Voces que nos unen: Dominican youth advocate for human rights through storytelling

Description

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION This project seeks U.S. and Dominican organizations to bring U.S. artists to conduct visual storytelling workshops for at-risk youth. These workshops aim to promote human rights and empower disadvantaged communities through the arts. The workshops must include modules on human rights history, advocacy, and examples of human rights movements in both the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Additionally, participants will engage in modules focused on story development and comic creation (books, graphic novels, and/or comic strips). The program will feature a competition where participants will develop their stories and publish them on an online platform for the audience to read and vote for their favorites. The top stories will be printed and distributed at the binational centers and Dominican universities, with at least 1,000 print copies. These publications will also include information on how to access EducationUSA resources, providing participants with more information about arts education in the U.S. Through this program, at least 50 Dominican youth ages 16-30, should acquire storytelling skills and exposure to U.S. arts education, deepening their understanding of human rights and associated movements in both the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the competition should impact youth in the Dominican Republic by fostering alignment with U.S. positions on issues like equality, diversity, and inclusion through alumni-shared stories. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of Performance Period: 12-18 months Program Performance Period: Must be completed in 18 months or less. This notice is subject to funding availability. C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Eligible Applicants: Individuals and the following organizations are eligible to apply: U.S. and Dominican not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations; U.S. and Dominican public and private educational institutions; U.S. and Dominican organizations related to arts and/or human rights advocacy; U.S. artists. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing is desired but not required for this award competition. Other Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have an active registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.6 for information on how to obtain these registrations. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION Address to Request Application Package: Application forms required below are available on the U.S. Embassy website. Content and Form of Application Submission: Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. Content of Application: Please ensure the proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity. All documents must be in English, all budgets in U.S. dollars, all pages numbered, all documents formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and all Microsoft Word documents single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins. The following documents are required: Mandatory application forms: SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations), SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs), SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs). Summary Page: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program. Proposal (10 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below: Proposal Summary: A short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact. Introduction to the Organization applying: A description of past and present operations, showing the ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies. Problem Statement: Clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed. Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable. Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives. Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal. Include a logic model as appropriate. Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events. Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles, and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program? Program Partners: List the names and types of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees. Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening promptly, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant? Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable. Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H. Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions below for further information. Attachments: 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program. Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner. If your organization has a NICRA and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file. Official permission letters, if required for program activities. Required Registrations: All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge: www.SAM.gov registration which will generate an UEI, NCAGE/CAGE code. Any applicant with an exclusion in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), "Debarment and Suspension". The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. SAM.gov is the Federal government's primary database for complying with FFATA reporting requirements. OMB designated SAM.gov as the central repository to facilitate applicant and recipient use of a single public website that consolidates data on all federal financial assistance. Under the law, it is mandatory to register on SAM.gov. Starting April 2022, the UEI will be assigned when an organization registers or renews its registration in SAM.gov at www.sam.gov. To access SAM.gov an organization is required to have a Login.gov account. Organizations can create an account at https://login.gov. As a reminder, organizations need to renew their sam.gov registration annually. Foreign-based organizations must apply for an NCAGE code before registering on SAM.gov. To register, go to: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/CageTool/home to apply for a CAGE code. NCAGE codes must be renewed every 5 years. It is in the organization's best interest to check if their CAGE/or NCAGE codes are active. Organizations are required to register/or renew their CAGE or NCAGE codes prior to registering or renewing www.sam.gov. Both registration and renewals for both CAGE and NCAGE can take up to 10 days. The organization's legal address in NCAGE/CAGE must mirror www. sam.gov. Organizations are required to register/or renew their CAGE or NCAGE codes prior to registering or renewing www.sam.gov. Both registration and renewals for both CAGE and NCAGE can take up to 10 days. The organization's legal address in NCAGE/CAGE must mirror www. sam.gov. www.sam.gov requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM.gov. Submission Dates and Times: Applications are due no later than August 15, 2024. Other Submission Requirements: All application materials must be submitted by email to SantoDomingoGrants@state.gov. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION Criteria: Each application will be evaluated and rated based on the evaluation criteria outlined below. Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – 25 points: The program idea is well developed, with details about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline. Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants – 25 points: The organization has expertise in its stated field and has internal controls in place to manage federal funds. This includes a financial management system and a bank account. Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 15 points: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and the program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. Budget – 10 points: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable for the proposed activities and anticipated results. The

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