English Access Micro Scholarship Program (Access)

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda, announces an open competition for grant proposals for the administration and implementation of the English Access Micro Scholarship Program (Access), which provides supplemental English-language instruction to high potential but disadvantaged students 14 - 18 years old. The Access Program is expected to fund two years of after-school classes and enhancement activities for a cohort of 25 students at a total cost of not more than $30,000 USD. The cohort should be executed in the peri-urban regions of Jinja. Local and international non-governmental organizations and educational institutions registered in Uganda may submit grant proposals to design, implement, and administer the Access Program. Program Information Background: The English Access Micro Scholarship Program (Access) is designed to increase language skills of 14 -18 year-old students from economically disadvantaged sectors through after-school classes and engaging enhancement activities or intensive programs during school holidays. In addition to enhanced language skills, Access students will gain an appreciation for American culture and democratic ideals, strengthen critical thinking skills and self-confidence, and deepen their community engagement. The Access program opens opportunities for further study and/or employment and helps build civic engagement and resilience to delinquency or extremist ideologies. Project Overview: Grantee organizations will be expected to provide selected groups of students with two years of after-school English language instruction and enhancement activities aimed at improving students’ overall English language proficiency in the four basic skills of speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Implementation must include at least 180 hours of instruction per year or a minimum of 360 hours for the two-year program. In addition to providing quality instruction in English language to Access students, grantee organizations will be expected to conduct enhancement activities with content that gives the participants insights into U.S. culture and democratic ideals, builds confidence and critical thinking abilities, and enhances entrepreneurship and computer skills among others. These activities could involve public speaking or debate clubs; lessons on U.S. society and culture, including celebrations of American holidays; community awareness activities, such as civic education classes; community service and advocacy discussions and activities, including Global Youth Service Days; and intensive English-language camps. Enhancement activities should be designed to help students better understand U.S. society and ideals, especially the U.S. values of volunteerism and community service. Objectives: The overall objective of the Access Program is to enhance the English-language skills of talented but disadvantaged youth and thereby develop increased self-confidence, strengthen critical thinking skills, and enhance opportunities for future study or employment. Specific objectives include: Providing high potential students from socially disadvantaged families with English language classes at no cost; Enabling these students to develop leadership and interpersonal skills through various enhancement activities; Increasing students’ understanding of U.S. culture and ideals through enrichment activities; Increasing opportunities for students with improved English language skills to successfully participate in U.S. government-funded academic exchange programs and other public diplomacy initiatives. Administration: Grantee organizations are expected to keep administration costs to a minimum. Please note that administration costs may not exceed 10 percent of the total budget. Grantee organizations are also encouraged to consider cost-sharing. Please submit grant proposals according to the following templates: Access Cost Proposal Template Access Narrative Proposal template Applicant organizational information template In addition to the above templates, please provide the following mandatory forms with your grant proposal. Mandatory application forms Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 or; Application for Federal Assistance SF 424I – Individual, if applying as an individual SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) (not required if fully registered in www.SAM.gov) Attachments 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner Official permission letters, if required for program activities Submit your complete set of application in electronic format to [email protected] An organization or individual may submit only one application by the application deadline. All applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of proposals. Proposals will not be considered until all information is received. Please note that all information must be received by the application deadline listed above. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY: All organizations applying for an award must have the following registrations: Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number NATO Commercial and Government Entity(CAGE/NCAGE) code System for Award Management (SAM.gov) (If you have applied and have not yet received the registration number, provide proof of application). Please apply for the D&B DUNS Number and CAGE/NCAGE Code at the same time to expedite the registration process. The Legal Business Name and Address must MATCH EXACTLY when entering it into the D&B DUNS, NCAGE, and SAM.gov websites – this includes spaces, parentheses, capitalization, small letters, punctuation, etc. Self-registration in D&B DUNS, NCAGE, and SAM.gov is free of charge. DUN & BRADSTREET (D&B) DUNS/UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) NUMBER The DUNS/UEI number is a nine-digit number established and assigned by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. (D&B) to uniquely identify business entities. Log onto the D&B website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/searchAction.do For assistance, contact D&B at the following email address: [email protected] NATO COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY (NCAGE) CODE NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) codes are required for all foreign entities to create an account in SAM.gov. The Code is a five-character ID number, and can take, at a minimum, 4-5 business days to create. Steps to register: (Please use the Internet Explorer web browser) Foreign registrants must go to the link below to check if their entity has a valid CAGE/NCAGE code https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/CageTool/home If the search results in no NCAGE codes found, you must click on “Request New” on the right side of the page to apply for your CAGE/NCAGE code. For assistance by telephone, please call: 1-888-227-2423 (inside the U.S.) or 001-269-961-7766 (outside the U.S.). E-mail [email protected] for any problems in obtaining an NCAGE code. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM.gov): (Please use either the Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browser) SAM is a U.S.-government wide registry of vendors doing business with the U.S. federal government and requires annual renewal. The system centralizes information about grant applicants/recipients and provides them with a central location to change their organizational information. More information about SAM.gov and useful guides for setting-up a new account, updating an existing account, or renewing an expired account can be found at: . https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf Please complete ALL of the above steps before attempting to register in SAM. Log onto https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf If you have had an active record in The Central Contractor Registration (CCR), you may already have an active record in SAM. To check for an active registration, please conduct a “search” for your record using the organization name and/or DUNS Number in SAM. If you are not registered, your organization or entity will not be found. If your organization does not have an active registration, you must create a user account and input all information in the exact manner as you have for the IRS, D&B DUNS, and NCAGE. Complete and submit the online form. Because of the different steps required for registration, it can take anywhere from three to fourteen business days to complete the process of creating an account with the system. If you encounter any error, please contact the SAM Federal Service Desk to report the problem at https://www.fsd.gov/clients There is a standard (not toll free) number that customers can use +1 334-206-7828. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS Announcing Award Decisions: The Public Affairs Office seeks to notify applicants of funding decisions within six to eight weeks following an application deadline. The timing of approvals is, however, subject to the availability of funds. Please note: Funding for approved proposals will not be available immediately. The allocation of funds can take up to two months once all award paperwork has been completed. Selection Process: Applications will be reviewed by the Public Affairs Office’s Grant Review Committee. Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated based on the following criteria: Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea Organizational Capacity: The organization has expertise in the subject area and demonstrates the ability to perform the proposed activities The organization demonstrates capacity for successful planning and responsible fiscal management Project Plan Includes sufficient detail about how activities will be carried out Specifies target audience, participant recruitment plan, and geographic area of implementation Implementation timeline is reasonable Budget Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results Realistically accounts for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities Monitoring and Evaluation Applicant demonstrates its ability to identify key program milestones and targets and track timely progress toward those milestones Sustainability American Content The degree to which the proposed activities will improve participants’ understanding of U.S. society and ideals, such as the values of volunteerism and community service Applicants selected for further consideration will receive official written notification and detailed information on the process of finalizing awards. Applicants selected for further consideration must provide official copies of all registrations outlined in the eligibility requirements. Failure to provide these documents will result in disqualification. Awards are contingent upon availability of U.S. Government funds and the signing of official award documents. Verbal or other informal communications cannot be considered official notification of an award, and applicants may not obligate expenses for a proposed project until all required administrative procedures have been completed. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS All awards require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds may be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner. All other details related to award administration will be specified in the award agreement. PROGRAM COORDINATION AND DEADLINE The Access Program will be administered by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy in Uganda. Please submit your grant proposals electronically to [email protected] by close of business September 30, 2021 Please note that incomplete proposals will not be taken into consideration.