Request for Statements of Interest: Democracy, Human Rights

[admin]

Request for Statements of Interest: Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law for Papua New Guinea


February 23, 2011


Department of State
Public Notice
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Statements of Interest: Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law for Papua New Guinea.
SUMMARY
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that support democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Papua New Guinea. This solicitation does not constitute a formal Request for Proposals. DRL will invite select organizations that submit SOIs to expand on their ideas via a full proposal at a later date.
PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly urges applicants to access immediately www.grants.gov in order to obtain a username and password. It may take up to a week to register with grants.gov. Please see the section entitled, “DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS” below for specific instructions.
REQUESTED STATEMENT OF INTEREST PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
DRL invites organizations to submit statements of interest outlining program concepts and capacity to manage programs that seek to strengthen citizen’s access to justice in order to combat violence, including violence against women, human rights abuses, and corruption associated with the extractive industries in Papua New Guinea (PNG). If possible, programs should address these issues in the context of PNG’s complex interethnic property ownership and land tenure issues. Program activities may include, but are not limited to, activities to raise awareness about relevant rights and laws; provide access to legal services; build the capacity of organizations supporting or advocating for legal rights; work with relevant local and national law enforcement agencies to raise their awareness; and/or educate the community on human rights concerns within the extractive industry. Successful programs will coordinate with other donor efforts in this area.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
An organization may submit no more than two (2) SOIs of three pages each. SOIs that do not meet the requirements of the announcement may not be considered.
For all application documents, please ensure:
1) All pages are numbered,
2) All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and
3) All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.
SOIs must include:
1) Brief description of the organization, including the organization’s mission statement and previous work in this area. Due to page limitations, a general organizational history is not recommended. Information should clearly demonstrate an institution’s record and capacity and may include previous grant management experience, whether funded through private or United States Government resources.
2) Description of how the project is innovative, sustainable, and does not duplicate current efforts. See “Additional Information” below.
3) Project description, including estimated project duration and objectives. Outputs and outcomes should also be provided. Outputs and outcomes should clearly link to project objectives and include target benchmarks. Please include the appropriate “Standardized Program Structure” Program Area(s) and Element(s) to be addressed. More information on the Standardized Program Structure and Definitions is available on DRL’s Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), which is found at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/p/august_2010/index.htm.
4) Brief statement on the methodology to be used in the project evaluation. Please see the PSI and the DRL Monitoring and Evaluation Primer (www.state.gov/g/drl/p/c12302.htm) for general information.
5) An estimated budget figure. The budget should include intended: Primarily Headquarters-Based Costs, Primarily-Field Based Costs, Indirect Costs, and Cost-Share. Please see DRL’s PSI for general guidelines on budget categories and DRL standard budget definitions. Please note that while a detailed budget is not requested at this time, organizations invited to submit full proposals must not exceed the estimated SOI budget figure.
Organizations must also fill out and submit SF-424 and SF-424b (Assurances) forms as directed on www.grants.gov.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DRL supports programs that uphold democratic principles, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, and build civil society in countries and regions of the world that are geo-strategically important to the United States. Funds are available to support projects that have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms. Projects should have potential for continued funding beyond DRL resources. Projects must not duplicate or simply add to efforts by other entities.
DRL will not consider projects that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization, whether or not elected members of government. Organizations that are invited to submit proposals and subsequently approved for an award may be required to submit additional information on the organization and key individuals for vetting. In such cases, issuance of an award is contingent on the timely receipt of the information requested and the successful completion of the vetting process.
The bulk of project activities must take place within one (1) to three (3) years. Study tours, scholarships or exchange projects will not be deemed competitive. Projects that focus on commercial law or economic development will not be rated as competitive.
Approximately $300,000 in funds is available to support this initiative. SOIs that request more than the award ceiling will be deemed technically ineligible.
APPLICANT/ORGANIZATION CRITERIA
Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
* Be a U.S. non-profit organization meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Applicants in the process of registration must submit proof that they are seeking non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service at the time of SOI submission. Should the applicant be selected for a grant award, funding will be contingent upon 501(c)(3) status; or
* Be a U.S. university or research institution meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c) (3); and
* Have demonstrated experience administering successful projects, preferably targeting the requested country and/or region, or similarly challenging program environment. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis; and
* Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with organization(s) in the target country and/or region.
* Organizations may form consortia and submit a combined SOI. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant.
REVIEW PROCESS
DRL will review all SOIs for eligibility. Eligible proposals will be subject to compliance of Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department offices. Final technical authority for assistance awards resides with offices such as the Department’s Office of Acquisition Management.
DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Applicants must submit SOIs using www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on March 23, 2011. DRL will not accept SOIs submitted via email, Fax, the U.S. postal system, FedEx, UPS and similar delivery companies, or courier.
Please note: In order to safeguard the security of applicants’ electronic information, www.grants.gov utilizes a credential provider. The credential provider for www.grants.gov is Operational Research Consultants (ORC). Applicants MUST register with ORC to receive a username and password, which you will need to register with www.grants.gov as an authorized organization representative (AOR). Once your organization's E-Business point of contact has assigned these rights, you will be authorized to submit grant applications through Grants.gov on behalf of your organization.
Each organization will need to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and you will need to have your organization's DUNS number available to complete this process. After your organization registers with the CCR, you must wait approximately 3-5 business days before you can obtain a username and password. This may delay your ability to post your proposal. Therefore, DRL strongly urge applicants to begin this process on www.grants.gov well in advance of the submission deadline.
No exceptions will be made for organizations that have not completed the necessary steps to post applications on www.grants.gov.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The information contained in this solicitation is final and may not be modified by any DRL representative. Explanatory information provided by DRL that may alter or contradict this information has no effect on the information and requirements of this solicitation. Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government. DRL reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase budget amounts in accordance with the needs of the program evaluation requirements.
This request for SOIs will appear on www.grants.gov and DRL’s website, www.state.gov/g/drl.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT
For questions related to SOI submissions please contact Pamela Erickson at 202-256-3741 (EricksonPC@state.gov) or Justin Underwood at 202-647-4339 (UnderwoodJM@state.gov)
Once the SOI deadline has passed, U.S. Government officials - including those in the Bureaus, the Department and at embassies/missions overseas – are not permitted to discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.