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MEPI Revised Standing Program AnnouncementDEPARTMENT OF STATE I. Funding Opportunity Description: The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) announces an open competition for grant and cooperative agreement applications that focus on one or more of the priority areas of reform addressed by MEPI. This Presidential initiative supports innovative, sustainable, and locally led economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa designed to benefit all people of the region, especially women and youth. Reform projects, in the MEPI context, support those individuals and organizations working to bring about structural and institutional changes in the countries of this region. Reform projects encourage changes in the business, economic, financial, and educational sectors that will increase opportunities for all citizens, including girls and women, as they aspire to achieve their full potential. Reform projects foster individual rights and freedoms, political participation, and individual, societal, and governmental responsibility to adhere to impartial and transparent rules of law administered through an independent judiciary. Reform projects seek to make it possible for citizens, individually and collectively, to express opinions freely and influence decision-making at all levels. MEPI will not fund "bricks and mortar" type development projects. Previously awarded SPA projects are described elsewhere on the MEPI website at http://mepi.state.gov. Applications should include cost sharing, leadership on the part of local NGOs or local governments in the region, a public affairs outreach plan, and an alumni network component. MEPI is looking for creative ideas that can be implemented relatively quickly to produce concrete results. Proposals may be for individual countries or for programs with regional scope. Individual country programs may be proposed in: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. MEPI will also consider opportunities to include Iraqis, Syrians, and Libyans, in regional programs, where legal and appropriate. However, where the USG is currently supporting or has supported extensive bilateral programs, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Israel, West Bank and Gaza, MEPI will act to avoid program duplication. Regional programs that span national borders in addressing reform issues are encouraged. MEPI strongly supports programs that build networks of reformers within and across national boundaries and use local organizational capacity to leverage opportunities to advance reform. MEPI encourages programs that are designed to progressively transfer project management to organizations in the region, as they are able to sustain new activities. When a U.S. based NGO leads project, we encourage partnerships that produce local organizations that are suitable, vibrant, and self-sustaining. Funding Instrument Type: Grants and Cooperative Agreements Anticipated Total Program Funding: $7.5 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2005 Electronic Link to Full Announcement: Go to http://www.mepi.state.gov, click on Current Opportunities, click on Revised Standing Program Announcement. II. Award Information: NEA expects to award approximately 12 grants or cooperative agreements during FY 2005. Awards, initially, will be funded for one year, with an option to extend for up to one additional year based on the achievement of performance metrics in the first year, availability of funds, and the best interests of the U.S. Government. NEA reserves the right to award less, or more than the funds described, in the absence of worthy applications, or under such other circumstances as may be deemed to be in the best interest of the U.S. Government. Project and Budget Periods: These funds are intended for start-up or short-term initiatives. Proposed project periods may be up to 2 years. The initial budget period may be up to 17 months. Applications for continuation grants funded under these awards, beyond the initial budget period, will be entertained on a noncompetitive basis, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Department of State. Ceiling on amount of individual Awards: $900,000 Floor of Individual Award Amounts: $200,000 Average Projected Award Amount: $500,000 Background Information about MEPI: MEPI is a Presidential initiative to promote positive change in the Middle East and North Africa through diplomatic efforts and through results-oriented programs, both regional and specific to individual countries. Reform is of strategic, long-term importance to the national security interests of the United States and to the U.S. goal of ensuring that the people of the region experience the benefits that come with more open economies, greater educational opportunities, and political freedom. A key element of MEPI is creating links and partnerships with Arab, U.S., and global private sector businesses, civil society, and governments to jointly achieve sustainable reform. MEPI works in four priority areas: The economic pillar pursues a reform agenda that promotes private-sector-led growth. To help lay a firm foundation to support business development and job creation, MEPI has adopted a top-down, bottom-up strategy, working with regional governments to help identify and implement needed reforms and building upon these activities with the private sector to support reform efforts and promote opportunities that emerge from them. MEPI is providing technical assistance for the Middle East Free Trade Area to help governments open their markets to the region and beyond. The Partnership for Financial Excellence will work with governments in the region to improve regulation of the banking sector and with the banks themselves, helping them to improve client service and access. Similarly, the Commercial Law Initiative will work to improve the business environment by bolstering confidence in the courts and alternative dispute mechanisms. Finally, MEPI has established a group of programs that foster entrepreneurship through mini-MBA training courses and longer-term internship programs. To complement but not duplicate existing programming, MEPI is seeking creative ideas that build upon our partnership with the region by:
The political and civil society pillar includes the broad areas of democracy, good governance, independent judiciary, and the media. MEPI seeks proposals for projects that strengthen democratic practices, electoral systems, and civil society including political parties, promote the rule of law and accountable, effective government institutions, and enhance the role of free and independent media in society. Especially welcome are projects designed to promote these kinds of political reforms in the countries of the Gulf region. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Proposals that offer full participation by women and/or youth are encouraged. All applicants are asked to include in their proposals under any pillar an explanation of how women and youth in particular will benefit, and, if this is not applicable, an explanation of why not. In keeping with the President's Volunteers for Prosperity initiative, proposals that use highly skilled American volunteers are encouraged. The proposal should explain clearly how the volunteers will be used and, if this is not applicable, an explanation of why not. All programs must include a detailed public affairs/public outreach plan, and a follow-up plan to maintain contact with program alumni, as well as consider digital readiness as a program element where appropriate. Successful applicants Successful applicants will be expected to coordinate closely with the Department of State, NEA/PI, the MEPI regional offices in Tunis and Abu Dhabi, and relevant U.S. Embassies/Consulates, as appropriate, in the implementation of all aspects of their program. Successful applications will address:
MEPI seeks demonstration of how the implementing organization(s), through direct contact with individuals, institutions, and governments, will increase both the understanding of the importance of reform and strengthen the capacity of leaders, individuals, and organizations, to pursue and implement reform efforts on a sustainable basis. High quality partnerships within the Middle East and North Africa are essential, and successful applicants will include a growing role for local partners in project design and management during the implementation of the project, providing professional training of local partners where this is needed. Training is not an end in itself, however, but should lead to the effective transfer of leadership, expertise, and skills to local partners at the end of the project. Where a significant part of the applicant's project is networking and conferencing, the successful applicant will demonstrate persuasively that at the end of the project, a financially viable and sustainable professional organization can be achieved that continues to work on issues that advance reforms. In areas of educational reform, applicants should demonstrate how project results, e.g. curricular materials, teacher training programs, digital readiness, will be placed in local organizations and schools capable and willing to use the project results. Applicants will demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the countries in which they wish to work, be able to select and justify local partners, establish clear benchmarks and timelines for success, and discuss persuasively strategies and programmatic tools they will use to achieve and measure program goals, including sustainability, on time and in budget. The ideal applicant will provide the type of program that can provide results in moving forward reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa in one or more pillars and in more than one country. The ideal applicant will also be characterized by the ability to start work within a few weeks of award without an extended build up of staff and offices, and the ability to deliver activities within four months. III. Eligibility Information: Eligible applicants include any U.S.- or foreign-registered non-governmental organization, U.S. and foreign private institutions or commercial entities and U.S. state or local governments. MEPI encourages applications from partnerships or consortia led by or including local organizations. In this context, NEA defines partnership as a negotiated arrangement among organizations that provides for a substantive, collaborative role for each of the partners in the planning and implementation of the project. Applications that represent a coalition of providers should include a signed partnership agreement stating:
Additional Information on Eligibility: All Federal assistance recipients must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number prior to funds disbursement per a new U.S. Government policy (published in the Federal Register June 27, 2003) applicable to all grant recipients. At the time of application submission, please ensure that your organization has applied for a DUNS number. You may acquire a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or you may request a number on-line at www.dnb.com IV. Application/Proposal Submission and Deadline An application (Standard Form 424) with an original signature and one clearly identified copy are required. The application form (Standard Form 424) and instructions can be obtained from either: (1) The following Web sites: The submission checklist for applicant’s easy reference: Applicants must also provide an electronic copy of the proposal by e-mail to nea-grants@state.gov. Proposals must be submitted in both hard copy (1 original and 1 copy) and by e-mail; proposals submitted only by e-mail, or only in hard copy, will not be considered. Submission: Application materials must be submitted to the U.S. Department of State, Gwendolyn Dukes, NEA/PI, mailing address: c/o Room 6258, 2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, DC, 20520. Applications submitted by e-mail and either (1) mail (including express mail or overnight mail services), or (2) hand-carried by applicant couriers or by other representatives of the applicant, shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are submitted before 11:59 p.m. on due dates. Due to delays in regular mail delivery to the State Department, applicants are strongly encouraged to hand-carry or use couriers to deliver applications to NEA/PI, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. Government holidays) between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Express or overnight mail services may also be used, though applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed.
Extension of Deadline: The NEA Grants Officer may extend or waive application deadline requirements when circumstances such as acts of God (floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur; or when there is a widespread disruption of the mail service, or in other extraordinary circumstances that may affect all applicants. V. Review and Selection Process: Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated by the U.S. Government and by an independent review panel on the basis of the following evaluation criteria. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project, and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application for unique and innovative opportunities. Points are awarded only to applications that are responsive within the context of this program announcement. Results or Benefits Expected—The applicant clearly describes the results and benefits to be achieved. Results address at least one of MEPI’s ten goals. The applicant identifies how improvement will be measured on key indicators and provides milestones indicating progress. Proposed outcomes are tangible and achievable within the grant project period. There are formal program evaluation and reporting plans. (30 points) Increased Local Leadership, Ownership, Innovation, and Sustainability – The applicant describes how the project will increase the ability of local leaders and their organizations to advocate effectively with citizens, civil society groups, business groups, media and government officials in support of reform. Innovative initiatives to build reform networks, improve the effective use of media and volunteer campaigns in reform outreach, and broaden the base of support for reform across the many sectors of society, including the religious community and religious leaders, are detailed. A key element of program design is sustainability, progressively achieved throughout the project, by innovative advances in local and regional leadership and societal ownership of reform efforts. (20 points) Approach—The applicant must demonstrate that its strategy and plan are likely to achieve the proposed results; that proposed activities, including public affairs/ outreach component, and timeframes are rapid, reasonable and feasible. The plan describes in detail how the proposed activities will be accomplished as well as the potential for the project to have a positive impact on reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. (20 points) Organization Profiles—Where collaborators are proposed, the applicant describes the rationale for the collaboration, each partner’s respective role, and how the coalition will enhance the accomplishment of the project goals. In all cases, the applicant describes joint planning consultation efforts undertaken. The proposed coalition is appropriate with respective roles and financial responsibilities delineated. Evidence of commitment by coalition partners to implement activities is demonstrated, i.e., by letters or terms of signed agreement(s). The applicant or coalition partners provide documented experience in performing the proposed activities. Assurance is provided that proposed services will be delivered in a manner that is linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target population. Individual organization staffs, including volunteers, are well qualified. The administrative and management features of the project, including a plan for fiscal and programmatic management for each activity, is described in detail with proposed start-up times, ongoing timelines, major milestones or benchmarks, a component/project organization chart, and a staffing chart. (20 points) Budget and Budget Justification— Calculations are provided with line item detail for each budget object class identified on the Budget Information form. Detailed calculations include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. The detailed budget also includes a breakout by any funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424. The budget justification should be a narrative that describes how the categorical costs are derived. The budget and narrative justification are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results and the plan for services is realistic. The budget documents the necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of all proposed costs. The application documents any efforts to secure other funding sources. (10 points) Guidelines for preparing the budget and budget justification: Both Federal and non-Federal resources shall be detailed and justified. Cost sharing is an important element of the budget process. "Federal resources" refers only to the MEPI grant application. It is suggested that budget amounts and computations be presented in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, Federal budget; next column(s), non-Federal budget(s), and last column, total budget. PERSONNEL Description: Costs of employee salaries and wages. Justification: Identify the project director or principal investigator, if known. For each staff person, provide the title, time commitment to the project (in months), time commitment to the project (as a percentage or full-time equivalent), annual salary, grant salary, wage rates, etc. Do not include the costs of consultants or personnel costs of delegate agencies or of specific project(s) or businesses to be financed by the applicant. FRINGE BENEFITS Description: Costs of employee fringe benefits unless treated as part of an approved indirect cost rate. Justification: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, retirement insurance, taxes, etc. TRAVEL Description: Costs of project-related travel. Justification: For each trip, show the total number of traveler(s), travel destination, duration of trip, per diem, mileage allowances, if privately owned vehicles will be used, and other transportation costs and subsistence allowances. EQUIPMENT Description: Costs of tangible, non-expendable, personal property, having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. Justification: For each type of equipment requested, provide a description of the equipment, the cost per unit, the number of units, the total cost, and a plan for use on the project, as well as use or disposal of the equipment after the project ends. SUPPLIES Description: Costs of all tangible personal property other than that included under the Equipment category. Justification: Specify general categories of supplies and their costs. Show computations and provide other information that supports the amount requested. OTHER Enter the total of all other costs. Such costs, where applicable and appropriate, may include but are not limited to insurance, professional services costs, space and equipment rentals, printing and publication, computer use, training costs, such as tuition and stipends, staff development costs, and administrative costs. Justification: Provide computations, a narrative description and a justification for each cost under this category. INDIRECT CHARGES Description: Total amount of indirect costs. This category should be used only when the applicant currently has an indirect cost rate approved by a cognizant Federal agency. Justification: An applicant that will charge indirect costs to the grant must enclose a copy of the current negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). It should be noted that when an indirect cost rate is requested, those costs included in the indirect cost pool should not also be charged as direct costs to the grant. PROGRAM INCOME Description: The estimated amount of income, if any, expected to be generated from this project. Interest income on US funds is not allowed. Justification: Describe the nature, source and anticipated use of program income in the budget or refer to the pages in the application that contain this information. NON-FEDERAL RESOURCES Description: Amounts of non-Federal resources that will be used to support the project as identified in Block 15 of the SF-424. Justification: The firm commitment of these resources must be documented and submitted with the application in order to be given credit in the review process. VI. Award Administration Information Administrative and National Policy Requirements: A. Reporting Requirements: Programmatic and Financial Reports will be due quarterly 30 days after the quarter. One Web-postable program summary is required within 30 days of award. A final report covering finance and results achieved will be due 90 days after the end of the performance period. B. Acknowledgement: All products and services developed or produced as a result of an approved grant or cooperative agreement must clearly acknowledge the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative support. The U.S. Government will retain the right to royalty free use of all materials developed through U.S. funded programs. Similarly, all related written materials; statements, press, media releases, or events must acknowledge the U.S. Government support. The grantee will also allow for Internet connectivity with the MEPI Web site, where relevant.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
MIDDLE EAST PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (MEPI) STANDING PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT GRANT APPLICATION COVER SHEET
Executive Summary: Please summarize the proposed project in the space below. Describe in succinct paragraphs the project activities, phases, milestones, and intended results. Concisely express the relationship of activities and how results will be accomplished. Released by the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs | ||||||||||||
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