I.

Funding Opportunity Description The U. S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section (PAS) is pleased to issue this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support Nigeria’s response against the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

This NOFO outlines this funding priority and the procedures for

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submitting an application.

Please carefully read through and follow all instructions below.

Implementation of this program remains subject to the approval and availability of funding.

Purpose:
PAS seeks to award a limited number of grants to individuals, educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations that are actively working to support Nigeria’s response against COVID 19, either through grassroots effort targeting vulnerable populations, or amplifying government effort in hard to reach areas.

This funding is targeted at projects that have already commenced and not just in the idea phase.

Humanitarian assistance, social welfare and construction are not allowed under this funding instrument.

Projects must be safe and follow healthcare regulations of the World Health Organization and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.

Applicants are permitted to submit only one proposal per individual/organization.

II.

Award Information Funding Instrument Type:
Grant or Cooperative Agreement.

The large majority of successful proposals will be supported via a grant instrument.

In rare instances, a Cooperative Agreement may be used in cases requiring a higher level of involvement from PAS staff in managing the award.

The PAS team will provide further information regarding Cooperative Agreements as needed.

Award floor:
$5,000 Award ceiling:
$50,000 Duration:
the project cycle should ideally range between 6 months to 1 year.

Applicants must carefully draft their budgets for the full duration of the proposed project and commensurate with their project goals.

Location:
Projects should be based in Northern Nigeria (for the states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the FCT).

III.

Application Submission and Deadline Proposals should be submitted online to PAS, U. S. Embassy Abuja at PASAbujaGrants@state.gov by May 1, 202 0. Please indicate “Application for COVID19 Response” in the subject line.

Applications and all supporting documents are accepted in English only.

While budget figures may be calculated in naira before converting to U. S. dollars, final budget figures must be stated in U. S. dollars (use $1=N361).

Applicants must submit a full project description as a detailed narrative that outlines the plan of action, describes the scope of the proposed work, and a timeframe including key benchmarks within which the work will be accomplished and how these will be monitored and evaluated (maximum 3 pages).

This should be accompanied by a detailed budget that clearly indicates all program costs, including the individual applicant’s or organization’s cost share and/or in-kind participation if applicable.

In addition to the project proposal and budget, applicants must also complete and submit:
Unique Identity Identifier [Currently the DUN and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (aka DUNS Number), unless the applicant has an exemption]:
DUNS Number assignment is free for organizations required to register with the federal government for grants.

Begin the process here:
https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm.

Active registration in the U. S. government’s “System for Award Management” (aka SAM):
To register please to:
https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/ NOTE:
Individual applicants are exempted from the DUNS and SAM requirements, which apply only to organizational applicants.

IV.

Review and Selection Process Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below, which are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project and to determine the likelihood of it’s success.

They are holistically applied in judging the overall quality of an application, with particular emphasis on a given application’s completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail.

Organizational Capacity:
The applicant has expertise in its stated field and PAS is confident of its human and technical resource capacity to implement the project.

Goals and Objectives:
Goals and objectives are clearly stated and the project approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Embassy Priority:
The applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U. S. Embassy Abuja’s priority in supporting COVID 19 response.

Sustainability:
Project activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the project, including the ability to become self-sustaining after the end of the award period.

Feasibility:
The project is socially, economically and technically feasible and safe with respect to approach, budget items requested and the organization’s resource capacity.

Budget:
The budget justification is both reasonable and realistic in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results.

Successful proposals will ensure the maximum impact per dollar spent.

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:
The applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide benchmarks against which to gauge progress toward its goals.

The indicators should allow for systematic recording and periodic analysis of progress on project activities in response to any required reporting outlined in the Award Specifics.

American Content:
American content emphasizes informing others about the U. S. and increasing their understanding of U. S. policy, values, etc.

This can be as complex as having a U. S. citizen speaker or trainer (virtual), or as simple as having alumni run a program.

The key is to visibly tie the program in some way to the U.S., our priorities, and established Public Diplomacy programs/exchanges.