Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Strategic Global Priorities

Basic Information

Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0009616
Assistance Listings (CFDA) number: 19.522 – Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Strategic Global Priorities
Announcement issuance date: Thursday, March, 30, 2023
Announcement type: Cooperative Agreement
Proposal application submission deadline: Monday, May 29, 2023 at 11:59:59 p.m. (23:59:59) EST. Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
Anticipated timeframe to award for selected proposals: Pending the availability of funds, PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, that awards will be made less than 2 months from the proposal submission deadline.

ADVISORY: All applicants must submit proposal application packages through the website Grants.gov. PRM strongly recommends submitting your application packages early to allow time to address any technical difficulties that may arise on the Grants.gov website.

If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated. We urge you to refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources to help ensure that the application process runs smoothly. PRM also strongly encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher.

PRM strongly recommends application narratives be submitted in Adobe PDF, as Microsoft Word documents may sometimes produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations when transmitted. Tables and budget documents should be submitted as Excel documents. Exceeding page length limits, including through the inclusion of cover pages, will result in disqualification. All documents must be in English and should avoid the use of jargon and should spell out all acronyms upon first use.

Organizations can retrieve PRM’s-recommended templates and NGO guidelines on PRM’s website and in this opportunity’s grants.gov page.

Program Description

Summary

PRM supports humanitarian research in order to:

promote evidence-based decision making on priority protection, assistance, and durable solution challenges;
enhance knowledge and develop guidance and tools to improve the performance of the Bureau and its partners; and
disseminate and encourage the use of research findings and recommendations, guidance, and tools by other humanitarian stakeholders.

Research is instrumental in helping the Bureau and its partners adapt programs and policy engagement to emerging challenges and priorities, including through the development of tools, operational guidance, and best practices.

This announcement is designed to accompany PRM’s General NGO Guidelines, which contain additional information on PRM’s priorities and NGO funding strategy with which selected organizations must comply. Please use both the General NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that your submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements and that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities. Submissions that do not reflect the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered.

Research area

Proposals must respond to at least one of the following research questions:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex + (LGBTQI+) Persons:
- What are best practices for the ethical, safe, and confidential collection, management, and reporting of data on displaced LGBTQI+ persons?
- What are the experiences and needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (LGBQ) women, trans men, and intersex persons in situations of displacement and in humanitarian contexts, and what are best practices for reaching and assisting them?
- What is the intersectionality between the health (including mental health) needs of LGBTQI+ persons and displacement?
- What are best practices for assistance to meet these health needs?

Background

The summary conclusions from the 2021 Global Roundtable on Protection and Solutions for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer People Forced Displacement noted that displaced and stateless LGBTQI+ persons remain significantly under-identified and under-documented in humanitarian response efforts. Specific recommendations were made to invest in further research to identify best practices and develop guidelines on working with displaced and stateless LGBTQI+ persons, as well as to undertake research on the intersection of health and forced displacement of LGBTQI+ persons and safer data collection methods.

The experiences of LGBTQI+ persons in displacement are not homogenous, and, as such, the best practices and policy responses to address their protection concerns and access to assistance and durable solutions will also not be homogenous. The existing body of research on displaced LGBTQI+ persons is overwhelmingly focused on the experiences of cisgender gay and queer men and trans women. While PRM currently supports protection activities for LGBTQI+ refugees through its annual contributions to international organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and through context-specific programs implemented by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the paucity of existing literature on the experiences of LGBQ women, trans men, and intersex persons in displacement limits the humanitarian assistance community’s ability to appropriately respond in times of crisis.

PRM intends to use the resulting research from this notice of funding opportunity to better inform humanitarian assistance policies and responses. Additionally, the results of this research will inform training for PRM staff and partners on best practices when interacting with displaced LGBTQI+ persons.

Populations

Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM will consider funding only those research proposals that include a target research subject base of at least 50 percent refugees and internally displaced persons. PRM will not review proposals for domestic research on U.S.-based assistance activities. Submissions should propose humanitarian research to be conducted overseas.

Number of Proposal Applications

Organizations may submit a maximum of one application only. Any subsequent submissions received will be disqualified. (Note: Submissions by organizations as part of a consortium do not count toward an individual organization’s submission limit.)

Period of Performance

A program period of performance of up to 24 months (to be obligated fully at the start of the award) will be considered.

Funding limits

Program proposals must not be less than the funding floor and not more than the funding ceiling or they will be disqualified.

Funding floor (lowest $ value): $100,000
Funding ceiling (highest $ value): $300,000

Note: Funding ceilings and floors pertain to the PRM cost for the entirety of the period of performance.

Anticipated Number of Awards

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to fund 1 award through this announcement.

Anticipated Amount to be Awarded Total

PRM anticipates, but makes no guarantee, to award up to approximately $300,000 total in a single obligation through this NOFO for this research.

Federal Award Information

Proposed program start dates: September 30, 2023
Duration of Activity: Applicants may submit proposals with activities and budgets that do not exceed two years from the proposed start date. Actual awards will be fully obligated at the beginning of the program.

Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants:

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (U.S.-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of non-profit tax status);
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (overseas-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of registration in country of domicile);
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education; and
Private institutions of higher education.

Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not a requirement of an application in response to this funding announcement.

Proposals for consideration should describe the sources and amounts of additional funding that may be utilized to complement PRM funding, and meet the following criteria:

Are not paid by the Federal Government under another Federal award.
Are verifiable from the non-Federal entity’s records.
Are not included as contributions for any other Federal award; and
Are necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of project or program objectives.

Please include this information in the Budget Summary, Budget Detail, and Budget Narrative of the proposal, and separated from the PRM share of the proposed budget.

Note: Though favorably looked upon, inclusion will not result in a competitive ranking increase when evaluated.

Other Information

Competitive proposals will include multiple countries and/or populations. PRM will only accept single country or single population proposals if a compelling case can be made that conclusions can be applied beyond the specific country or population.

Please note that PRM will not fund research focusing only on a single NGO’s programming unless it is:

uniquely innovative programming;
conducted in an independent manner; and
would generate findings that are credible, generalizable, and relevant to a range of other humanitarian stakeholders.

Although PRM encourages NGOs to conduct regular evaluations of their own work, this type of review would not qualify for funding under this request for proposals.

PRM will prioritize funding research projects that aim to produce practical policy or programmatic recommendations that are applicable to more than one specific population or country. All final reports should include tools, data, findings, and recommendations for policy and program implementation. Research should produce recommendations that are concrete, actionable, and directed to specific actors.

Proposals should build on previous bodies of work and advance the knowledge base on global humanitarian policies and programs. PRM understands the full research team may not be known during the drafting of the proposals.

PRM will accept proposals from any NGO, private institution of higher education, and public or state-controlled institution of higher education, although, given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:

a proven track record in conducting research both in the topic and specified location;
evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as – where possible – local authorities;
an emphasis on the outcome or impact of research, including a dissemination plan to promote wider use and uptake by the humanitarian community of the evidence generated by the research effort. Competitive proposals will include strong objectives and a clear indicator table that demonstrate a clear plan for community engagement and uptake;
where applicable, a strong sustainability plan, involving local capacity building where feasible, will be required if the applicant is invited to submit a full proposal;
where applicable, adherence to PRM’s Principles for Refugee Protection in Urban Areas;
where applicable, an understanding of and sensitivity to conflict dynamics in the program location;
a clear plan to identify and mitigate risks of unintended harm, along with a commitment to ethical research principles and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval processes;
a rigorous mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. To that end, PRM encourages collaboration between operational NGOs and methodologists from academia or research institutes.

Application and Submission Instructions

Address to Request Application Package: Application packages may be downloaded from the website www.Grants.gov.
Consortia: Organizations may apply to this call as part of a consortia; however, for consortia, one organization must be designated as the lead applicant.

For purposes of consortia applying for PRM funding, PRM’s considers consortium to be a group of no less than three NGOs that comprise an agreement, combination, or group formed to undertake, or proposing to undertake, an assistance activity beyond the resources of any one member. PRM may request to review and approve of substantive provisions of proposed sub-awards. Applicants may form consortia in order to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive program in one proposal. The consortium arrangement may allow for greater geographic coverage, inclusion of technical and sectoral strengths from multiple organizations, increased inclusion of local and national organizations, and/or the potential of much greater impact through collaboration.

Submissions by organizations as part of a consortium do not count toward an organization’s individual submission limit. If the applicant is applying as a consortium, a description of how the consortia will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees should be included in the proposals. The prime applicant would be responsible for overall implementation of the proposed program activities, preparation/presentation of annual work plans, M&E planning, and required reporting to PRM. The prime applicant should designate a single individual to be the liaison with PRM, although PRM would reserve the right to communicate with sub-grantees.

Content and Form of Application: Organizations may submit a maximum of 1 proposal. Any subsequent submissions received will be disqualified. PRM strongly recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available on PRM’s website.

Proposal page limits:

Proposals using PRM’s templates must not exceed 15 pages in length (Times New Roman or Calibri 12-point font, letter sized paper, one-inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 10 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal but are not required to do so. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total; however, annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information. The proposal narrative must be able to stand on its own in the application process. Proposals exceeding the page limit will not be considered.

PRM strongly recommends application narrative be submitted in Adobe PDF, as Microsoft Word documents may sometimes produce different page lengths based on software versions and configurations. Tables and budget documents should be submitted as Excel documents.

Exceeding page length limits will result in disqualification. (Do not include additional cover pages).
All documents must be in English and should avoid the use of jargon and should spell out all acronyms upon first use.

Application Package

To be considered for PRM funding, organizations must submit a complete application package, including:

Proposal Narrative not exceeding stated page limits. If using PRM’s proposal narrative templates, please refer to the research specific template found in Grants.gov, rather than the general NGO proposal narrative template.
Indicator table (using the PRM Excel template); should include relevant custom indicators and two of PRM’s standard indicators as follows:
- PRM-1. Number of individuals directly reached through PRM funding (Output) – Include the total number of participants and stakeholders directly trained or reached through dissemination and other learning activities. If these individuals are not members of a population of concern (refugees, IDPs, conflict victims, vulnerable migrants, etc.) please disaggregate them as “Non-POC participants.”
- PRM-2. Amount of PRM humanitarian funding distributed to local, national, or refugee-led organizations (in USD) (Output)
Budget Summary disaggregated by year and for each year of the program period.
Budget Detail disaggregated by year and for each year of the program period.
- Include total costs by objective and estimated costs by sector.
- Total costs divided by country (if applicable).
Budget Narrative disaggregated by year and for each year of the program period.
Completed and signed SF-424 and SF-424A. PRM requires that Box 21 of the SF-424 be checked. If the applicant organization has an active registration in SAM.gov that was either created or updated on or after February 2, 2019, then the applicant does NOT need to submit the SF-424B as they will be prompted to complete the representations and certifications in SAM.gov.
Risk Analysis (separate from Proposal Narrative).
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Code of Conduct and a country or regional implementation plan specific to the country of region of the application. Note: Codes of Conduct must be consistent with the updated 2019 IASC Task Force’s Six Core Principles. The country/regional implementation plan should outline how employees are trained and otherwise made aware of the Code of Conduct, how violations of the Code of Conduct against program participants are reported and followed up on in a safe and confidential manner, how program participants are made aware of the Code of Conduct and a mechanism to report any violations, and whether there is a focal point in the country or regional office for the Code of Conduct.
Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP): Proposals should include a description of how the researcher will capture representative views of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) women, trans-men, and intersex persons themselves.
Key Personnel for award applicant and sub-recipient(s)
Applicants must furnish names, titles, and brief biographical information on the education and experience of key personnel in implementing the program and key supervisory personnel; (i.e., the members of the professional staff in a program supervisory position engaged for or assigned to duties under the award).
Most recent Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), if applicable, or a de minimis rate calculation of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) if the applicant is eligible and elects to use the de minimis rate.
Most recent external audit report is required prior to issuance of an award, if proposal is chosen for implementation.
Details on any sub-agreements associated with the program including the budget detail (must be part of the budget submission as noted above), if applicable.

Additionally, to be considered a competitive proposal, the Proposal Narrative, Indicator Table, and Budget Detail should include the following information:

Include specific information on locations of programs and participants (GPS coordinates highly recommended) to increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding.
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 program could potentially endanger the lives of the program participants 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.
PRM expects each proposal to demonstrate protection mainstreaming, including by identifying potential protection risks associated with the program and how they will be mitigated. This includes protocols for safe and ethical data collection with vulnerable groups, as well as a clear plan to identify and mitigate risks of unintended harm, along with a commitment to ethical research principles and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval processes. An analysis of the risks should inform how assistance is designed to minimize them and maximize protection of research subjects. Applicants may introduce gender-specific risks in this section.
The budget should include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization.
Applicants whose proposals address gender-based violence (GBV) through their programs must estimate the total cost of these activities as a separate line item in their proposed budgets (see PRM’s budget template). Proposals and budgets must include details of any sub-agreements associated with the programs.
For consortia only, a description of how the partnership will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees should be included in the proposal.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

Note: On April 4, 2022, the formerly used DUNS Number was replaced by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) UEI. For more information on the process, visit GSA’s website on the UEI transition.

Each applicant is required to:

be registered in SAM.GOV before submitting its application.
provide a valid UEI number in its application; and
continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active PRM award or an application or plan under consideration by PRM.

No federal award may be made to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the PRM award is ready to be made, PRM may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a PRM award and use that determination as a basis for making a PRM award to another applicant.

Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov: Grants.gov registration requires a UEI number and active SAM.gov registration. If you are new to PRM funding, the Grants.gov registration process can be complicated. We urge you to refer to PRM’s General NGO Guidelines “Application Process” section for information and resources to help ensure that the application process runs smoothly. PRM also strongly encourages organizations that have received funding from PRM in the past to read this section as a refresher. Applicants may also refer to the “For Applicants” page on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements.

Do not wait until the deadline to attempt to submit your application on Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the deadline as it can take several weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to receive required registration numbers). We also recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered. PRM has extremely limited ability to correct or facilitate rapid resolution to technical difficulties associated with Grants.gov, SAM.gov or UEI number issues. PRM partners must maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current and correct information at all times during which they have an active federal award or an application under consideration by PRM or any federal agency.

When registering with Grants.gov, organizations must designate points of contact and Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs). Please note that as of December 2022, organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration and wishes to remove an NCAGE code from their sam.gov registration, the applicant should submit a help desk ticket (“incident”) with the Federal Service Desk (FSD) online to seek guidance on how to do so. Applicants experiencing technical difficulties with the SAM.gov registration process should contact the Federal Service Desk online or at 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.) and 1-334-206-7828 (International).

Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative at the applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.

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 to the Grants.gov help desk.
received a case number.
have completed UEI and SAM.gov registrations.
and had a documented service request opened to research the problem.

Applicants may contact the PRM NGO Coordinator before the submission deadline to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate. However, PRM makes no guarantee to accept an application outside of the grants.gov system.

It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure the appropriate registrations are in place and active. Failure to have the appropriate organizational registrations in place or are experiencing issues resulting from discrepancies across registration platforms is not considered a technical difficulty and is not justification for an alternate means of submission.

In accordance with 2 CFR §200.113, Mandatory disclosures, the non-Federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award. Non-Federal entities that have received a federal award including the term and condition outlined in Appendix XII—Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters are required to report certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings to SAM. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.338 Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment. (See also 2 CFR part 180, 31 U.S.C. 3321, and 41 U.S.C. 2313.)

Submission Dates and Times

Announcement issuance date: Thursday, March, 30, 2023
Proposal submission deadline: Monday, May, 29, 2023 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
Intergovernmental Review: Not Applicable
Funding Restrictions: Federal awards will not allow reimbursement of Federal Award costs without prior authorization by PRM.

Other Submission Requirements

Branding and Marking Strategy

The following provisions will be included whenever assistance is awarded:

The Recipient shall recognize the U.S. Government’s funding for activities specified under this award at the project site with a graphic of the U.S. flag accompanied by one of the following two phrases based on the level of funding for the award:

Fully funded by the award: “Gift of the United States Government”
Partially funded by the award: “Funding provided by the United States Government”

PRM highly encourages recognition of U.S. Government funding on social media and website platforms to be included in proposals branding and marking strategy. Recipients should tag PRM’s Twitter account @StatePRM and/or Facebook account @State.PRM (rather than using hashtags). Additionally, the applicable U.S. Embassy should be tagged as well.

Updates of actions taken to fulfill this requirement must be included in quarterly program reports to PRM.

All programs, projects, assistance, activities, and public communications to foreign audiences, partially or fully funded by the Department, must be marked appropriately overseas with the standard U.S. flag in a size and prominence equal to (or greater than) any other logo or identity. The requirement does not apply to the Recipient’s own corporate communications or in the United States.

The Recipient must appropriately ensure that all publicity and promotional materials underscore the sponsorship by or partnership with the U.S. Government or the U.S. Embassy. The Recipient may continue to use existing logos or project materials; however, a standard rectangular U.S. flag must be used in conjunction with such logos.

Do not use the Department of State seal without the express written approval from PRM.

Sub non-Federal entities (sub-awardees) and subsequent tier sub-award agreements are subject to the marking requirements and the non-Federal entity shall include a provision in the sub non-Federal entity agreement indicating that the standard, rectangular U.S. flag is a requirement.

Exemptions from this requirement may be allowable but must be agreed to in writing by the Grants Officer. (Note: An exemption refers to the complete or

partial cessation of branding, not use of alternative branding). Requests should be initiated with the Grants Officer and Grants Officer Representative. Waivers issued are applied only to the exemptions requested through the Recipient’s proposal for funding and any subsequent negotiated revisions.

In the event the non-Federal entity does not comply with the marking requirements as established in the approved assistance agreement, the Grants Officer Representative and the Grants Officer must initiate corrective action with the non-Federal entity.

Application Review Information

Criteria

Eligible submissions will be those that comply with the criteria and requirements included in this announcement. In addition, the review panel will evaluate the proposals and score them on a scale of 1 to 100 based on the following criteria: Relevance of research issue to PRM priorities (40)
Organizational experience (10)
Research design (40)
Budget (10)

PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel of at least three people will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced programmatic criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.

Proposals using PRM’s templates must be no more than 15 pages in length (Times New Roman or Calibri, 12 point font, one inch margins on all sides). If the applicant does not use PRM’s recommended templates, proposals must not exceed 10 pages in length. Organizations may choose to attach work plans, activity calendars, and/or logical frameworks as addendums/appendices to the proposal. These attachments do not count toward the page limit total; however, annexes cannot be relied upon as a key source of program information. The proposal narrative must be able to stand on its own in the application process and include the following:

Background: Describe the gaps in humanitarian knowledge that the research project aims to address. How will this research inform humanitarian programs and/or policies? What specific tools might be developed as a result of this research, and how and by whom would they be used?
Literature Review: Detail the current evidence base and how the proposed research project will build upon rather than duplicate existing knowledge, tools, and other resources.
Research Locations: Describe the rationale for the proposed research locations. The proposal should identify the variables under study and why the locations are conducive to the research. Having programs in a specific country is not considered an adequate rationale. Proposals must include information on the organization’s permission to conduct research in the proposed locations. Briefly describe the security environment in the area of operation and how the researchers would respond to a deterioration of the security situation. Please identify alternative sites that might be options in the event problems arise with the proposed research locations.
Methodology: Describe the rationale for quantitative and qualitative methods selected, noting the strengths and limitations of each, as well as the hypothesis and the variables being explored, and when possible, controlled for. Address any ethical issues pertaining to the methodology. Will this proposal require Institutional Review Board approval? If not, what specific steps will be taken to protect human subjects and their confidentiality?
Coordination: To what extent will the design, implementation, and dissemination of this research project be coordinated with UNHCR, other IO/NGOs, and host governments or institutions (e.g., universities)? PRM encourages partners to work with local universities and institutes when possible in order to build local research capacity.
Researchers and Organizational Capacity: Identify members of the research team. Please provide bios, backgrounds, and credentials for carrying out the proposed research project. If your organization has not yet identified a research team or a lead researcher, please explain where you are in the process and indicate the criteria you will use to select members of the research team. Strong proposals will demonstrate that researchers are able to conduct research on sensitive issues and understand how to protect confidentiality. Include information on the research organization’s ability to conduct the proposed research based on past experience. Previous PRM-related experience should be highlighted.
Dissemination Plan: Proposals should have a concrete dissemination strategy. At least 6 months of the research timeframe must be devoted to dissemination and, when possible, tracking impact of the research results. The dissemination plan should identify final products of this research project and describe how the findings will be actively disseminated to the broader international humanitarian community, including UNHCR, other IOs/NGOs, donors, and/or other relevant actors. Proposals must include plans for a presentation at PRM in Washington, DC.
Ethical Review: Proposals should include a description of the plan for receiving Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, given the sensitivity of the research topic and the vulnerability of the population of interest. Proposals should also identify potential unintended consequences for participating individuals, and mitigation measures that will be proactively put in place.
Sub-Contracts: List the exact name of all sub-contractors/sub-grantees with whom you plan to fund through this project including, for each, the legal name, organizational DUNS, address, and full name of organizational representative. Describe how you have vetted these organizations to comply with U.S. Executive Order and law that prohibits transactions with and the provision of support to organizations associated with terrorism.

Department of State review panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to enhance the proposed program, which must be addressed by the applicant before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of limited PRM funds, conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and program activities.

Prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, PRM is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the U.S. government designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

An applicant, at its option, may review and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered. Currently, federal agencies create integrity records in the integrity module of the Contractor Performance Assessment and Reporting System (CPARS) and these records are visible as responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov;

The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Administration. A successful applicant can expect to receive a separate notice from PRM stating that an application has been selected before PRM actually makes the federal award. That notice is not an authorization to begin performance. Only the notice of award signed by the Grants Officer is the authorizing document. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified following completion of the selection and award process.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements. PRM awards are made consistent with the following provisions in the following order of precedence:
1. applicable laws and statutes of the United States, including any specific legislative provisions mandated in the statutory authority for the award;
2. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR);
3. Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions of the award;
4. the award’s specific requirements; and
5. other documents and attachments to the award.
Reporting: Successful applicants will be required to submit:
Program Reports: PRM requires program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. A program report is required within thirty (30) days following the end of each three-month period of performance during the validity period of the agreement. The final program report is due one hundred and twenty (120) days following the end of the agreement. The submission dates for program reports will be written into the cooperative agreement. The Bureau suggests that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended quarterly program report template and annual/final report template. The suggested PRM NGO reporting templates are designed to ease the reporting requirements while ensuring that all required elements are addressed.
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 (January 30th, April 30th, July 30th, October 30th). The final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within one hundred and twenty (120) days after the expiration date of the agreement. For agreements containing indirect costs, final financial reports are due within sixty (60) days of the finalization of the applicable negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). Reports reflecting expenditures for the recipient’s overseas and United States offices should be completed in accordance with the Federal Financial Report (FFR SF-425) and submitted electronically in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Payment Management System (HHS/PMS) and in accordance with other award specific requirements. Detailed information pertaining to the Federal Financial Report including due dates, instruction manuals and access forms, is provided on the HHS/PMS website.
Audit Reports: When a recipient-contracted audit is not required because the Federal award amount is less than the $750,000 threshold, the Department may determine that an audit must be performed, and the audit report must be submitted to the responsible grants office(r) for review, dissemination, and resolution as appropriate. The cost of audits required under this policy may be charged either as an allowable direct cost to the award or included in the organizations established indirect costs in the award’s detailed budget.

PRM Points of Contact

Applicants with technical questions related to this announcement should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to submission. Please note that responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.

PRM Program Officer: Mary Roh, RohJM@state.gov, Washington, D.C.

* An informational call for interested applicants will be conducted on April 12, 2023, at 11:00am EST. Please e-mail Mary Roh for the invite and call-in details prior to April 10, 2023.

Disclaimer

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