A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMME

A Section he U.S. Department of State's Public Affairs Service (PAS) is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Programme. This is an Annual Programme Statement outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting funding applications. Please follow all the instructions below carefully.

The purpose of small grants: THE PAS Praia invites proposals for programmes that strengthen bilateral ties between the US and Cape Verde. All programmes that focus on the environment, renewal energy, promoting small businesses or expanding English will be given special consideration.

Examples of PAS Small Grants Programme programmes include, but are not limited to:

• Lectures, seminars and programmes by academic and professional speakers;
• Professional and academic exchanges;
• Journalism training and exchanges;
• training and technological exchanges, such as hackathons and coding camps;
• Programmes that strengthen the relationships of US colleges and universities with local higher education institutions, American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams), companies and/or regional organisations;
• Municipal and regional libraries and community centres interested in becoming an American Space;
• Programmes developed by an alumnus of an educational or professional exchange programme sponsored or supported by the USA.

Programme Priority Areas:

• English Language Writing Competitions or English Language Themes
• Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, prioritising projects that seek to increase environmental tourism;
• Partnerships between US and Cape Verdean institutions committed to education, academic research and intercultural academic exchanges in the field of environmental protection and renewable energy.

Participants and Audiences:

All proposals must centre on the involvement of Cape Verdeans in Cape Verde. Proposals can include the diaspora, but must include local populations. Projects aimed at young people, women and marginalised communities are encouraged. Other key audiences could include: the LGBT community, people with disabilities, journalists and media professionals, entrepreneurs, NGOs and English teachers.

The following types of programmes are not eligible for funding:

• Publication of books;
• Translation of books;
• Participation in conferences (i.e. trips by participants to UN programme conferences, etc.)
• Programmes relating to party political activities;
• Charitable or development activities;
• Construction programmes;
• Support programmes for specific religious activities;
• Fundraising campaigns;
• Lobbying for specific legislation or programmes;
• Scientific research;
• Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organisation or;
• Programs that duplicate existing programs.

Authorising legislation, type and year of funding:

Funding authority rests in the Smith-Mundt Act, Fulbright Hays. The source of funding is FY2023 19.040-Public Diplomacy Funding; 19.441 - American Spaces Sustaining Funds; 19.022 - Education and Culture Exchange Programmes. 

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 01 to 12 months

Number of awards anticipated: 15 awards (dependent on amounts)

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $20,000

Total available funding: $50,000 (pending funding availability)

Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2023 Public Diplomacy Funding

Anticipated programme start date:  Before October 1, 2023

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type:  Grant, Fixed Amount Award (FAAs), or Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements and some FAAs are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation ("Substantial Involvement").

Programme Performance Period: Proposed programmes should be completed in 18 months or less. PAS 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. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from U.S. and Cape Verde:

• Registered not-for-profit organisations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organisations with programming experience
• Individuals
• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
• Government institutions

Profit-making or commercial organisations are not eligible to apply.  

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not necessary.

3. Other eligibility requirements

Applicants can only submit one proposal per organisation. If more than one proposal is submitted by an organisation, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

To be eligible to receive an award, all organisations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov, as well as a valid registration with the www.SAM.gov. See Section D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered with SAM.gov.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to request application package

The application forms required below are available at Grants Programme - U.S. Embassy in Cape Verde (usembassy.gov).

The Public Diplomacy Section will accept proposals throughout the year and will analyse proposals according to the availability of funding. Proposals with the content and forms listed below should be sent electronically to Praiagrants@State.gov.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Please follow all the instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this notice or do not fulfil the established requirements will be ineligible.

Order content

Please make sure:

• The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity
• All documents are in English
• All quotes are in US dollars
• All pages are numbered
• All documents are formatted on 8 11/ x paper, and
• All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, in 12-point Calibri font, with minimum margins of 1 inch.

They are necessary the following documents:

1. Compulsory application forms
   • SF-424 (Application for Federal Aid - organisations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Aid - individuals)
   • SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programmes)
   • SF424B (Guarantees for non-construction programmes)

2. Short title page: Cover sheet stating the name and organisation of the applicant, the date of the proposal, the title of the programme, the start and end date of the proposed programme period and the brief objective of the programme.
3. Proposal (maximum of 10pages): The proposal must contain enough information so that anyone unfamiliar with it understands exactly what the candidate wants to do. You can use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below.
   • Proposal Summary: Short narrative describing the proposed programme, including the objectives of the programme and the expected impact.
   • Introduction to Organisation or Individual RegistrationA description of past and present operations, showing the ability to carry out the programme, including information on all previous grants from the US Embassy and/or US government agencies.
   • Problem statement: Clear, concise and well-founded statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed programme is necessary
   • Programme Goals and Objectives: The "goals" describe what the programme aims to achieve. What aspect of the relationship between the US and Cape Verde will it improve? The "objectives" refer to the intermediate achievements on the way to the goals. These must be realisable and measurable.
   • Programme activitiesDescribe the programme's activities and how they will help to achieve the objectives.
   • Methods and Programme DesignA description of how the programme is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the objective.
   • Timetable for the Proposed Programme: The proposed timetable for the programme's activities. Include the dates, times and locations of the planned activities and events.
   • Key personnel: Names, positions, functions and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the programme. What proportion of your time will be used to support this programme?
   • Programme partners: List the names and type of involvement of the main partner organisations and sub-awardees.
   • Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the life of the grant, how will activities be monitored to ensure that they are happening on time and how will the programme be evaluated to ensure that it is meeting the goals of the grant?
   • Future Financing or Sustainability The candidate's plan to continue the programme beyond the grant period or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

4. Budget Justification Narrative: After filling in the SF-424A Budget (above), use a separate file to describe each of the expenses in detail budget. See section H. Other Information: Budget Submission Guidelines below for for more information.
5. Annexes:
   • 1-page CV or curriculum vitae of key personnel proposed for the programme
   • Letters of support from programme partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner
   • Official permission letters, if required for programme activities
6. Unique Entity Identifier and Award Management System (SAM.gov)

Compulsory enrolment:

All organisations, whether based in the United States or another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration on SAM.gov. The UEI is one of the data elements required by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all federal awards.

Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required for federal aid applications.

2 CFR 200 requires that sub-recipients obtain a UEI number. Please note that the UEI for sub-recipients is not required at the time of enrolment, but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-recipient.

 Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration can take between 4 and 8 weeks. Please start your registration as soon as possible.

• Organisations based in United States or who pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a UEI number before registering on SAM.gov.
• Organisations based outside United States and who do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS, but they do need a UEI number before registering with SAM.gov.
• Please note that as of November 2022 and February 2022 respectively, organisations based outside the United States that do not intend to apply for US Department of Defense (DoD) awards no longer need to have a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code or a CAGE code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organisation is in the middle of registration and wishes to remove a CAGE or NCAGE code from its SAM.gov registration, the applicant must submit a technical support ticket ("incident") with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online at fsd.gov using the following language: "I do not wish to seek financial assistance from the Department of Defence. I do not wish to obtain a CAGE or NCAGE code. I understand that I will need to submit my registration after this incident is resolved in order for my registration to be activated."

Organisations based outside the United States and NOT planning to do business with the DoD should follow the instructions below: 

Step 1: Proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI and complete the SAM.gov registration process. SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually.

Organisations based outside the United States and that plan to do business with the DoD, other than the State Department, should follow the instructions below:

Step 1: Request an NCAGE code by following the instructions on the NSPA NATO website linked below:

NCAGE home page:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/sc/CageList.aspx

NCAGE code request tool (NCRT):

ExemptionsAn exemption from the UEI and sam.gov registration requirements may be authorised on a case-by-case basis if:

• The identity of a candidate must be protected due to a potential danger to their mission, the status of their organisation, its employees or individuals served by the candidate.
• For an applicant, if the federal awarding agency determines that exigent circumstances exist that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award. In such cases, federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the date of the federal award.

Organisations requesting exemption from the UEI or SAM.gov requirements must send an email to the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks before the deadline in the NOFO providing justification for their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the justified Grants Officer before the request can be considered eligible for review.

4. Submission dates and times

The Public Relations Section will accept proposals throughout the year and will analyse them according to the following timetable:

• Proposals received before 31 March 2023 will be analysed until 30 April, with responses due by 5 May 2023.
• Proposals received between 1 April and 30 June will be received until 30 July, with responses due by 5 August 2023.

5. Financing restrictions

See page two for projects that are not eligible for funding.

6. Other submission requirements

All registration materials should be sent by e-mail to Praiagrants@State.gov.

E. INFORMATION ON ANALYSING THE APPLICATION

1. Criteria

Each application will be assessed and ranked on the basis of the evaluation criteria described below. The criteria listed are closely related and are taken together to assess the overall quality of an application.

Organisational capacity and record in previous concessionsThe organisation has experience in its declared field and PAS is confident in its ability to carry out the programme. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.

Quality and Feasibility of the Programme Idea - The programme idea is well developed, with details on how the programme activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable timetable for implementation.

Goals and objectives: The goals and objectives are clearly stated and the programme's approach is likely to have the maximum impact on achieving the proposed results.

Embassy priorities: The applicant has clearly described how the stated objectives relate to and support the priority areas or target audiences of US Embassy XXX.

Budget: The budget justification is detailed. The costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and the expected results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all the expenses necessary to achieve the proposed activities.

Monitoring and evaluation plan: The applicant demonstrates that they are able to measure the success of the programme against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress towards the goals outlined in the proposal. The programme includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when they will be measured.

Sustainability: The programme's activities will continue to have a positive impact after the end of the programme.

2. Review and Selection Process

A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible applications.

3. Responsibility/Qualification Information on SAM.gov (formerly FAPIIS)

For any federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the federal awarding agency anticipates that the total federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold during the period of performance (see §200.01 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants that:

i. The federal awarding agency, before making a federal award with a total amount of federal share in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the U.S. government's designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

ii. An applicant, at its discretion, may review and comment on any information about itself in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM that a federal awarding agency has previously entered;

iii. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments from the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgement about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and performance record under Federal awards when completing its review of the risk posed by applicants, as described in §200.205 Federal awarding agency review of the risk posed by applicants.

F. INFORMATION FROM THE FEDERAL PRIZE ADMINISTRATION

1. Federal award notices

The grant or co-operation agreement will be written, signed, awarded and administered by the Grants Officer. The grant agreement is the authorising document, and will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email. The recipient can only start incurring programme expenses from the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grants Officer.

If a proposal is selected for funding, the State Department is under no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the State Department.

The issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it commit the U.S. Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Furthermore, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Payment method: Payments will be made in at least two instalments, according to the need to carry out the programme's activities.

Organisations whose applications will not be funded will also be notified by e-mail.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Terms and conditions: Before submitting an application, candidates should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications that will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to fulfil them. These include:

2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, Certifications and Warranties, and the Department of State's Standard Terms and Conditions, all available at: https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/. Please note the US Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions.

3. Reports

Reporting requirements: Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and programme reports. The award document will specify the frequency with which these reports must be sent.

G. FEDERAL CONCESSION AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact PAS at: Praiagrants@State.gov.

Note: We do not provide any pre-consultation for application-related questions that are addressed in the NOFO. Once an application has been submitted, State Department officials and employees - both in the Department and in embassies abroad - may not discuss that competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process has been completed.

H. OTHER INFORMATION

Budget Justification Guidelines

Staff: Describe the salaries, wages and benefits of the temporary or permanent staff who will work directly for the candidate on the programme and the percentage of their time that will be spent on the programme.

Travel: Estimate travel and per diem costs for this programme. If the programme involves international travel, include a brief statement of justification for this travel.

Equipment: Describe any machinery, furniture or other personal property required for the programme, which has a useful life of more than one year (or a useful life longer than the duration of the programme) and costs at least US $ 5,000 per unit.

Supplies: List and describe all the items and materials, including any computer devices, that are needed for the programme. If an item costs more than US$ 5,000 per unit, put it in the budget under Equipment.

Contractual: Describe goods and services that the applicant plans to purchase through a contract with a supplier. Also describe any sub-awards to non-profit partners who will help carry out the programme's activities.

Other Direct Costs: Describe other costs directly associated with the programme that do not fall into the other categories. For example, shipping costs for materials and equipment or applicable taxes. All "Other" or "Miscellaneous" expenses should be itemised and explained.

Indirect Costs: These are costs that cannot be linked directly to programme activities, such as overhead costs needed to help keep the organisation running. If your organisation has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, please attach a copy of the most recent NICRA. Organisations that have never had a NICRA may request indirect costs of 10% of the modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68.

"Cost sharing" refers to contributions from the organisation or entities other than the US Embassy. It also includes in-kind contributions, such as volunteer time and donated venues.

Alcoholic drinks: Please note that prize funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.