STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES FUNDING NGO PROGRAMS BENEFITING DISPLACED SYRIANS IN JORDAN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting displaced Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon
Democracy, Human Rights, Refugees: FY 2012 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO programs benefiting displaced Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon
Funding Opportunity Announcement
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
April 9, 2012

Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-ANE-12-CA-001-NEA-040912-Syrians.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number:
19.519 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East and South Asia
Announcement issuance date: April 9, 2012

Proposal submission deadline: April 23, 2012 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: Proposed new projects may begin between June 1, 2012 and June 15, 2012.

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 Syrians in Jordan and Lebanon: PRM will prioritize funding for proposed NGO activities that fall within the UN Regional Response Plan and meet the Bureau’s priorities for displaced Syrians as identified below.

NGOs submitting proposals in response to this funding announcement must be a part of the UN Regional Response Plan and be registered to operate in each of the countries of the proposed activities by the program start date. Within the body of the proposal, NGOs should clearly state their role within the UN Regional Response Plan and their ability to operate in the proposed areas and include documentation providing verification of their registration status as an attachment.

(a) Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and durable solutions for refugees and conflict victims, PRM will only consider funding projects that include a direct beneficiary base of at least 50 percent displaced Syrians. PRM will consider proposals for activities in a single country as well as programs operating in both Jordan and Lebanon.

(b) Proposals for programs should focus on health, psychosocial support, protection, and/or education. Proposals should include detailed information on planned coordination with and referral mechanisms to both local and international organizations.

Programs must focus on one or more of the following sectors (not listed by priority):
· Health care, including health education and preventative health care, reproductive health services, with a focus on 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 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, are incorporated into the project.

· 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 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 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.

· Humanitarian assistance and protection, including: non-food items; gender-based violence prevention and response programs, including services for both female and male survivors; programs aimed at addressing the interrelated assistance and protection needs of vulnerable beneficiaries by providing services and referral networks; and other emergency assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals. Proposals should indicate how this assistance is filling an identified gap, including how the gap and the beneficiaries were identified.

· Education, including remedial education and non-formal education programs, with special attention to adolescents, particularly those at risk of losing educational opportunities due to their interrupted educational career due to displacement, the need to generate income, or to their lack of documentation of prior education in Syria. 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.

(c) 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 the Syrian refugee population (e.g., female-headed households; disabled or isolated refugees; GBV survivors; LGBTI individuals; separated or unaccompanied children; the elderly, 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.

· NGOs should demonstrate the application of lessons learned in previous programming and changes necessitated by the dynamic social and economic situation of Syrians and Iraqis in the region. NGOs should assess 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.
· Proposals should include a realistic and detailed assessment of the sustainability of the project after PRM funding ends.

· As all NGOs will be operating within the UN Regional Response Plan, they will participate in UNHCR-designed and -managed refugee assistance information systems.
(d) PRM will accept proposals only from NGOs included in the UN Regional Response Plan and will give priority to proposals that demonstrate the capability to be operational immediately using PRM funding as well as:
· A proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;
· 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 in the RFP;
· Projects, if feasible, must include strong transition plans in their proposals that detail specific benchmarks and/or a timeline for turning over the project to local organizations, governmental authorities, or development organizations;
· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-U.S. government sources;
· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See PRM’s General NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.

International Organizations
International Organizations (IOs) that are engaged in programs relevant to the assistance addressed by this PRM funding announcement should ensure that these programs are made known to PRM on or before the closing date of this funding announcement so that PRM can evaluate all IO and NGO programs for funding consideration.

Funding Limits:
PRM will consider project proposals up to $1.5 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. As much as possible, all budgets should be broken down by objective, as per the revised budget template.
As stated in the 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:
See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights:
· Proposals must be submitted via 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 Central Contract Registry (CCR) which can take weeks and sometimes months. See “Applicant FAQs” section on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/help/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) for complete details on registering.

· 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 Jennifer Williams at (202) 453-9202 or WilliamsJL4@state.gov to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.
· 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.

PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to avoid submission delays. We recommend that organizations submit applications via Grants.gov as soon as possible to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered.
· 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.

· Pursuant to U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001, stated on OMB Standard Form 424 (SF-424), 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:
Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in PRM’s General NGO Guidelines. 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. You must type “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line to receive an automated reply containing the template.

PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE PRM’s NGO GUIDELINES:
This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, 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 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.
· 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.
· 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. Any project involving the building or maintenance of physical infrastructure must include coordinates of site locations (place name, P-Code, latitude and longitude coordinates).
· Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization. PRM strongly encourages multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs.

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.
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. (Note: Responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.)
PRM Program Officer Jennifer Williams (WilliamsJL4@state.gov, 202-453-9202), Washington, D.C.
Regional Refugee Assistance Coordinator Rebecca Fong (FongRA2@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Amman, Jordan.