2020 Space Apps Challenge NOFO - Hackathon

Description

The U.S. Mission in Morocco’s Public Affairs Office is pleased to announce its “NASA Space Apps Challenge Hackathon” open competition for awarding a cooperative agreement. The Public Affairs Office invites proposals from Moroccan or American non-profit organizations operating in Morocco to organize a three-day hackathon scheduled to take place October 2 – 4, 2020. The awardee will work in close cooperation with the U.S. Embassy to plan and execute this program. Now in its 9th year, the NASA Space Apps Challenge is an international hackathon for coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and others in cities around the world. Teams engage with NASA’s free and open data to address real-world problems on earth and in space. For more details about the NASA challenges and team projects, please see the official website for last year’s hackathon: https://2019.spaceappschallenge.org/. The Public Affairs Office invites proposals from eligible organizations to plan and implement this year’s hackathon, working closely with the U.S. Embassy and liaising with the NASA global organizers, to include the following activities: · Design and implement a national outreach plan to recruit and select between 60-70 hackathon participants. The target audience is Moroccans ages 18 – 30; participants could include coders, engineers, software developers, scientists, designers, artists, videographers, and entrepreneurs. · Plan, organize, and implement a pre-Hackathon meet up event for participants, which could take place in-person, virtually, or as a combination of both. Identify and secure the participation of at least three local experts and scientists, including at least one data expert, to brief participants on the hackathon challenge themes, and inspire participants in their brainstorming. · Plan, organize, and implement the three-day hackathon, including arranging the travel of between 60 and 70 participants; managing the logistics of registration and check-in; providing lodging, food, and beverages for participants over the course of the three-day event; and planning and directing set-up of the hackathon venue (to be selected in consultation with the U.S. Embassy). · Develop a detailed schedule of hackathon events that advance the project’s stated objectives, while facilitating the participants in devising creative solutions to the hackathon challenges. · Identify, recruit, and manage the travel of at least five local experts to offer short workshops and demos on day one of the hackathon, and serve as mentors on day two. Assist in incorporating an American expert, identified by the U.S. Embassy, into the program as a presenter and mentor. Identify, recruit, and manage the travel of up to five local experts (separate from the mentors) to judge the participants’ projects during the pitch competition on the final day of the hackathon. · Work closely with the Embassy on a social media plan to help promote the hackathon among target audiences online. · Identify and procure appropriate prizes for hackathon project winners. Provide support to the hackathon winners who submit their projects to NASA’s Space Apps Challenge for global judging, including facilitating their creation of a short video describing their project. Each proposal should describe how the Hackathon meets the following objectives: · Encourage young Moroccans to deepen their knowledge of advances in space, science, and technology, while promoting U.S. leadership in in these fields. · Promote entrepreneurship among Moroccan youth and provide them with training (based on U.S. models) and experience in developing and pitching project ideas. · Instill and strengthen a commitment to innovation and risk-taking among Moroccan youth. · Provide a forum for Moroccan youth to strengthen their teamwork and leadership skills. · Encourage the participation of Moroccan women, thus helping break gender barriers. A. GUIDELINES: · Proposals must include a sample schedule for the three-day hackathon, which should include introductory presentations and briefings by experts on day one, project development on day two, and a project pitch competition on day three. · Proposals should describe how they will form competition teams to include a balance of skill sets, as well as the objectives and overall plan for a pre-hackathon meet-up program. · Proposals must include a monitoring and evaluation plan that describes how results will be measured. · Proposals must contain details on how to recruit hackathon participants and local experts; how to amplify the hackathon on social media, and a description of how the hackathon will meet the objectives above. · The cooperative agreement will cover funding for organizing and obtaining a venue for the pre-event meetup; renting the venue selected by the Embassy for the hackathon; procuring any materials necessary for use in hackathon activities; lodging, food and beverages for the hackathon participants; staffing to manage the logistics of the event; and promoting the hackathon among relevant communities. The cooperative agreement will also cover funding for prizes for hackathon pitch competition winners. · Awardees must be prepared to design and implement surveys, polls, or other methods for evaluating the impact of the hackathon at three distinct time periods: prior to its launch, at the end of the hackathon, and six months after the completion of the hackathon. · Equipment cannot account for more than 10% of the total project cost, unless the awardee receives prior approval from the U.S. Embassy. · Awards will be conferred to Moroccan non-profit organizations or U.S. non-profit organizations with an established office in Morocco and that already have a final registration receipt and an established bank account at the time that they apply. All applicants must submit their proposals to the U.S. Embassy Rabat by May 10, 2020 to this email address Rabatgrants@state.gov – no late proposals will be considered. The proposal package must include : 1- Applicant Organizational Information Form (in English) 2- Project Narrative Form (in English) 3- Budget Narrative Proposal (in USD) 4- Evaulation and measurement plan All applicants will be notified of funding decisions within six weeks of the application deadline subject to the availability of funds.

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