Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Grants for Grants of up to $20,000

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Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland Grants Program

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland are pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for grants of up to $20,000 for programs that empower young people (up to age 30) to implement projects that advocate for human rights and inclusion of marginalized groups, address climate change, and/or promote rule of law.  This NOFO is for projects beginning no earlier than March 1, 2022.  The deadline for this NOFO, #WAW-NOFO-FY22-01, is Monday, December 6, 2021.

 A. ELIGIBILITY:

  • Grants will be awarded to local representatives of Polish non-governmental organizations, cultural or educational institutions, and media, whose proposals support the topics listed below.
  • All grantees must have a non-profit status.
  • One application per organization. Organizations which currently have an open grant from the Embassy should not apply.
  • NGOs from the United States may apply, but should present evidence of a relationship with a local partner operating in Poland in their proposals.
  • Individuals may not apply for this call.
  • In order to receive a grant, all organizations must have a DUNS number and a valid SAM.gov registration (registrations are valid for one year). Instructions are in Section F.

B. PROJECT THEMES:

These funds may be used to support:

  1. Projects organized and carried out by young people (up to age 30) that advocate for human rights and inclusion of marginalized groups, address climate change, and/or promote rule of law.
  2. Training for young people (up to age 30) that equips them with the necessary skills (including resilience) to carry out civic engagement projects. **Please note: the program must include a youth-implemented project that advocates for human rights and inclusion of marginalized groups, addresses climate change, and/or promotes rule of law.
  3. Programs that train educators and/or professors to equip young people (up to age 30) with the necessary skills (including resilience) to carry out civic engagement projects.  **Please note: the program must include a youth-implemented project that advocates for human rights and inclusion of marginalized groups, addresses climate change, and/or promotes rule of law. 

**Please note: Applications that do not specifically address one of the topics above will be disqualified.**

C. GRANT AWARD INFORMATION:

  • The maximum amount of the grant is $20,000, and projects with local cost-sharing will be given preference.  All grants are subject to the availability of funds from the U.S. Department of State, and any costs and expenses incurred prior to receipt of grant money will not be reimbursed by the U.S. Embassy.  Project duration may not exceed 12 months. 
  • Generally, grant funds may not be used to cover:
    • mprojects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns
    • exchange programs
    • social welfare projects
    • projects that support specific religious activities
    • trade activities; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research; construction projects; projects whose primary aim is the institutional development of the organization itself
    • travel to the United States for conferences, scientific research, studies, reporting tours, cultural events, etc.
    • book publishing or translation for the purposes of publishing a book
    • ongoing salary costs of organization staff
    • office equipment
    • completing activities begun with other funds
    • food and drink beyond the cost of coffee breaks and working lunches (alcohol cannot be funded at all)
    • fees for project coordination may be included but should not exceed 20% of the total amount of the grant 

D. HOW TO APPLY:

Send your application materials to grantspoland@state.gov by 17:00 on Monday, December 6, 2021.  Your email must include all of the below elements: 

  • Completed application form (please do not exceed indicated word limits)
  • CVs for the project coordinator and the head of the applying organization
  • U.S. Government form SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
  • U.S. Government form SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)
  • Confirmation of SAM.gov registration for your organization – registration instructions are listed below.

 E. APPLICATION GUIDELINES:

Please read carefully – proposals that do not meet the requirements listed will be eliminated in the technical review and will not be evaluated by the committee.

  • All proposals must be in English.
  • Proposals may not exceed 6 pages in length (including budget) in Times New Roman Size 12 font.
  • Budgets must be expressed in U.S. dollars and must be written in the budget template in the application.  Do not send the budget as an additional attachment.
  • Any cost listed in the budget must be described above in the program activities field.
  • Examples of budget items might include project coordinator fees, honorarium for a speaker or expert, graphic design costs, or equipment rental.
  • Examples of “units” include hours of design work, months of coordinator fees, number of workshops by a speaker, etc.
  • The last row of the spreadsheet should show the total cost of the project, and the total amounts that will be covered with U.S. Embassy funds, the applicant’s funds and funds from other sponsor(s).

Submitting your application:

  • Please send one email with all required documents to: grantspoland@state.gov
  • The subject line of the email should list the name of the applying organization followed by the NOFO number, which is #WAW-NOFO-FY22-01

F. INSTRUCTIONS FOR DUNS, NCAGE and SAM REGISTRATIONS:

To register in SAM one must first obtain DUNS and NCAGE numbers. This process may take from several days up to several weeks, so applicants are advised to start early.  Please note that no fee or payment is required to register for SAM or obtain DUNS and NCAGE numbers.

DUNS Registration (Dun & Bradstreet)

  • To obtain a DUNS number please go to https://www.bisnode.pl/produkty/db-numer-duns/.
  • There is no fee to obtain a DUNS number in support of submitting a grant proposal to the U.S. government, and any additional services offered during the registration process are not necessary.
  • As you register for DUNS, we recommend you take a screenshot of the information you have entered (or note it in some other way) to ensure you enter that information in the exact same way in SAM.gov to avoid delays in your registration.  For example, if you enter your address in DUNS as Ul. Aleje Ujazdowskie, enter it exactly that way in SAM.gov.  Do not change Ul. to Ulica – any discrepancies will cause problems in the SAM.gov system. 

NCAGE Registration (NATO Commercial and Governmental Entity)

SAM Registration (System for Award Management)

  • To register in SAM please go to SAM.gov.  No fee or payment is required to register for SAM.
  • Please make sure you enter your organization’s information in the exact same way you entered it in the DUNS system to avoid delays in your registration.  If you entered your address in DUNS as Ul. Aleje Ujazdowskie, enter it exactly that way in SAM.gov.  Do not change Ul. to Ulica – any discrepancies will cause problems in the SAM.gov system.
  • If you are registering a new entity in SAM.gov, you must provide an original, signed notarized letter stating that you are the authorized Entity Administrator before your registration will be activated.  The Recipient is required to scan and submit a letter through Federal Service Desk. For instructions please click here (PDF). 
  • SAM.gov registration is only valid for one year. If your organization registered prior to March 1, 2021, you must renew your registration.

 G. SELECTION PROCESS  

Applications will be reviewed by a committee at the U.S. Embassy and Consulate and all applicants will be informed of the outcome. Please note that the decisions of the committee are final.  There is no right of appeal and the Embassy is unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful proposals.

In addition to addressing one of the themes listed above, priority will be given to innovative projects that:

  • forge people-to-people connections between Americans and Poles
  • create ties between U.S. and Polish institutions, organizations, and networking groups
  • include and/or benefit diverse audiences and beneficiaries, such as persons with disabilities, immigrants, ethnic minorities and people in rural areas

H. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

All grants that are disbursed to successful applicants will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds may be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner.  All other details related to grant administration will be specified in the grant agreement between the U.S. Embassy and successful applicant and are governed by the U.S. Department of State’s Standard Terms and Conditions.

I. REQUESTS FOR “HONORARY PATRONAGE”

The Public Affairs Section frequently receives requests from individuals and institutions seeking “honorary patronage” from the U.S. Embassy or the Ambassador (including the use of U.S. Embassy seal) for projects or events.  Due to U.S. government ethics guidelines, however, the U.S. Embassy is unable to issue “patronage” or letters of support to institutions that do not receive funding from the United States government.  

INQUIRIES

All questions about the U.S. Embassy’s Grants Program should be sent to: grantspoland@state.gov.  

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