Frequently Asked Questions: New Empowerment Communication Technologies: Opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa
October 20, 2009
1. Are there any restrictions on what countries can be served in this program? Are there any restrictions on proposing a pilot in one country or multiple countries in the MENA region?
The following NEA countries may be proposed: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Applicants may propose pilot projects in one or multiple countries.
(Revision)
While applicants are welcome to propose projects or activities in the West Bank and Gaza, funding is currently unavailable to support such projects or activities.
2. Are past or existing MEPI-sponsored curricula available for review?
Supplementary information entitled “Sample MEPI Training Modules 2009” has been attached to the funding opportunity announcement on Grants.gov. This document provides a sample of existing curricula developed with MEPI funds.
3. Is the desired solution to provide the learning technology capabilities only or is it to provide those plus the domain expertise and content in the noted subjected areas i.e., civic and political participation, women’s and youth empowerment, economic and social entrepreneurship, etc.?
Projects in the third priority area are expected to enhance access to, and use of, online learning platforms and resources, including possibly open source educational materials. Projects are expected to collect and disseminate existing online curricula available in the areas of good governance, political participation, women’s and youth empowerment, strengthening civil society, advancing education and critical thinking skills, or fostering economic entrepreneurship or reform.
4. My organization is a college or university; are we eligible under this announcement?
Yes. Per the eligibility information (listed in section III of the announcement), “Eligible applicants include any U.S. or foreign non-governmental organization, and U.S. or foreign private institutions or commercial entities.”
5. If my organization is submitting an application, can my organization be a partner or sub awardee on another application? Can my organization be a sub awardee on more than one application?
Yes.
6. We are an organization located outside the U.S. and do not have a DUNs number, do we need to have a DUNs number to submit a proposal to this opportunity?
Yes, all Federal assistance recipients must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number prior to receiving funds disbursement. Organizations located outside the U.S. that apply for or receive Federal Assistance can request a DUNS number free charge by contacting D&B through either a web-form or telephone. The web-form is available at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Internationally, a foreign organization can request a DUNS number from the local D&B office via telephone. The list of international offices is available at http://www.dnb.com/US/customer_service/global_listing.asp, organized by region and/or country.
7. Are there any limits on the number of applications an organization may submit? Can we submit one application that focuses on one or more of the priority areas or would we need to submit a separate application for each priority area?
Each application can be considered under only one priority area. If an applicant wishes to be considered under more than one priority area, a separate application should be submitted for each priority area.
8. We are having trouble accessing the application package on Grants.gov. Could you please send us the application package for this announcement?
Please try again to download the application package on Grants.gov, downloading the package may take a couple minutes. If you continue to have trouble downloading the package, please contact Grants.gov directly at 001-800-518-4726 or at support@grants.gov and someone can assist you.
Applicants to this RFA should be prepared to include the following in their submission on Grants.gov.
____ (a) Federal Assistance Application (Standard Forms 424)
Available at: www.grants.gov. The application package allows you to complete and sign this form online.
____ (b) MEPI Cover Sheet (Executive Summary)
This will be included as an additional attachment. Template can be found attached to the announcement, or by going to www.mepi.state.gov and clicking on “Funding & Project Opportunities.”
____ (c) Proposal Narrative
The application narrative should not exceed 20 pages with no more than 10 pages of appendices attached. Each page should be numbered sequentially. Narrative submission should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, single-line spacing. This will be included as an attachment.
____ (d) Budget and Budget Justification (Narrative)
The budget and justification should not exceed 10 pages, and each page should be number sequentially. NEA/PI prefers that budgets and justifications be submitted in MS-Excel or MS-Word. This will be included as an attachment.
Please review Section V. Review and Selection Process of the RFA for more details on drafting your submission.
9. Is there a required start date or end date for these pilot projects? When do you anticipate notifying applicants if they are under consideration for an award?
Applicants should specify the proposed start and end dates for their proposed project. As stated in Section II Award Information “…Applicants may propose performance periods of up to three years.” Under normal circumstances, we notify applicants 90 days after the closed date about the status of their applications, and may negotiate actual start and end dates with successful applicants.
10. We are in the process of registering our organization with Grants.gov. Is there an alternate method of submission should our registration not be completed by the October 23, 2009 deadline?
As stated in the announcement, application materials should be submitted online via www.grants.gov. Applicants who are new to the Grants.gov registration process and are unable to complete the registration by close of business October 22, 2009, may contact NEA/PI via e-mail at nea-grants@state.gov to discuss an alternate method for submitting their complete grant application packet.
11. Will there be an extension to October 23rd deadline for this announcement? Is there a grace period for proposals that may risk coming in after the October 23 deadline?
The deadline for applications is October 23, 2009. There is no grace period for this announcement.
The following NEA countries may be proposed: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Applicants may propose pilot projects in one or multiple countries.
(Revision)
While applicants are welcome to propose projects or activities in the West Bank and Gaza, funding is currently unavailable to support such projects or activities.
2. Are past or existing MEPI-sponsored curricula available for review?
Supplementary information entitled “Sample MEPI Training Modules 2009” has been attached to the funding opportunity announcement on Grants.gov. This document provides a sample of existing curricula developed with MEPI funds.
3. Is the desired solution to provide the learning technology capabilities only or is it to provide those plus the domain expertise and content in the noted subjected areas i.e., civic and political participation, women’s and youth empowerment, economic and social entrepreneurship, etc.?
Projects in the third priority area are expected to enhance access to, and use of, online learning platforms and resources, including possibly open source educational materials. Projects are expected to collect and disseminate existing online curricula available in the areas of good governance, political participation, women’s and youth empowerment, strengthening civil society, advancing education and critical thinking skills, or fostering economic entrepreneurship or reform.
4. My organization is a college or university; are we eligible under this announcement?
Yes. Per the eligibility information (listed in section III of the announcement), “Eligible applicants include any U.S. or foreign non-governmental organization, and U.S. or foreign private institutions or commercial entities.”
5. If my organization is submitting an application, can my organization be a partner or sub awardee on another application? Can my organization be a sub awardee on more than one application?
Yes.
6. We are an organization located outside the U.S. and do not have a DUNs number, do we need to have a DUNs number to submit a proposal to this opportunity?
Yes, all Federal assistance recipients must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number prior to receiving funds disbursement. Organizations located outside the U.S. that apply for or receive Federal Assistance can request a DUNS number free charge by contacting D&B through either a web-form or telephone. The web-form is available at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Internationally, a foreign organization can request a DUNS number from the local D&B office via telephone. The list of international offices is available at http://www.dnb.com/US/customer_service/global_listing.asp, organized by region and/or country.
7. Are there any limits on the number of applications an organization may submit? Can we submit one application that focuses on one or more of the priority areas or would we need to submit a separate application for each priority area?
Each application can be considered under only one priority area. If an applicant wishes to be considered under more than one priority area, a separate application should be submitted for each priority area.
8. We are having trouble accessing the application package on Grants.gov. Could you please send us the application package for this announcement?
Please try again to download the application package on Grants.gov, downloading the package may take a couple minutes. If you continue to have trouble downloading the package, please contact Grants.gov directly at 001-800-518-4726 or at support@grants.gov and someone can assist you.
Applicants to this RFA should be prepared to include the following in their submission on Grants.gov.
____ (a) Federal Assistance Application (Standard Forms 424)
Available at: www.grants.gov. The application package allows you to complete and sign this form online.
____ (b) MEPI Cover Sheet (Executive Summary)
This will be included as an additional attachment. Template can be found attached to the announcement, or by going to www.mepi.state.gov and clicking on “Funding & Project Opportunities.”
____ (c) Proposal Narrative
The application narrative should not exceed 20 pages with no more than 10 pages of appendices attached. Each page should be numbered sequentially. Narrative submission should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, single-line spacing. This will be included as an attachment.
____ (d) Budget and Budget Justification (Narrative)
The budget and justification should not exceed 10 pages, and each page should be number sequentially. NEA/PI prefers that budgets and justifications be submitted in MS-Excel or MS-Word. This will be included as an attachment.
Please review Section V. Review and Selection Process of the RFA for more details on drafting your submission.
9. Is there a required start date or end date for these pilot projects? When do you anticipate notifying applicants if they are under consideration for an award?
Applicants should specify the proposed start and end dates for their proposed project. As stated in Section II Award Information “…Applicants may propose performance periods of up to three years.” Under normal circumstances, we notify applicants 90 days after the closed date about the status of their applications, and may negotiate actual start and end dates with successful applicants.
10. We are in the process of registering our organization with Grants.gov. Is there an alternate method of submission should our registration not be completed by the October 23, 2009 deadline?
As stated in the announcement, application materials should be submitted online via www.grants.gov. Applicants who are new to the Grants.gov registration process and are unable to complete the registration by close of business October 22, 2009, may contact NEA/PI via e-mail at nea-grants@state.gov to discuss an alternate method for submitting their complete grant application packet.
11. Will there be an extension to October 23rd deadline for this announcement? Is there a grace period for proposals that may risk coming in after the October 23 deadline?
The deadline for applications is October 23, 2009. There is no grace period for this announcement.
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