FY 2009 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Displaced Persons from Kosovo
Proposal submission deadline: Friday, March 27, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (EST).
Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
Proposed Program Start Dates: July 1 – September 15, 2009
Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months.
Applicants with multi-year programs must continue to re-compete for PRM funding each year. Furthermore, 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: Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia
In FY2009, PRM anticipates providing $1.7 million to fund NGO programs in the Balkans. PRM will prioritize currently available funding for proposed NGO activities that best meet the Bureau’s priorities in Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro as identified below:
To receive priority consideration, proposals should seek to facilitate sustainable minority returns to Kosovo from Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia; and/or assist local integration to displaced persons in Montenegro and Serbia. Additionally, all proposals must include a component addressing the provision of rapid-response, gap-filling, emergency assistance in the event of any humanitarian crisis in the region. (This component would not require dedicated funds; rather, awardees would be expected to redirect personnel and available resources to an emergency effort.) This assistance would be provided on an as-needed basis to displaced individuals in full coordination with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and relevant host government authorities. Emergency assistance could include: food, clothing, basic household supplies, transportation, temporary shelter, or assistance to “host” families that are accommodating displaced persons.PRM anticipates funding at least one NGO project from each of the two categories listed below. Individual proposals for cross border activities may not exceed $850,000 in PRM-requested funding; and proposals for income generation/legal assistance in Serbia and/or Montenegro may not exceed $850,000 in PRM-requested funding:
- Cross Borders Facilitated Returns Program – Facilitated returns programs with operations in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and/or Serbia. The program should only facilitate individual and small group returns to the displaced person’s place of origin. Favorable consideration will be given to areas that have not previously seen significant minority returns. The program should include some of the following components:
1. Go and See Visits (GSVs) and Go and Inform Visits (GIVs);
2. The transportation of returnees and their effects;
3. Assistance with special access to social services and legal support upon return to Kosovo;
4. Review and facilitation both of security arrangements and community acceptance at the point of return;
5. Shelter rehabilitation up to Category V and connection to basic utilities (electricity, water and sewage when such systems exist);
6. Basic income generation assistance (e.g., farm animals, agricultural equipment, carpentry tools, equipment for retail activities);
7. Returnee household starter kits.
- Income Generation and Legal Assistance for displaced persons in Serbia and/or Montenegro. The program should include some of the following components:
1. Subsistence income generation assistance (e.g. farm animals, agricultural equipment, carpentry tools, equipment for retail activities) and, if possible, access to other financial aid (such as micro-credit loans);
2. Training courses and/or other mentoring activities to enhance technical and management skills. These trainings must be related to vocational activities that are otherwise supported by the income generation assistance component of this program;
3. Legal assistance and advocacy. This can include procurement of legal documents; assistance with property repossession cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Kosovo; and information desks to monitor legal issues and changes for the beneficiary population.
PRM will accept proposals from any international NGO; however, given our budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:
(a) a working relationship with UNHCR and 2009 UNHCR funding and/or support for the proposed activities and/or overall country program;
(b) a proven track record in providing the assistance proposed;
(c) evidence of coordination with development organizations and a well-developed transition strategy; and
(d) appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations.
Based on the trajectory of PRM funding, as well as the continuing shift from relief to recovery and development in the Balkans, NGOs are urged to plan their assistance programs accordingly and be able to explain how their projects will be concluded, handed over to another organization, or financed by other means after PRM funding ends.
Due to limited funding, PRM does not plan to initially fund income generation projects in Kosovo received in response to this funding announcement. Income generation projects submitted in response to this announcement will be rank ordered and deferred pending receipt of additional funding. Should additional funding become available later in the fiscal year, PRM will review and consider for funding the rank-ordered submissions received in response to this announcement, including income generating proposals.NGOs that have never received U.S. Government funding must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the financial and accounting requirements of the U.S. Government by providing copies of the following:
1. the most recent external financial audit;
2. proof of non-profit tax status including under IRS 501 (c)(3), as applicable;
3. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number; and
4. Employer ID number (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification Number.
(Note: It may take some time to acquire these documents if an organization doesn’t already have them.)
Proposal Submission Requirements:
See “How to Apply” section on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the highlights below.
Proposal content, formatting and template: Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in the FY 2009 General PRM NGO Guidelines at http://www.state.gov/j/prm/115597.htm. 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. Please include “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line.
PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE GENERAL PRM NGO GUIDELINES:
- PRM’s CFDA number for Refugee Assistance Programs for Europe is 19.520.
- Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should sign up well in advance of the March 27, 2009 deadline as it can take up to two weeks for a registration to be finalized (and sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers).
- Please 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. We recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov at least one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in your application not being considered.
- 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 Officer Matt Johnson at (202) 663-3068 or johnsonmr2@state.gov immediately to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate. Please note that e-mail submissions will not be accepted in lieu of submission via Grants.gov!
- 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.
- Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization (where applicable). PRM places great value on multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs. As noted above to receive copies of PRM's recommended templates please send an email with "PRM NGO Templates" in the subject line to PRMNGOCoordinator@state.gov.
- Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2008 for activities that are being proposed for funding again in response to this funding announcement should include an up-to-date, cumulative progress report against indicators as outlined in the cooperative agreement.
- Focus on impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one impact indicator.
- NGOs that have not received PRM funding prior to 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.
- This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for Overseas Assistance, 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 on the Bureau’s website.
In order to provide NGOs with timely feedback, PRM will inform applicants of the panel’s decision to recommend or not recommend funding proposed activities, and may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will follow up with formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.
PRM Points of Contact: All applicants for new and follow-on funding and/or those with technical questions are encouraged to contact the PRM staff listed below before submitting proposals:
- Program Officer Matthew Johnson (Johnsonmr2@state.gov or 202-663-3068) in Washington, DC
- Refugee Assistant Aida Kuric (KuricA@state.gov) in Belgrade, Serbia
- Deputy Office Director Nancy Iris (IrisNR@state.gov) in Washington, DC