U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador
Public Affairs Section (PAS)
Notice of Funding Opportunity:
Statement of Interest (SOI)
Funding Opportunity Title: U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador - PAS Public Diplomacy Federal Awards Program - Program Statement Funding Opportunity Number: PAS-EC-SOI-FY2022 Deadline for Statement of Interest: March 1, 2022, at 11:59PM Quito Time CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs
A.PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Public Affairs Sections of the S. Embassy in Quito and U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil, under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State, are pleased to announce an open competition for organizations (or individuals) to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a program (or programs) aligned with U.S. Mission in Ecuador strategic priorities. Please carefully follow all instructions below.
The submission of the SOI is the first step in a two-step process. Applicants must first submit a concise statement of interest (not to exceed three pages) designed to clearly communicate program ideas and objectives. This first step is not a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program idea(s) by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decisions are made.
Purpose of Federal Awards Program:
Proposed programs should strengthen ties between the United States and Ecuador, highlight shared values, promote bilateral cooperation, and include a clear U.S. connection that will increase understanding of the United States among Ecuadorian audiences. All programs must include a U.S. cultural element or a clear connection with a U.S. expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.
Proposals should include, but are not limited to one or more of the following strategic priority program areas:
- Promote universal freedoms and democratic principles and practices
- Build skills and capacity to promote a free press
- Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within Ecuadorian society
- Promote mutual, inclusive, and sustainable economic prosperity
- Develop human capital and support increased economic opportunities for women and marginalized communities
- Improve citizen security through environmental sustainability and combatting climate change
- Strengthen international collaboration in regional and multilateral fora
Before submitting a SOI, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications that apply to this award to ensure that they will be in compliance. These include: 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, and the U.S. Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions for Federal Awards.
Statement of Interest Requirements
The deadline to receive SOIs will be March 1, 2022, at 11:59 PM Quito time. The SOIs will be reviewed before April 1, 2022, and finalists will be asked to submit full proposals that will be due April 29, 2022. All awards will be required to start before September 30, 2022.
SOIs must be submitted via e-mail to Contactocultural@state.gov no later than 11:59PM on March 1, 2022. The e-mail must contain the following text in the subject line:
Subject: PAS-EC-SOI-FY2022 and the title of the Program (in English)
Contents of Statement of Interest:
A concise proposal (maximum three pages), in English with:
- A brief introduction of the organization (1 paragraph)
- Description of the program proposed (who, what, why, when)
- Summarize goals, objectives, outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, strategy for conducting monitoring and evaluation activities, and proposed timeline
- The estimated total budget amount only.
Any SOIs that do not contain the information above will automatically be rejected.
Organizations and/or individuals may only submit one SOI.
Statement of Interest Selection Process
The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Quito and U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil will review and analyze the quality and feasibility of the project, whether it aligns with the priorities of the U.S. Mission in Ecuador, and will select eligible and qualified applications based on the following criteria:
- Program areas addressed are aligned with stated priorities
- Objectives and expected outcomes are clear
- Participants are clearly described
- Budget and timeline
- Proposal is viable, reasonable, and executable
- Compliance with required information and documents
Applicants whose statements of interest are selected will receive a notification and invitation by April 1, 2022 to submit a full proposal application expanding on the program idea and to participate in a virtual workshop where details for the preparation of full proposals will be discussed.
Qualified full applications will undergo a second merit review. Each proposal is evaluated by an internal “Mission Grants Panel” to determine the project’s potential to advance U.S. policy priorities.
B.FEDERALAWARD INFORMATION
Length of performance period: Up to 24 months
Number of awards anticipated: Approximately 4 to 10 awards (depending on final approved proposals and available funding)
Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $50,000.00
Type of Funding: The source of funding is FY2022 Public Diplomacy Funding, U.S. Mission Ecuador
Funding authority: Funding authority rests in the Smith-Mundt Act and Fulbright Hays of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
Anticipated program start date: Flexible, within 2 weeks of approval notification
*This notice is subject to availability of funding.
Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award, or Cooperative Agreement (Cooperative Agreements are different from grants in that U.S. Department of State/Embassy staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation).
Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed within 24 months.
C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION
1. Eligible Applicants
The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Quito and U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil encourage applications from U.S. and Ecuadorian:
- Registered, not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
- Individuals
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
- Foreign Public Entities (FPE) for example: Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
*For-profit or commercial entities are NOT eligible to apply
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing is not required and therefore will not be included in the criteria for evaluation. However, if a project requires cost sharing, please detail whether the cost share is through in-cash or in-kind contributions and the estimated amounts.
3. Other Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to sign a federal award with the Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Quito and U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil, applicants whose Statements of Interest have been selected must attend a mandatory presentation on grant applications, supporting documents, and required registration process. It will be a virtual meeting presented by members of the U.S. Mission’s Public Affairs Sections.
In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System/DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Before registering in SAM, organizations must first obtain a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System/DUNS number) and a NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code (NCAGE).
Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov. However, organizations are required to be registered.
*Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization/person. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization/person, all proposals from that institution/person will be considered ineligible for funding.
D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION FOR SELECTED ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
1. Application Package
Applicants who are invited to prepare full proposals after the initial SOI review process will be provided with detailed instructions and will be invited to attend a virtual workshop where specific information regarding the preparation of full proposals will be discussed.
E. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTSIf you have any questions about the SOI application process, please send your inquiry to Contactocultural@state.gov
