U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar Local Grants: Annual Program Statement

Description

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar, U.S. Department of State, is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Local Grants Program. This Annual Program Statement outlines funding priorities and the procedures for submitting funding requests. Please carefully follow all instructions below.Purpose of Local Grants: PAS awards a limited number of grants to individuals, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions to support cultural, artistic, educational, and other exchanges and projects to improve mutual understanding between the United States and Mongolia and build people-to-people ties. PAS will only consider grant proposals that include an American component or element.Projects may include but are not limited to:• academic and professional lectures, seminars, and speaker programs;• artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions;• cultural heritage conservation and preservation projects;• professional and academic exchanges and projects; and• professional development workshops and training.Categories of Funding Activity:1. U.S.-Mongolia Relations:Political and security issues, regional/global peace and stability2. Trade & Economic Partnership:Expansion of U.S. exports and investment flows, improvement of the domestic business environment, and regional economic integration3. Transnational, Regional, and Global Challenges:Solutions to transnational, regional, and global challenges, including climate change and cyber-security, terrorist, criminal, and health threats, as well as cooperation in areas such as energy, health, and technology4. Democracy and Rule of Law:Promotion of democracy; support and capacity building for free and open media/press freedom law enforcement related to domestic and transnational criminal activities; and good governance and transparency 5. Public Diplomacy: Promotion of people-to people ties between the United States and Mongolia, as well as U.S. policy and values through media outreach, exchange programs, and public diplomacyCost Sharing or Matching Requirement: When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal. PAS encourages – but does not mandate – that applicants include cost-sharing elements from additional sources in their proposals.Special consideration will be given to proposals that emphasize one or more of the five following goals:• Strengthening International Resolve to Denuclearize the DPRK • Advocating for Free, Fair, and Reciprocal Trade and Investment Policies in the Asia-Pacific• Promoting a Secure, Free, and Open Indo-Pacific• Supporting Counterterrorism • Reinforcing the U.S. Commitment to Mongolia and the East-Asia and Pacific Region The following types of projects are not eligible for funding:• requests by organizations and individuals who are neither Mongolian nor American;• those relating to partisan political activity;• charitable activities;• construction projects;• projects that support specific religious activities;• international travel, unless specifically justified within the project;• trade activities;• fund-raising campaigns;• projects aiming only at primary institutional development of the organization; and• projects that duplicate existing projects.II. AWARD INFORMATIONFunding Instrument Type: Funding is offered through grants, fixed amount awards, or cooperative agreements. Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the proposal and anticipate having moderate to substantial involvement once the award has been made.Project and Budget Periods: Projects generally should be completed in one year or less. PAS will entertain applications for the continuation of awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.Applicants should consider their budgets carefully and submit a budget commensurate with their project goals. While PAS will consider proposals up to $24,999, projects that are smaller in scope are more likely to be considered.This notice is subject to funds available.III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATIONPAS encourages applications from organizations located in Mongolia or U.S. organizations that have branch offices located in Mongolia:• registered public or private non-profit organizations, such as think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience;• educational institutions; and/or• government institutions such as libraries, parks, schools, and museums. IV. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTSPAS will accept proposals throughout the year. Please ensure the following:• all documents are in English;• all budgets are in U.S. dollars;• all pages are numbered;• all documents are formatted to 8½ x 11 paper; and• all Microsoft Word documents are single spaced, use 12 point Times New Roman font, and have a minimum of 1-inch margins.The following documents are required:A. Cover Letter (optional): Applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter on the organization’s letterhead containing the proposal’s submission date, project title, project period (including actual start date and completion; applicants may include a preparation/closeout period, provided they address the specific timeline), and project purpose.B. Proposal: The proposal should contain enough information to ensure anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. An award template is also available on the U.S. Embassy’s website. Applicants must submit a complete proposal (not exceeding 15 pages) that includes the items listed below: • Proposal Summary: This is a brief narrative that outlines the proposed project, including the project objectives and its anticipated outcomes.• Introduction to the Organization: This is a description of past and present operations. Please include information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies.• Problem Statement: This is a clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed project is needed. • Project Goals and Objectives: Goals describe what the project is intended to have achieved by its completion. How will it further the relationship between the United States and Mongolia? Objectives refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to achieving the project goals. Objectives should be achievable and measurable.• Program Methods and Design: This is a description of how the project is expected to work and solve or address the stated problem.• Project Activities: This is a description of specific activities related to the objectives that must be reached and the methods used to achieve the stated objectives.• Proposed Project Schedule: This is the proposed timeline for undertaking and completing the specific project activities. Dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events should be included.• Key Personnel: This is a description of the names, titles, roles, and experience/background for the key personnel to be involved in the project (resumes are required for the main key personnel). Please include the information below:o Who will work on the project?o What responsibilities will they have?o What qualifications do they have?o What proportion of their time will be used in support of this project (e.g., total monthly/yearly salary at 5%)?• Project Monitoring and Evaluation: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time-frame of the grant, how will activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant?• Future Funding or Sustainability: This is a plan for continuation beyond the grant period or the availability of other resources, if applicable.• Proposed Budget: This is a line-item listing of all project expenses, consistent with the proposal narrative, project activities, and U.S. government-wide budget categories. The types and amounts of funding the applicant has received for the current project from other partners should be included. Please see section VII. Guidelines for Budget Submissions below for further information.How to Apply: All application materials must be submitted to Grants@usembassy.mn with “PAS FY17 Local Grants” and the applicant organization’s name in the subject line of the email. Proposals that do not meet the requirements above will not be considered.V. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESSEach application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the criteria outlined below. Submissions are reviewed once per quarter. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project and 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. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail. • Organizational Capacity: The organization has expertise in its stated field, and PAS is confident of its technical capacity to undertake the project. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.• Goals and Objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and the project approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.• Embassy Priorities: The applicant has clearly described how the st

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