Capacity Building and Coordination for Community-Led Monitoring 2021

Description

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a capacity building and coordination project for selected grantees of the PEPFAR Small Grants Community-Led Monitoring Program 2020-2021 who will be implementing the Lesotho PLHIV Facility Feedback Tool (attached). The community-led monitoring (CLM) program is funded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in support of the Ministry of Health’s effort to achieve HIV epidemic control through the implementation of evidence-based and client-centered interventions to accelerate progress in HIV prevention, care, and treatment. The goal of the CLM program is to help PEPFAR programs and health institutions identify persistent problems, challenges, and barriers to effective service and client outcomes at the site level in order to formulate workable solutions that overcome these barriers and ensure beneficiaries have access to quality services. The objective of the CLM program is to facilitate participation of local CSO players in the evaluation of HIV services, identify areas for improvement, advocate for change, guide the health care providers to incorporate monitoring as part of their routine activities, and popularize the facility feedback tool among PLHIV groups. The applicant must be a well-established countrywide non-governmental organization that can train, support, and equip selected grantees on their activities in community-led monitoring, data collection, grant management, and reporting. In addition, the CLM coordinating organization will ensure there is no duplication in the health facilities being monitored among all the grantees. The organization will collect data gathered by the CLM grantees and then deliver the results to PEPFAR (through the Special Projects Office), respective Health Facility Committees, District Health Management Teams and MOH as appropriate, CSOs, and other relevant stakeholders semi-annually. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION U.S. Embassy Maseru issues one award resulting from this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to applicants whose applications are the most responsive to the objectives in this NOFO. The Special Projects Office may a) reject any or all applications; b) accept other than the lowest cost application; c) accept more than one application; d) accept alternate applications; and/or e) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received. The Special Projects Office may give awards after discussions and negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest modifications in the project description, budget, or other aspects of the application. Applicants should not request more than $50,000 USD. Please note that the PEPFAR Small Grants Program is subject to the availability of funds. Applicants should include an anticipated start date of March 01, 2021. The project period should be 12 months. C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION C.1 Eligible applicants The Special Projects Office welcomes applications from non-governmental organisations; networks of key populations, people living with HIV and other affected groups; or other entities that gather data and observations about components of HIV services, with a focus on getting input from recipients of treatment services. ● All applicants must be legally registered and have been in operation for at least five years to be eligible for funding. ● Organizations must be able to demonstrate that they have adequate internal controls and financial monitoring procedures in place. Each project accepted for funding will submit financial and narrative progress reports on a routine basis. Grantees will be instructed on the inputs required for financial and programmatic progress reports by the Special Projects Office. Please note that organizations currently funded by PEPFAR to deliver health services either in the community or at the health facility are prohibited from applying for this grant. C.2 Cost sharing or matching There is no requirement for cost sharing, matching or cost participation. C.3 Other Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 the implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p.189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p.235), “Debarment and Suspension”. Additionally, no entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION Complete application MUST include the following: · Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A and SF-424B forms · Cover Page including a table with organization name, project title, target districts/location, name and contact information of the organization’s primary point of contact · Table of Contents listing all documents and attachments with numbers · The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with community-led monitoring would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. Applicant may use their own proposal format, but it must include all the items below: o Introduction to the Applying Organization o Program Goals and Objectives o Program Strategic Approach and Tools o Program Activities o Expected measurable results o Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline o Key Personnel o Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan o Budget in U.S dollar and estimated in Maloti using exchange rate of $1=M15 and not exceeding $50,000 o Budget Narrative · A copy of your organization’s constitution · A list of committee/board members with their names and addresses. · A copy of project bank account details including the name of the bank, account name, account number and type of account (savings or checking). Applications that do not include the elements listed above will not be considered. The PEPFAR Small Grants Community-Led Monitoring Program will accept applications from December 1, 2020 to January 29, 2021. Applications can be emailed to grantsmaseru@state.gov or mailed to/handed in to U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office 254 Kingsway P.O. Box 333 Maseru 100, Lesotho Any application that is received after the deadline, is incomplete, or is missing required documentation will be rejected. Please Note: The Special Projects Office retains the right to ask for additional documents not included in this NOFO. Additional information that successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal Award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, may include: Pre-award site visit; Written responses and any revised application documents addressing any conditions or recommendations from the review panel; Bank account information; and Other requested information or documents discussed during negotiations prior to issuance of a Federal award. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION The Special Projects Office will determine eligibility for all applications and then each application will be evaluated and rated individually against the following criteria, listed below. The Special Projects Office strives to ensure each application receives a balanced evaluation by a review panel. The application should be responsive to the NOFO. The implementation plan must be achievable and realistic for the means and skills of the community and must be completed within the 12-month timeframe. The application should clearly detail how activities will be carried out. The objectives should be clear, measurable, and have a well-articulated timeline. The budget must be complete and reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results, and the plan for services and related cost estimates must also be realistic. After rating, shortlisted applicants will be contacted and may be asked for an interview to provide additional information or clarification on portions of their application and may be asked to accommodate a site visit. The final list of applicants will be presented to an internal review panel for final selection. Applicants not selected will receive notification that they will not receive a grant. F. REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS All applicants must obtain the below registrations (all are free of charge). Below are links to each registration which must be completed. Duns Number-Please refer to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform (1.3.1.2. NCAGE/CAGE code) Ncage Code-Please refer to https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx SAM registration- Please refer to https://www.sam.gov NOTE: The process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration may take 4 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible; registration is free. G. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION The grant award shall be written, signed, awarded and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient. All awards will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds will be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner. All other details related to award administration will be specified in the award agreement as well.

Eligibility

Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.

Agency Contact

Key Dates