Funding Opportunity Title: TARGETED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO) FOR EXCHANGE ALUMNI IN CHILE
CFDA Number: 19.040 Public Diplomacy Programs
Contact: Embassy of the United States of America, Santiago, Chile
Maximum for Each Award: $25,000 USD
Minimum for Each Award: $5,000 USD
Deadline for Applications: August 2, 2020
Email: grantschile@state.gov
Funding Opportunity Description
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of U.S. Embassy Santiago is pleased to announce the availability of funding exclusively for U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni from public diplomacy programs in Chile. U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni are participants of previous PAS exchanges or Access programs who are also members of at least one of the two alumni associations in Chile: “State Alumni Chile” and/or “Becarius for Impact”. (Note: if you are not a part of these groups, please contact one of them to become a member in order to be eligible for funding.)
We encourage U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni to submit projects that fulfill U.S. Embassy public diplomacy goals and objectives while addressing the needs that have arisen due to the current COVID-19 pandemic including, but not limited to, COVID-19 response assistance, economic empowerment, cooperation in science and technology, access to education, media literacy, and social inclusion.
The application submission period is July 2, 2020 to August 2, 2020. The minimum amount of an Alumni NOFO grant is $5,000, and the maximum amount is $25,000. We are looking for proposals with outstanding merit that involve geographically, demographically, and socio-economically diverse audiences in Chile.
Special consideration will be given to:
· Projects that clearly demonstrate U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni leadership and community engagement
· Alumni applying in teams
· Projects implemented in regions or with vulnerable populations
Alumni may apply as individuals or through their organizations (if educational or non-profit) for projects that will support the specific areas below. All projects must comply with current and ongoing Chilean government restrictions in response to the sanitary crisis and must advance mutual understanding between the people of the United States and Chile by including a clearly identified connection to U.S. models and/or best practices.
Priority areas for project funding are:
· Support to Chile’s COVID-19 response: projects that can be rapidly implemented to respond to community needs related to the COVID-19 crisis, including but not limited to assistance to first responders, public health campaigns/informational videos, teaching and training support, etc. These projects must have a strong public outreach component.
· Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Projects that foster entrepreneurship during and after the COVID-19 global pandemic, improve the business climate, and corporate social responsibility. (Priority: projects that multiply the number of women and minority small business owners, including social impact investment.)
· Civil Society and Social Inclusion: Projects that promote civil society by supporting human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women, diversity and social inclusion, community resilience, and that can improve the lives of at-risk populations, women, or marginalized communities during or after COVID-19. (Priority: equal rights and opportunities for immigrants, LGBTI individuals, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, and racial minorities, as well as civic education);
· Media Literacy: Projects that combat disinformation, by promoting press freedom that improves the quality of investigative journalism and transparency during or after COVID-19.
· Fostering U.S.-Chile cooperation in science and technology (priority: renewable energy, women in STEM and regional initiatives) during or after COVID-19.
· English and Education: Expanding English language proficiency (priority: reaching public schools, higher education students, and young professionals with an emphasis on improving conversational English and English for STEM fields) during and after COVID-19.
Typical project activities include:
· Virtual events by U.S. experts or roundtable discussions by U.S. experts with counterparts in Chile;
· Awareness campaigns or online courses
· Activities focused on English promotion, such as conversation clubs, coding camps, academic writing programs, and English for specific purposes;
· Projects that showcase one or more U.S. models, best practices, or curriculums;
· Innovative uses of social media or virtual interaction to expand and amplify impact;
· Creative projects that advance one or more of the priority areas.
Activities that are not eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:
· Social welfare projects, acts of charity, or international development projects;
· Investments that primarily benefit only one or a few businesses or individuals;
· Scholarships for the study of English outside of specific Department of State programs;
· Scientific research that does not include exchange of U.S. and Chilean researchers or students;
· Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns;
· Exchange programs with countries other than the U.S. and Chile;
· Programs or exchanges focused on children under 16 years of age;
· Political party activities; and,
· Projects that support specific religious activities.
All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these free of charge registrations:
· Unique Identifier Number from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)
· NCAGE/CAGE code
· Gov registration
(A quick guide can be downloaded from the Grant Forms tab)
Submission Dates and Times
The Public Affairs Section will accept and review proposals from July 2, 2020 to August 2, 2020 and typically inform applicants of its decision within 90 days, or as funds become available.
Funding Restrictions
· Award funds cannot be used for construction, vehicle purchases, property rental, etc.
· Award funds cannot be used for past expenses (before grant period). We recommend presenting proposals for projects up to 6 months prior to activity start date.
· Alcoholic Beverages: Please note that award funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.
Federal Awarding Agency Contacts
All application related questions can be submitted by email to GrantsChile@state.gov
Note: We do not provide any pre-consultation for application related questions that are addressed in the NOFO. Once an application has been submitted, Department of State officials and staff — both in the Department and at embassies overseas — may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.
Project and Budget Periods: Priority will be given to projects that are completed in one year or less. Proposals for project durations over one year also will be considered. In addition, the Public Affairs Section will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards, beyond the initial budget period, on a noncompetitive basis, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the applicants, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Department of State.
Eligibility Information
This call for proposals is exclusive to U.S. Government Exchange Program Alumni of U.S. Embassy Santiago. An alumnus is a person who has participated in an U.S. Department of State funded exchange program, a program funded by the U.S. Embassy in Chile. Examples include International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI), National Youth Science Camp (NYSC), Fulbright, Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI), Access, and Youth Ambassadors. If you have any doubts as to whether you qualify as alumni, please contact the Public Affairs Section at: GonzalezDI@state.gov
Applicants must also be members of at least one of the two alumni associations in Chile: “Becarius for Impact” and/or “State Alumni Chile”.
The Public Affairs Section encourages applicants to provide cost sharing from additional sources in support of this project. We also encourage projects that use highly skilled volunteers as an element of cost sharing. Applications should explain clearly other likely sources of funding and how the volunteers will be used.
HOW TO APPLY
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 for consideration.
Please click on the following link to be directed to the application form:
The application form consists of four sections:
· Application information
· Applicant’s information
· Project information
· Required documentation
All questions in sections 1-3 must be answered. The application form does not allow for answers to go beyond the maximum character limit.
A PDF copy of the entire list of questions is included in the Grant Forms tab.
Section 4 is for applicants to upload the following required documents:
· SF424 – Application for Federal Assistance for organizations or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance –individuals).
· SF424A – Budget Information.
· SAMs proof of active registration (not required for individuals).
· Budget narrative (breakdown of the budget by category).
· Gantt chart: this chart lists the tasks to be performed and time intervals.
· Video pitch (one-minute max, all formats accepted, English or Spanish).
Content of Application
Please ensure that:
· The proposal dates start at least 90 days after date of application submission (otherwise proposal will not be considered).
*The time required to finalize an award and disburse funds after a proposal is selected for funding ranges from 1 to 2 months; therefore, applicants are encouraged to apply 4 to 6 months before the start date of the proposed activity.
· The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity.
· All documents are in English (Note: application narrative in google doc and/or video can be in Spanish, but all subsequent official forms and documents must be in English).
· All budgets are in U.S. dollars.
· The name of all attached documents includes the name of the form (e.g. “SF 424”).
· All forms that require signature must be physically or electronically signed.
Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award or Cooperative Agreement.
Floor of Individual Award Amounts: USD $ 5,000
Maximum Amount of Individual Award Amounts: USD $ 25,000
The Public Affairs Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under such circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the government of the United States.
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