Funding opportunities: U.S. Embassy Yaoundé Public Affairs Section Annual Program Statement (US$5,000-25,000)

Deadline for Applications: July 15, 2022

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. EMBASSY YAOUNDE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION (PAS)
Notice of Funding Opportunity
Funding Opportunity Title:  U.S. Embassy Yaoundé PAS Annual Program Statement
Funding Opportunity Number:  PAS-CMR-FY22-01
Deadline for Applications: July 15, 2022
CFDA Number:  19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs
Total Amount Available: $100,000
Maximum for Each Award: $25,000
Minimum for Each Award: $5,000

NB: the application link is at the end of this publication

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Yaoundé Public Affairs Section (PAS) announces the availability of funding through its Public Diplomacy Grants Program.  This is an annual request for Statements of Interest (SOI), outlining funding priorities, strategic themes, and procedures for submitting requests for funding.  Please carefully read and follow all instructions below.

The submission of a SOI is the first step in a two-part process.  Applicants must first submit a SOI, which is a concise, 3-page concept note designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application.  The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to undertaking the development of full proposal.  Upon review of eligible SOIs, PAS will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications.

Purpose of Small Grants:  The PAS grants program supports projects proposed by U.S. and Cameroonian academic, cultural, educational, and other non-profit organizations and/or individuals that promote U.S. values, increase understanding between U.S. and Cameroonian people and institutions, and/or support U.S. Embassy goals of promoting good governance and transparency, economic prosperity, and peace and security.  All programs must include an element of American culture or society, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited:

• U.S. experts conducting lectures, seminars, or speaking tours with Cameroonian audiences
• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions
• Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs
• Professional and academic exchanges and programs
• Libraries, community centers, or other institutions that are interested in becoming an American Space
• Programs developed by an alumnus/a of a U.S. sponsored or supported educational or professional exchange program
• Projects to promote English language teaching skills or widen access to books and other sources of information about the United States

Priority Program Areas:

• Governance:  Projects promoting democratic principles, improved and inclusive governance, transparency, human rights, religious freedom, empowerment of marginalized groups, voter participation, civic education, civil society
• Prosperity:  Projects promoting economic prosperity, entrepreneurship, bilateral trade and investment, countering corruption
• Security:  Projects promoting peace and security, rule of law, alternatives to violence in resolving conflict, tolerance, preventing radicalization to violence, improving mutual understanding between groups, community policing
• Sustainability and Climate Change:  Projects promoting environmental sustainability and addressing climate change
• Journalism:  Projects promoting a professional and independent media, role of informed citizens in a democracy, media literacy, ethical journalism

Participants and Audiences:

All projects should focus on engaging Cameroonians in Cameroon.  Priority audience and program participants are:

• Youth, especially emerging leaders
• Civil society
• Women
• Opinion leaders, including cultural, academic, and media figures
• Residents of Cameroon outside Yaounde

The following types of programs are not eligible for funding: 

• Scholarships for study in the United States or to fund conference attendance or study tours to the United States
• Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship
• Charitable or development activities without a U.S. connection as described in the Purpose section
• Construction programs
• Programs that support specific religious activities
• Fund-raising campaigns
• Exclusively scientific research projects
• Exchange programs with countries other than the United States and Cameroon
• Academic research programs

Authorizing legislation, type and year of funding:

Funding authority rests primarily in the Smith-Mundt and Fulbright Hayes.  The source of funding is FY2022 or FY2023 Public Diplomacy Funding.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period:  1 to 24 months 
Number of awards anticipated:  10 awards (dependent on amounts)
Award amounts:  Awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000
Total available funding: $100,000
Type of Funding:  Fiscal Year 2022 or 2023 Public Diplomacy Funding
Anticipated program start date:  12/01/2022

Funding Instrument Type:  Grants, Fixed Amount Awards, Awards to Individuals, or Cooperative Agreements.  Cooperative agreements are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation.

Program Performance Period:  Proposed programs should be completed in 2 years or less.  PAS will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

PAS encourages applications from the United States and Cameroon:

• Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks, community associations, and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
• Individuals
• Non-profit media organizations
• Professional trade organizations
• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions

For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.

1. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not required.

1. Other Eligibility Requirements

Applicants whose SOIs are selected for further consideration will be required to register for a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet.  This registration is free of charge.  You may register for it at any time, regardless of the status of an application for grant funding.  It is recommended to apply for this registration as early as possible.  If your organization does not have one already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866-705-5711 or visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/pages/CCRSearch.jsp.

Individuals are not required to have a DUNS number.

By April 4, 2022, the registration process will transition away from the use of the DUNS Number, towards a new Unique Entity ID as the primary means of entity identification for Federal awards.  Applicants will be required to register starting April 04, 2022, free of charge by visiting https://sam.gov/content/home.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Submission Dates and Process

Statements of Interest may be submitted for consideration at any time before the closing date of July 15, 2022.  A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible submissions within eight weeks of submission and applicants will be notified of the results of the Committee’s review via email.  At that time, PAS will provide instructions on the requirements of a full application submission to applicants with successful SOIs.

All application materials must be submitted by email to PASGrantsYaounde@state.gov.  Applications submitted only in hard copy or to individual email addresses of PAS staff will not be considered.

The Public Affairs Section does not accept documents saved on any cloud-based format including Google.  The file size should not exceed 8MB.

1. Content and Form of Application Submission

Requirements

Statements of Interest that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

SOI submissions must not exceed three (3) pages.

SOIs must comply with the following:

• The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity
• All documents are in English
• All budgets are in U.S. dollars
• All pages are numbered

In order to best formulate an application, applicants are encouraged to use the PAS Yaoundé Statement of Interest Template.  The template is offered to assist in the application process, but its use is not required.  The template can be requested by emailing PASGrantsYaounde@state.gov.

Statement of Interest submissions must include:

• Project title
• Name of the organization or individual applying
• A brief description of the applicant(s) that demonstrates the applicant(s) expertise and capacity to implement the program and manage a U.S. government award
• A statement of the goals and objectives of the program, how they will be achieved, and how the results will be measured
• An element of U.S. expertise, U.S. resources on the topic at hand, or U.S. cultural or societal experience relevant to the topic.  This may be accomplished by incorporating U.S.-origin materials, theories, or other resources, or the involvement of American expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) – or Cameroonian alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs – that will promote increased understanding of U.S. values, culture, policy, and/or perspectives.
• Program description, including a concise but detailed listing of program activities, venues, etc.
• The target audience and location
• Program length and proposed start date
• The total amount of funding requested and total amount of cost-share (if any)
• Date of SOI submission

1. Funding Restrictions

Funds cannot be used for construction of buildings or the purchase of alcoholic beverages.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria listed are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application.

Organizational capacity:  The organization has expertise in its stated field and PAS is confident of its ability to undertake the program.  This includes a financial management system appropriate to the amount of funding being requested and a bank account.

Quality and feasibility of the program idea:  The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out.  The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.

Goals and objectives:  Goals and objectives are clear, realistic, and measurable, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

The U.S. element:  Applicant has clearly described how the program incorporates an element of U.S. expertise, U.S. resources on the topic, or U.S. cultural or societal experience relevant to the topic that will promote increased understanding of U.S. values, culture, policy, and/or perspectives.

Embassy priorities:  Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy Yaoundé’s priority program areas and/or target audiences.

Budget:  The budget justification is detailed.  Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities.

Monitoring and evaluation:  Applicant demonstrates ability to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal.  The program includes output and outcome indicators, and shows how and when those will be measured.

Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.

Click HERE ore this link to APPLY