U.S. Embassy South Africa Public Affairs Section, U.S. Department of State (PAS) 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, strategic themes, and procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. Purpose of Small Grants: PAS awards a limited number of grants, subject to the availability of funds, to non-profit organizations, non-profit academic institutions, and individuals to support exchange between the U.S. and South Africa with the aim of improving mutual respect and understanding. PAS gives priority to the following themes and initiatives: • Culture / American Society; • Educational Initiatives; • Democracy, Good Governance, and Rule of law; • Human Rights and Civil Society; • Science and Technology; • Youth leadership and development; • Climate Change; • Entrepreneurship and Innovation. PAS will ONLY consider grants that have an American component or aspect in their proposal. This could include, but is not limited to, having an American expert as a speaker, using curriculum developed by a U.S. institution or projecting an American film. Activities that are not funded include, but are not limited to: • Social welfare projects; • Individual travel to conferences; • Construction projects; • Completion of projects begun with other funds; • Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns; • Political party activities; and, • Projects that support specific religious activities. Authorizing statutes for funding are: 1) Smith-Mundt Act, which specifies the terms in which the United States government can engage global audiences: http://www.state.gov/pdcommission/library/177362.htm. 2) Fulbright-Hays Act, which allows the Department of State to use funds for the purpose of supporting international exchanges that address issues of mutual interest to the United States: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/fulbrighthaysact.pdf. II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement or Grant (including Fixed Amount Awards and Property Grants). Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in proposal execution and anticipate having moderate to substantial involvement once the award has been made. Minimum amount for individual awards: $1,000. Maximum amount for individual awards: $10,000. Project and Budget Periods: Grant projects generally must be completed in one year or less. The Public Affairs Section will entertain applications for continuation of grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a noncompetitive 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. Applicants should consider their budgets carefully and submit a budget commensurate with their project goals. While PAS will consider proposals up to $10,000, projects that are smaller in scope are more likely to be considered. III. Eligibility Information PAS encourages applications from organizations in South Africa or the U.S.: • Registered not-for-profit think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience; • Non-profit educational institutions. Individuals are also welcome to submit applications. Only projects that take place in South Africa will be considered. PAS encourages applicants to provide cost-sharing from additional sources in support of the project. IV. Application Submission and Deadline Proposals should be submitted by email to your nearest PAS office: • Cape Town:
[email protected] • Durban:
[email protected] • Johannesburg:
[email protected] • Pretoria:
[email protected] Applications are accepted in English only. Final grant agreements will be concluded in English. There are three deadlines in 2016 for submitting proposals: February 15, May 1, and August 1. Applicants must complete and submit the PAS Small Grant Application Form, which includes a project description, detailed budget (including cost-sharing), and a monitoring & evaluation plan. Recipients should be registered on SAM.gov (exceptions may be made for first-time, one-off grants). SAM registration requires a DUNS number and an NCAGE code: • DUNS Number: Any entity that receives PAS financing must register for a DUNS number, which is a unique nine-digit identification number. DUNS Number assignment is free for organizations required to register with the federal government for grants. Begin the process here: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform (or phone 011 790 3060); • NCAGE Code: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx; • SAM registration: https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/. V. Review and Selection Process Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the criteria outlined below. The criteria listed are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail. Organizational Capacity: The organization has expertise in its stated field and PAS is confident of its technical capacity to undertake the project. Goals and Objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and project approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. Embassy Priority: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support the priority areas of U.S. Embassy South Africa. Sustainability: Project activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the project. Feasibility: Analysis of the project’s economic, organizational, and technical feasibility. This is related to the project approach, budget items requested, and technical/human resource capacity of the organization. Budget: The budget justification is both reasonable and realistic in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. Grants will be awarded to programs with the highest impact per dollar spent. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The project includes a systematic recording and periodic analysis of selected information on the project activities. VI. Award Administration Award Notices: The grant award or cooperative agreement shall be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants and cooperative agreements. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient. Organizations whose applications will not be funded will also be notified in writing. If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State. Reporting Requirements: Awards issued under this announcement will require program and, if specified, 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 as well. Final programmatic and financial reports are due 90 days (unless otherwise specified) after the close of the project period. Progress reports at a minimum should be submitted via electronic mail to an address to be provided in the award.