Funding Opportunity for NGOs in Cameroon: Apply Now for U.S. Embassy Program to Build Strong Civil Society Organizations
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Deadline: 8 September 2024
Funding Opportunity Title: Building Strong Civil Society Organizations in Cameroon
Funding Opportunity Number: EMB-Yaounde-PDS-CSO-FY24-08
Deadline for Applications: September 08, 2024
Assistance Listing Number: 19.040 Public Diplomacy
Total Amount Available: $50,000
A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon announces an open competition for applications to carry out a program to strengthen the organizational and managerial capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Cameroon. The program will provide a better understanding of the role of civil society organizations as a pillar of democratic systems, provide CSO leaders from across Cameroon the knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively manage their organizations while leveraging all available opportunities for enhanced community impact. The program should provide participants the opportunity to learn from each other to develop standard operating procedures that ensure effective achievement of organizations’ goals and objectives.
Please carefully follow all instructions below.
Priority Region: All regions of Cameroon
Program Objectives:
The program will consist of series of 5 workshops in 5 different regional headquarters of Cameroon. Each regional workshop will bring together participants from two regions.
Each workshop will consist of a three-day training focusing on various aspects of CSO management. Topics covered will include, among others:
- The role of CSOs in a democracy
- Managing community organizations in emerging democracies
- The legal framework of CSOs in Cameroon
- Servant leadership and community engagement
- Proposal writing and project management, including the elaboration of key performance indicators and reporting
- Understanding the USG Federal Assistance principles and mechanism
- Financial management for sustainable CSOs
- Effective use of traditional and modern communication tools for enhanced impact
The final training curriculum should be developed following an assessment of Cameroonian CSOs capacities and weaknesses.
Participants and Audiences:
Each workshop will bring together 30 established CSO leaders with at least two-years of experience working in an association, NGO, trade union, or community-based organization. Each participant will commit to organize a pass-it-on activity for a minimum of 10 CSO members in his/her town. There should be plans for robust media coverage to broaden the impact of the project.
The launching of each of the workshops would be open to local authorities. The grantee should design a robust media coverage plan ensuring that the project will have high visibility.
American Content:
Proposals must include an element of American expertise, American resources on the topic at hand, or American 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.-sponsored exchange programs – that will promote increased understanding of U.S. values, culture, policy, and/or perspectives.
The following types of activities are not eligible for funding:
- Scholarships for study in the United States or to fund conference attendance or study tours to the United States
- Activities that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship
- Construction activities
- Programs that support specific religious activities
- Fund-raising campaigns
- Cash prizes for participants
B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
Length of performance period: 6 to 8 months
Number of awards anticipated: 1 award
Award amounts: $40,000 to $50,000
Total available funding: $50,000
Type of Funding: FY24 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds
Click HERE to Read Details and Apply
C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION
- Eligible Applicants
PDS 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.
- Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching is not required. If an applicant offers cost sharing, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its application and later included in an approved agreement.
- Other Eligibility Requirements
Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.
In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov.
An applicant may submit a proposal before completing the process to register in sam.gov and obtain a UEI. However, before a proposal is accepted, the organization must have obtained a UEI and have an active SAM.gov registration. Therefore, we recommend starting the process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration as soon as possible. The process can take several weeks. Please note there is no cost associated with UEI or SAM.gov registration.
Click HERE to Read Details and Apply
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
