FY 2013 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Displaced Iraqis and Syrians in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq

Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-PRMOAPNE-13-004-016661

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.519 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East and South Asia

Announcement issuance date: Monday, March 4, 2013

Proposal submission deadline: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. noon EDT. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

**ADVISORY: PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address any difficulties that may arise.**

Proposed Program Start Dates: September 1 – September 30, 2013

Eligible Applicants: (1) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; (2) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; and (3) International Organizations. International Organizations (IOs) should not submit proposals through Grants.gov in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. Rather IOs such as UN agencies and other Public International Organizations (PIOs) that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should submit a proposal to the relevant PRM Program Officer (as listed below) on or before the closing date of the funding announcement.

Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months. 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 Displaced Iraqis and Syrians in the Near East:

PRM will prioritize funding for proposed NGO activities that best meet the Bureau’s priorities for displaced Iraqis and Syrians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, as identified below. PRM will consider proposals for activities in a single country as well as programs operating in multiple countries.

In addition, for NGO projects assisting Syrian refugees, PRM will only consider those that fall within the UN Syria Regional Response Plan. Within the body of the proposal, NGOs proposing activities assisting Syrian refugees should clearly state their role within the UN Syria Regional Response Plan.

NGOs submitting proposals in response to this funding announcement must be registered to operate with the government in each of the countries of the proposed activities by the program start date. All applicants should include documentation providing verification of their registration status as an attachment to their proposal submission.

Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with, and referral mechanisms to, both local and international organizations. Organizations should encourage refugees to register with UNHCR, but registration is not required to receive assistance or services. Proposals should indicate how the proposed assistance is filling an identified gap, including how the gap and the beneficiaries were identified.

Jordan and Lebanon: Iraqi and/or Syrian refugees

(a) In Jordan and Lebanon, proposed activities should primarily support Iraqi and/or Syrian refugees residing in host communities. Applicants have the option, in these two countries only, to combine projects benefiting both refugee populations. Because of PRM's mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM will consider funding only those projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50% refugees. Proposals for projects assisting both Iraqi and Syrian refugees must break down assistance by nationality in both the project’s objectives and budget.

(b) Proposals for projects assisting Iraqi and Syrian refugees living in host communities in Jordan and Lebanon must focus on the following sectors:

• Health, including health education and preventative health care, reproductive health services, capacity building for local service providers, mainstreaming into local health care infrastructure, and clinical management of rape and other forms of gender-based violence. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence, including men, boys, and LGBTI individuals, are incorporated into the project. NGOs will be required to provide their health program/beneficiary information to UNHCR. NGOs should also comment in detail on how, if at all, the fees they charge for their services differ from UNHCR’s healthcare rates. NGOs should specify that they will only use generic medications unless they are unavailable.
• Shelter and Infrastructure, with a focus on addressing the needs of refugees residing in host communities, to include emergency cash assistance for rent as well as renovations or repairs to existing structures. Programs for provision of shelter assistance should adhere to Sphere minimum standards and proposals must indicate how the organization will work to avoid duplication of assistance.
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), with an emphasis on activities that will benefit the WASH infrastructure in host communities so that interventions have a lasting impact for both refugees and local populations.
• Livelihoods, including training in literacy, life skills, and vocational skills linked to local markets.
• Education, with a focus on remedial education and non-formal education programs and efforts to enroll children in school. Proposals should address how the educational assistance will assist with integration into local educational structures. Education programs should adhere to the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) minimum Standards.
• Protection, including programs aimed at addressing the interrelated assistance and protection needs of vulnerable beneficiaries by providing services and referral networks, sharing information, and providing other emergency assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals.
  • Gender-Based Violence, to include activities to prevent, mitigate, and/or provide treatment; programs could include services for both female and male survivors and perpetrators.
  • Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual as well as family/group counseling and/or therapy. Proposals should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings and articulate how beneficiaries are identified; previous coordination with other mental health providers, including joint training; efforts to improve local capacity to provide adequate mental healthcare; the extent to which the NGO is able to utilize local organizations/resources to meet the mental healthcare needs of its beneficiaries; and an overview of the most prevalent mental health needs among the displaced Syrian or Iraqi population that the NGO intends to address. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project and should adhere to the IASC Guidelines on Gender-Based Violence.
  • Child Protection

Syria: Iraqi refugees

(c) Proposals for projects benefiting Iraqi refugees in Syria must focus on the following sectors, and must target a beneficiary base of at least 50% Iraqi refugees.

• Health (same as above)
• Education (same as above)
• Protection (same as above)
  • Gender-based Violence
  • Psychosocial Support
  • Child Protection

Iraq: Iraqi IDPs and returnees

(d) Proposals for projects benefiting Iraqi IDPs and returnees inside Iraq must focus on the following sectors, and must target a beneficiary base of at least 50% Iraqi refugee returnees/IDPs/persons of concern. Programs should be limited to Baghdad, Diyala, Anbar, Ninewa, and Erbil governorates. Programs should make an effort to build community capacity and work to support durable solutions, including for IDPs in informal settlements.

• Livelihoods, including training in literacy, life skills, and vocational skills linked to local markets.
• Education: Formal education reintegration support for youth with an interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Iraq. This could include remedial education aimed at facilitating re-entry into the formal school system; assisting families in obtaining necessary documentation; facilitating communication between IDP communities and local school administrations to ensure equality of access; and/or developing local solutions to promote school attendance among IDP communities.
• Protection, which could include information sharing and legal counseling for returnees and IDPs seeking documentation and access to basic services, as well as the below:
  • Gender-Based Violence prevention, response, and reintegration support for both female and male survivors and perpetrators.
  • Mental health and psychosocial programs offering individual and family/group counseling and/or therapy, as well as capacity building of local mental health service providers. Proposals should demonstrate how clinical services for survivors of gender-based violence are incorporated into the project.
• Community mobilization, which could include community capacity building and technical expertise to local governance structures involved with IDP settlements and populations.

Overall Guidance

(e) Health Sector Standard Indicators Pilot: Proposals focusing on health in urban settings must include a minimum of one of the six following indicators and should try to include as many of the other indicators as are relevant:

• Capacity-building: # of health care professionals/administrators trained on providing health services to refugee populations.
• Referrals: # of refugees referred to appropriate services, and % of those referred who were able to get needed services.
• Community Outreach: # of refugees who received targeted messages on their rights and health-related services available to them.
• Health Staffing: # of total consultations per health care provider, disaggregated by refugee/national, sex, and age.
• Patient Satisfaction: % of refugee patients receiving primary and emergency care who express satisfaction with services received.
• Post Exposure Prophylaxis: % of reporting refugee rape survivors given PEP within 72 hours (Target: 100%)

NGO proposals that seek to fund service provision may include the following indicators if appropriate:

• Primary Care: # and % of refugee patients, by sex and age, receiving primary health care assistance.
• Emergency Care: # and % of refugee patients, by sex and age, receiving care for trauma or sudden illness.

Proposals should also include their own custom indicators in addition to the standard indicator(s).

(f) All program design should take into account the following guidance:

• Programs are encouraged to prioritize the needs of women and girls in a way that strengthens their roles in families and in the broader community. Programs should also target the needs of the most vulnerable groups among Iraqi and Syrian refugees, Iraqi IDPs, and Iraqi returnee populations (e.g., female-headed households; disabled or isolated refugees; GBV survivors; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals; etc.). Younger single men are also considered a vulnerable group for which PRM would consider targeted programming. Programs are encouraged to demonstrate how they will train their staff to meet the specific protection and assistance needs of these vulnerable groups effectively. Programs should be accessible to physically disabled persons.
• In proposals for follow-on activities for existing PRM-funded projects, NGOs should demonstrate the application of lessons learned and changes necessitated by the dynamic social and economic situation of Iraqi and Syrians in the region. NGOs should provide an assessment of the continuing effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance they currently provide, highlighting best practices developed and any programmatic adjustments that should be made in follow-on activities.
• Programs should demonstrate how the proposed activities will consider the needs of host communities in an effort to maintain amicable relations between local populations and refugees, keeping in mind the above-mentioned stipulation that 50% of beneficiaries must be displaced Iraqis and/or Syrians.
• Proposals should include a realistic and detailed assessment of the sustainability of the project.
• All NGOs must participate in UNHCR-designed and -managed refugee assistance information systems where applicable.

(g) Proposals must have a concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective; objectives should be clearly linked to the sectors.

(h) Proposals must adhere to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.

(i) PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the above mentioned sectors – although NGOs applying to assist Syrian refugees must be included in the UN Syria Regional Response Plan. Given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:

• a working relationship with UNHCR and/or current UNHCR funding;
• a proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;
• evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as – where possible – local authorities;
• a strong transition plan, where feasible, involving local capacity-building;
• a budget that demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources.

(k) Country Specific Instructions:

• Iraq and Syria: NGOs should describe security arrangements for international and local staff, including contingency planning for deteriorating security conditions.

Funding Limits: In the past, PRM has funded NGO programs assisting displaced and returnee Iraqis that ranged from $300,000 for a single-country project to up to $5 million for a regional project. The majority of the projects funded were less than $2 million. For this Funding Opportunity, PRM will not consider proposals assisting Iraqis that are over $2 million.

For Syrian refugees, PRM has provided up to $1.5 million for single-country projects in the past. For this Funding Opportunity, PRM will continue to consider project proposals for Syrians for up to $1.5 million. For proposals assisting both Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Jordan and/or Lebanon, PRM will consider proposals of up to $3.5 million.

Project proposals with solid and compelling budget justifications will be considered. Budgets based on a realistic and well-articulated assessment of needs and expenses will be noted favorably.

Budgets for regional projects should be broken down by country. Budgets for projects assisting both Iraqi and Syrian refugees must be broken down by population. As much as possible, all budgets should be broken down by objective, as per the revised budget template. As stated in PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, PRM looks favorably on cost-sharing efforts and seeks to support projects with a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization.

Proposal Submission Requirements: Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. See “Applicant Resources” page on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp). Please also note the following highlights:

• Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the deadline as it can take up to two weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers). To register with Grants.gov, organizations must first receive a DUNS number and register with the System for Award Management (SAM) which can take weeks and sometimes months. We recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered. PRM partners must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an active federal award or an application under consideration by PRM or any federal agency.
• 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.
• 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 to the Grants.gov help desk, received a case number, and had a service request opened to research the problem, should contact the relevant PRM Program Officer to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.
• International Organizations (IOs) should not submit proposals through Grants.gov in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. Rather IOs such as UN agencies and other Public International Organizations (PIOs) that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should submit a proposal addressing the elements described within this announcement to the relevant PRM Program Officer (as stated below) on or before the closing date of the funding announcement.
• Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424), the Department of State is authorized to consolidate the certifications and assurances required by Federal law or regulations for its federal assistance programs. The list of certifications and assurances can be found at: http://fa.statebuy.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=161&menu_id=68 )

Proposal Content, Formatting and Template: This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, which contain additional administrative information on proposal content and formatting, and explain in detail PRM’s NGO funding strategy and priorities. Please use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that your proposal submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements and that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities. Proposal submissions that do not meet all of the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered.

PRM strongly recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available upon email request from PRM's NGO Coordinator. Please send an email, with the phrase “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line, to PRM's NGO Coordinator. Single-year proposals using PRM’s templates must be no more than 20 pages in length (Times New Roman 12 point font, one inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 15 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total.

To be considered for PRM funding, organizations must submit a complete application package including:

• Proposal reflecting objectives and indicators for all years of the program period.
• Budget and budget narrative for each year of the program period.
• Signed completed SF-424.

In addition, proposal submissions to PRM should include the following information:

• Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. Wherever possible, baselines should be established before the start of the project.
• To increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding, include specific information on locations of projects and beneficiaries (GPS coordinates if possible).
• Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If an organization believes that publicly acknowledging the receipt of USG funding for a particular PRM-funded project could potentially endanger the lives of the beneficiaries and/or the organization staff, invite suspicion about the organization's motives, or alienate the organization from the population it is trying to help, it must provide a brief explanation in its proposal as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.
• The budget should include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization. PRM strongly encourages multilateral support for humanitarian programs.
• Proposals and budgets should include details of any sub-agreements associated with the program.
• Copy of the organization’s Code of Conduct (required before an award can be made).
• Copy of the organization’s Security Plan (required before an award can be made).
• Most recent Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), if applicable.
• NGOs that have not received PRM funding since 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) proof of non-profit tax status including under IRS 501 (c)(3), as applicable, 3) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and 4) an Employer ID (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification number.
• Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2012 for activities that are being proposed for funding under this announcement must include the most recent quarterly progress report against indicators outlined in the cooperative agreement. If an organization’s last quarterly report was submitted more than six weeks prior to the submission of a proposal in response to this funding announcement, the organization must include, with its most recent quarterly report, updates that show any significant progress made on objectives since the last report.

Reports and Reporting Requirements:

Program reporting: PRM requires quarterly and final program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. It is highly suggested that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended program report template. To request this template, send an email with the phrase “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line to PRM's NGO Coordinator.

Financial Reports: Financial reports are required within thirty (30) days following the end of each calendar year quarter during the validity period of the agreement; a final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within ninety (90) days after the expiration date of the agreement.

For more details regarding reporting requirements please see PRM’s General NGO Guidelines.

Proposal Review Process: PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced proposal evaluation criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.

PRM may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will provide formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.

Assistance Award Provision – SPOT: The following provisions will be included in the Bureau specific component of the Notice of Award for performance in a designated combat area (currently Iraq and Afghanistan). Recipients are required to include this provision in any sub-grant awards or agreements.

SPECIAL PROVISION FOR PERFORMANCE IN A DESIGNATED COMBAT AREA (CURRENTLY IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN)
(Revised January 2011)

All recipient personnel deploying to areas of combat operations, as designated by the Secretary of Defense (currently Iraq and Afghanistan), under grants over $100,000 or performance over 30 days must register in the Department of Defense maintained Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker (SPOT) system. Recipients of federal assistance awards shall register in SPOT before deployment, or if already in the designated operational area, register upon becoming an employee under the assistance award and maintain current data in SPOT. Information on how to register in SPOT is available from your Grants Officer or Grants Officer Representative.

Recipients must enter all U.S. and Third Country National (TCN) personnel into SPOT. If the Recipient has concerns about the safety of locally hired Iraqi or Afghan personnel because of personal data entered into SPOT, arrangements may be made with the Grants Officer or the Grants Officer Representative to report anonymous aggregate data.

Locally-hired Iraqi or Afghan personnel can be added anonymously through the use of the aggregate count template except as noted in the following paragraph.

Recipients utilizing personnel who are performing a private security function; are performing duties as a translator or interpreter; require access to U.S. facilities, services, or support; or desire consideration for refugee or special immigrant status under the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 (subtitle C of title XII of Public Law 110–181) must be entered into SPOT individually with all required personal information. If a locally-hired Iraqi or Afghan national falls into one of these categories, the Recipient must enter all of the required identification data into SPOT.

When the Grantee is ready to enter locally-hired individuals using the Aggregate Count method, the Grantee will notify the Grants Officer who will contact the Department SPOT Program Manager (A/LM/AQM) to obtain the “Aggregate Count” template. The Grantee will complete the “Aggregate Count” template and return to the SPOT Program Manager who will ensure that aggregate counts are loaded into SPOT. The Grantee SPOT Administrator is responsible for updating the aggregate locally hired national count on a quarterly basis by providing updated information via the “Aggregate Count” As template to the GOR/GO for each award who will forward to the Department SPOT Program Manager for SPOT entry.

Recipient performance may require the use of armed private security personnel. To the extent that such private security contractors (PSCs) are required, grantees are required to ensure they adhere to Chief of Mission (COM) policies and procedures regarding the operation, oversight, and accountability of PSCs. In a designated area of combat operations, the term PSC includes any personnel providing protection of the personnel, facilities, property of a grantee or subgrantee at any level, or performing any other activity for which personnel are required to carry weapons in the performance of their duties.

As specific COM policies and procedures may differ in scope and applicability, recipients of federal assistance awards are advised to review post policies and procedures carefully in this regard and direct any questions to the Embassy Regional Security Office (RSO) via the Grants Officer Representative (GOR). Any exclusion to these policies must be granted by the COM via the RSO. COM policies and procedures may be obtained from the RSO via the GOR. Recipients of federal assistance awards are also advised that these policies and procedures may be amended from time to time at the post in response to changing circumstances.

Recipients of federal assistance awards are advised that adherence to these policies and procedures are considered to be a material requirement of their grant.

Recipients of federal assistance awards are reminded that only the Grants Officer has the authority to modify the Notice of Award. Recipients shall proceed with any security guidance provided by the RSO, but shall advise the Grants Officer and the GOR of the guidance received and any potential cost or schedule impact.

Applicant Vetting as a Condition of Award: Applicants for projects in Lebanon are advised that successful passing of vetting to evaluate the risk that funds may benefit terrorists or their supporters is a condition of award. Applicants may be asked to submit information required by DS Form 4184, Risk Analysis Information about their company and its principal personnel. Vetting information is also required for all subaward performance on assistance awards identified by DOS as presenting a risk of terrorist financing. When vetting information is requested by the Grants Officer, information may be submitted on the secure web portal at https://ramportal.state.gov, via email to RAM@state.gov, or hardcopy to the Grants Officer. Questions regarding the form may be emailed to RAM@state.gov. Failure to submit information when requested, or failure to pass vetting, may be grounds for rejecting your proposal. The following clause shall be included in Section 9, Special Award Conditions, or as an addendum to the solicitation, whenever assistance is awarded after vetting:

• Recipient Vetting After Award: Recipients shall advise the Grants Officer of any changes in personnel listed in the DS Form 4184, Risk Analysis Information, and shall provide vetting information on new individuals. The government reserves the right to vet these personnel changes and to terminate assistance awards for convenience based on vetting results.

Branding and Marking Strategy: Unless exceptions have been approved by the designated bureau Authorizing Official as described in the proposal templates that are available upon email request from PRM's NGO Coordinator, at a minimum, the following provision will be included whenever assistance is awarded:

• As a condition of receipt of this assistance award, all materials produced pursuant to the award, including training materials, materials for recipients or materials to communicate or promote with foreign audiences a program, event, project, or some other activity under this agreement, including but not limited to invitations to events, press materials, event backdrops, podium signs, etc. must be marked appropriately with the standard U.S. flag in a size and prominence equal to (or greater than) any other logo or identity. Subrecipients and subsequent tier sub-award agreements are subject to the marking requirements and the recipient shall include a provision in the subrecipient agreement indicating that the standard, rectangular U.S. flag is a requirement. In the event the recipient does not comply with the marking requirements as established in the approved assistance agreement, the Grants Officer Representative and the Grants Officer must initiate corrective action.

PRM Points of Contact: Should NGOs have technical questions related to this announcement, they should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to proposal submission. Please note that responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.

PRM Program Officer: Shirley Woodward, WoodwardSG@state.gov, 202-453-9291, Washington, D.C.

Refugee Coordinators: Peter Chisholm, ChisholmPT@state.gov, U.S. Embassy, Amman, Jordan. Anjalina Sen, SenAM@state.gov, U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq.