A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Harare Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities, our strategic themes, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. Purpose of Small Grants: PD Harare invites proposals for projects that strengthen networks between the people of the United States and the people of Zimbabwe through exchanges highlighting our shared goals and values. All programs MUST include an American component, such as an American expert engagement (physical or virtual) in Zimbabwe or Zimbabweans traveling to the United States to collaborate and exchange best practices in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. perspectives. Projects that incorporate strong American components into their design will be prioritized over other proposals. Priority Program Areas: PD Harare strongly encourages applicants to apply directly to individual 2024 NOFOs to increase their chances of selection. If the idea doesn’t fit one of the individual NOFOs then applicants can apply to his opportunity. This Annual Program Statement welcomes proposals in addition to those 2024 priority NOFOs in areas that: · Promote democratic principles including freedom of speech and civic participation; particularly if they share best practices for citizen advocacy or explore the challenges modern media houses face in a digital economy and the ethical standards needed to gain public confidence. · Advance an inclusive economy; particularly connecting social entrepreneurs and the creative community with online marketing tools. · Deepen U.S.-Zimbabwean university partnerships; particularly if they bolster stronger research capacity and explore opportunities for increased internationalization of tertiary education in Zimbabwe. · Deepen U.S.-Zimbabwean professional networks through organized workshops and rekindling alumni exchange partnerships and networks to solve new problems. · Foster social inclusion of underserved communities, such as disabled persons, minority ethnic groups, LGBTQI+, and those in remote rural areas. The following types of programs are not eligible for funding: · Programs relating to partisan political activity; · Charitable or development activities; · Construction programs; · Programs that support specific religious activities; · Fund-raising campaigns; · Lobbying for specific legislation or programs · Scientific research; · Individual or group travel to conferences in the United States or abroad; · Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or · Programs that duplicate existing programs. Authorizing legislation, type and year of funding: Funding authority rests in the Smith-Mundt Act (10.040 funds) and the Fulbright-Hays Act (19.022 funds). The source of funding is FY2024 Public Diplomacy Funding. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 2-18 months Award amounts: · Awards may range from a minimum of US$2,500 to a maximum of US$75,000*. · Awards for travel to participate in U.S. conferences may not exceed $5,000. · Awards for festivals looking to bring American talent must have free events. Total available funding: $250,000 USD Type of Funding: FY2024 Public Diplomacy Funding Educational and Cultural Affairs *Awards proposals for a higher amount must be extraordinary. Funding Instrument Types: 1. Grant or 2. Cooperative Agreement (The PD office is more extensively and actively involved in the project implementation than that of a grant or Fixed Amount Award). THIS NOTICE IS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING PD Harare will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION Other Eligibility Requirements: Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding. Registrations: In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov. Cost Sharing and Matching: Cost sharing is not required but encouraged. Financial capacity: Pressures on Zimbabwe’s financial systems may affect the selected applicant’s ability to follow through with the grant agreement. PD Harare does not infuse additional funds into a grant agreement to compensate for currency fluctuations or for unforeseen work. To guard against non-compliance owing to cash shortages borne of banking complications, it is strongly suggested that applicants have a Foreign Currency Account in addition to a local currency account. Applicants should be aware of their banking institution’s policies and fees regarding electronic deposits, transfers and withdrawals of U.S. dollars. Applicants should ensure their bank has a corresponding relationship with U.S. banks. You will only be asked to supply banking information if your proposal is selected for funding. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. To Request Application Package: Email
[email protected]; an automatic reply with the Application forms will be sent. Forms are also available at www.grants.gov 2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Content of Application – the proposal should: · Clearly serve the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity; · Be specific and concise in describing the who, what, why, when, where, how and cost aspects of the project; · Provide all documents in English; and · Include a budget narrative and a budget table in U.S. dollars breaking down costs per unit rates, quantities as well as totals. Application Forms required: · Completed application (form attached) · Detailed projected budget (form attached) · SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance – Individuals) · SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) · SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) Attachments · 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program (for projects over $50,000) · Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner · If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file. If you do not have a NICRA indirect and overhead costs can’t be over 10 percent of the budget. · Official permission letters, if required for program activities. 3. Required Registrations: All organizations (not individuals), whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible. ● Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. ● Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Since April 2022, the UEI are assigned when an organization registers or renews its registration in SAM.gov at www.SAM.gov. Organizations should renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active SAM registration. To access SAM.gov an organization is required to have a Login.gov account. Organizations can create an account at https://login.gov/. If an organization plans to issue a sub-contract or sub-award, those sub-awardees must also have a unique entity identifier (UEI number). Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed. If an organization does not have an active registration in SAM.gov prior to submitting an application, the application will be deemed ineligible. All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations, the latter are free of charge. Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required. 4. Submission Dates and Times Applications may be submitted for consideration at any time before the closing date of August 2, 2024. No applications will be accepted after that date. Applications will be subject to availability of funds and reviewed on a rolling basis. 5. Other Submission Requirements All application materials may be emailed to
[email protected] (with “Annual PD Program Statement Grant Proposal” in the subject line).