as applicable to specific programs, pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity in accordance with the following: NOTE:

F.3. Reporting Requirements

Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The award document will specify the forms and how often these reports must be submitted.

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

The U.S. Embassy receives hundreds of proposals and takes time to carefully review each application. We expect to inform applicants of the status of their proposals approximately 4-6 months from the closing date of this Notice of Funding Opportunity. Funding decisions are contingent on the availability of funds. The U.S. Embassy reserves the right to cancel this Notice of Funding Opportunity at any time without any commitment to any applicant.

For more information, please contact us by phone: + 387 33 704-344, 704-285, 704-300, fax: + 387 33 704-432 or e-mail WomenBiH@state.gov

Preuzeto sa: ba.usembassy.gov

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