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Iran Democracy Program - Civic EducationReleased by the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs DEPARTMENT OF STATE I. Funding Opportunity Description The Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs - Iran Democracy Program (NEA/IDP) announces an open competition for projects that advance democracy, human rights, independent media, and the rule of law through civic education aimed at the Iranian people. For a democracy to survive and flourish, a critical mass of a country's citizens must possess the skills, embody the values, and manifest the behaviors that accord with democracy. Citizens must know enough about the basic features of a democratic political system to be able to take advantage of it when their interests are at stake, and they must believe in the importance of and practice certain key democratic values, such as transparency, a respect for human rights, and support for the rule of law. They also must be able and willing to participate in local and national politics, and they must believe that their participation is essential to the continued viability of the democratic political system. Accordingly, this request seeks projects to design, plan, and execute civic education projects for Iranians. The range of possible activities includes, but is not limited to:
Applicants should be capable of identifying and recruiting program participants. Participant selections will be done in consultation with NEA/IDP. Applicant organizations must also demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Iran as well as experience in civic education program development and execution. NEA/IDP will favor proposals that offer participation by persons inside Iran. NEA/IDP asks all applicants to include in their proposals an explanation of how democracy and civil society will be advanced in Iran by their program. Submissions should outline activities linked to reform and demonstrate how the proposed approach would achieve sustainable impact in Iran and articulate the applicant's capacity and expertise in civic education programming, and knowledge of local conditions and needs. Electronic Link to Full Announcement: Go to http://www.mepi.state.gov, and click on Current Opportunities or apply online via http://www.grants.gov/. II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement Anticipated Total Program Funding: Up to $5 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2007 Ceiling of Individual Award Amounts: $1 million Floor of Individual Award Amounts: $100,000 NEA/IDP 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: NEA/IDP expects to make multiple awards in this program and will fund initial awards for one year. Applicants may propose performance periods up to two years. 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 applicants, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Department of State. Office of Foreign Asset Control Compliance: Applicants are advised that U.S. sanctions against Iran restrict certain financial and equipment transfers to Iran and to Iranian citizens. Funds awarded under this RFA will be licensed through the NEA/IDP by the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). Upon request, applicants must provide information (name, date of birth, place of birth, and nationality) for all individuals and groups that will receive or that will have direct oversight of U.S. government funds through this program; this restriction also applies to sub-grantees and sub-contractors. Failure to comply with applicable U.S. laws and regulations may result in forfeiture of award. III. Eligibility Information: Unrestricted Solicitation Eligible applicants include any registered non-governmental organization, private nonprofit or commercial, international, bilateral, or local. Additional Information on Eligibility: All Federal assistance recipients must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number prior to funds disbursement per a U.S. Government policy (published in the Federal Register June 27, 2003) applicable to all grant recipients. A DUNS number may be acquired at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or requesting on-line at www.dnb.com IV. Application Submission, Guidelines, and Deadline To apply for this funding, use the Standard Form 424 with an authorized representative signature. This application form (SF-424) and instructions can be obtained from either:
A cover sheet must be submitted with every application and contain an executive summary of no more than two pages. Please go to http://www.mepi.state.gov/c10133.htm, and click on the link entitled "PDF" to download a copy of the cover sheet. The application narrative should not exceed 15 pages. Each page should be numbered sequentially. The limitation of 15 pages should be considered as a maximum and not necessarily a goal. Narrative submission should be in Times New Roman font, size 14, single-line spacing. A detailed budget showing all costs for anticipated activities and tasks must also be included in the application and not exceed 5 pages narrative. Please refer to http://mepi.state.gov/55517.htm for guidance in preparing an acceptable budget and justification narrative. Below is a checklist of what documents must be included in a complete application:
Submission: Online applications via http://www.grants.gov may be filed until midnight on the May 3, 2007 deadline. Alternatively applications may be sent via email to nea-grants@state.gov with "IDP" in the subject line. In the latter case, applicants should expect email confirmation if the application has been received. No submission in zip file format will be accepted. Any interested applicant that would have a difficult time submitting an electronic version of the application should contact Jessica Baker before April 30, 2007 (telephone (202) 776-8524, fax: (202) 776-8445, e-mail: nea-grants@state.gov. V. Review and Selection Process Submissions under this announcement should include information addressing the following criteria. Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of these 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. 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. 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. (20 points) Innovation and Sustainability - The applicant details 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 economic and political reform across the many sectors of society, including the religious community and religious leaders. 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 and timeframes are rapid, reasonable, and feasible in the context of Iran. The plan describes in detail how the proposed activities will be accomplished. (20 points) Organization Profiles - Organization staffs, including volunteers, are well qualified; with a demonstrated track record of work in civic education. Where partners are proposed, the applicant describes the rationale for the consortia, 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. (30 points) Budget - Calculations are provided with line item detail for each budget object class identified on the Budget Information form. Detailed calculations include estimation methods, quantities; unite costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. The budget and narrative justification are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. (10 points) VI. Award Administration and National Policy Requirements Those applicants selected for award under this RFA will receive awards provided that they execute a cooperative agreement containing terms and conditions prescribed by U.S. law and regulation:
Vetting Requirements: As a condition of licensing activities in Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has requested the Department of State to follow certain procedures to effectuate the goals of Sections 481(b), 531(a), 571, 582, and 635(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as amended); 18 U.S.C. §§ 2339A and 2339B; Executive Order 13224; and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6. These licensing conditions mandate that the Department conduct a vetting of potential Iran democracy grantees, sub-grantees and subcontractors for counter-terrorism purposes. To conduct this vetting the Department must collect information from potential grantees, sub-grantees and subcontractors regarding the identity and background of their key employees, members of their Boards of Directors, and anyone who has programmatic oversight of U.S. government funds associated with this award. Information will be collected using form DS-4100 which all grantees, sub-grantees, and sub-contractors must complete and return prior to the transfer of U.S. government funds. Reporting Requirements: Programmatic and financial reports will be due 30 days after the quarter. A final report covering finance and results achieved will be due 90 days after the end of the performance period. Recipients will be required to submit a results monitoring plan (RMP) to track the project's progress towards meeting objectives during implementation, as the activities unfold, and at the end of the project. It may include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique. Recipients should plan to track participants or partners and be able to respond to key evaluation questions, including satisfaction with the program, learning as a result of the program, changes in behavior as a result of the program, and effects of the program on institutions (institutions in which participants work or partner institutions). The evaluation plan should include indicators that measure gains in mutual understanding as well as substantive knowledge. The RMP will include the project's intended outcome(s) and objectives with performance indicators for each. The intended outcome is the principal change NEA/IDP and the implementers are trying to achieve by completing the activities and realizing the objectives of a project. It is the envisioned "end-state" and says how a situation will be different after the project is successfully completed. The objectives are concrete accomplishments that can be explicitly and logically linked to achievement of an intended outcome. Objectives should be "smart" (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and achievable within the time frame of the project). Performance indicators will measure achievement of the intended outcomes and objectives rather than outputs of activities. Outputs are products and services delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot substitute for information about progress towards the results achieved. For example, number of service providers trained would NOT be a direct measure of the result service delivery improved. Findings on outputs and results may both be reported, but the focus should be on results. Performance reports must include but are not limited to the following four levels of outcomes, as they relate to the program goals (listed here in increasing order of importance):
Applicants will be required to provide reports analyzing their evaluation findings to NEA/IDP in their regular program reports. All data collected, including survey responses and contact information, must be maintained for a minimum of five years and provided to NEA/IDP upon request. In addition, representatives from the U.S. Department of State will review all agendas and materials for all program components and participate in selected parts of the program as deemed appropriate. |
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