Funding Opportunity: U.S. Mission Mexico Annual Program Statement

Funding Opportunity Number: DOS-PD-MEX-DF-2016-3

CFDA Number: 19.040– Public Diplomacy Programs

Date Opened: November 18, 2016

Federal Agency Contact:

Carla Alcala,

Administrative Management Assistant

Miriam Sandoval,

Small Grants Management Assistant

Email: mexicogrants@state.gov

1. Funding Opportunity Description

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico is pleased to announce funding availability through the Mission’s Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This initiative was developed to provide support for projects proposed by Mexican or U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and cultural/ educational organizations that aim to support shared policy priorities between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico is particularly interested in projects that support academic mobility between our two countries; the development of civil society; the empowerment of youth in realizing their potential through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship; the democratic ideals of freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and intellectual freedom; teaching of the English language; empowerment and security of women and girls; and in general promoting greater exchange between Mexico and the United States.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico is looking for innovative and sustainable proposals with outstanding educational and exchange merit. In deciding which projects to support, the Embassy will give consideration to the full range and diversity of Mexican and U.S. organizations. The Public Affairs Section will also seek to target geographically and demographically diverse audiences in Mexico.

Preference will be given to Mexican individuals and institutions with a proven track record of executing superior cultural and educational events and programs. New grantees will be generally given priority over previous grantees. Preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate the long-term sustainability of the project and that include some form of cost-sharing with the partner institution(s) and private-sector engagement that will allow the programs to become sustainable in future iterations. Strong proposals will include impact assessment, in addition to results/evaluation, at the conclusion of the grant period.

Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to:

English language programs, particularly focused on teachers;

U.S.-Mexico student or faculty exchange programs;

Programs that support professional and independent journalists;

Youth community service projects or exchanges that focus on empowerment, leadership and positive change in marginalized communities, and that encourage volunteerism;

Programs to empower women and girls by providing life-skills such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship and innovation training, and access to education;

STEM programs with a focus on girls;

Activities that are not typically funded include, but are not limited to:

Social welfare or charity projects;

Paying to complete activities begun with other funds;

Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns;

International travel, unless specifically justified within the project;

Citizen exchange programs with countries outside of the United States;

Political party activities; and,

Projects that support specific religious activities.

*We do not provide funding to individuals for study or research in the United States. For information on scholarships, please visit http://www.comexus.org.mx/otras_becas.html and https://educationusa.state.gov/.

1. Award Information

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement, Grant or Fixed Amount Award (FAA) for individuals or organizations

Floor of Individual Award Amounts: US$ 5,000.00

Ceiling of Individual Award Amounts: US$ 50,000.00

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described in the absence of worthy applications or under such other circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. government.

Project and Budget Periods: Generally local grants projects must be completed in one year or less. The Public Affairs Section will consider 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. Potential grantees need to be as specific as possible where there suggested program would take place.

Eligibility Information: Unrestricted

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico encourages applications from all sectors: committed and organized civil-society organizations, local representatives of civil society, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and individuals.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico encourages applicants to provide cost-sharing from additional sources in support of their proposed projects and to plan for ways to ensure the program is sustainable once the USG funding is complete. The Public Affairs Section also encourages 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.

III.       Application Submission and Deadline

Proposals should be submitted online via email to the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission in Mexico at the following email address: mexicogrants@state.gov  Applications will be accepted in English only, and final grant agreements will be concluded in English.

All Proposals should include the following documents to be considered:

SF-424: Application For Federal Assistance, which is available along with guidance for completing this form at http://aopefa.a.state.gov/content/Documents/SF424.pdf

Project Narrative: Provide a summary of the project description with reference to the amount and duration of the funding request. This should include the specific goals of the project in terms of messages delivered to audiences, desired changes in behavior, etc.

Budget Breakdown:   Provide an itemized spreadsheet of costs, including unit costs, quantities and any other relevant information that may impact total cost of project.

Project Timeline: This can be basic if the grant is short-term, but should include preparation, execution, and evaluation. For projects of longer duration, at least quarterly benchmarks should be included.

Monitoring Plan: Outline a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the proposed work will be accomplished.

Proposals will be considered in two separate cycles of funding. The deadlines for proposal submissions are: January 31, 2017 and May 31, 2017.

Proposals can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed with all the submissions received for that cycle of funding. All applicants are typically contacted 4-5 weeks after the deadline for each funding cycle and informed whether or not their proposal was selected.

Calendar Summary

November 18, 2016   Publication of Annual Program Statement

Cycle I

January 31, 2017                 Deadline for proposal submissions

February 7-25, 2017           Revision of Proposals by Grantee Committee

March 7, 2017                      Notification of approved and unapproved proposals

Cycle II

April 29, 2017                       Deadline for proposal submissions

May 2-20, 2017                    Revision of Proposals by Grantee Committee

June 6, 2017                          Notification of approved and unapproved proposals

There is no need to contact the Mission to ask about the status of your proposal once you have received the confirmation e-mail acknowledging receipt of your proposal.

1. Review and Selection Process

Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the following evaluation criteria. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project, and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their fullness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail. Points are awarded only to applications that are responsive within the context of this program announcement.

Application Evaluation Criteria:

Goals and Objectives – The project is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results and the organization. Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success and impact against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward Public Affairs Section goals outlined earlier in this document.

Strengths and Innovation – Proposal includes a clear time frame and articulates an innovative strategy or plan to achieve goals and objectives. The project builds civil society leadership and capacity, and demonstrates sustainable capacity building.

Budget and Budget Justification – The budget and narrative justification are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results, and the plan for services is realistic.

Sustainability and Partnership – Applicant addresses potential sustainability of the program once USG funding is complete. Applicant also encourages partnership with other Mexican entities to allow for maximization of impact.

1. Award Administration

Award Notices: The grant award or cooperative agreement shall be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants and cooperative agreements. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient. Organizations whose applications will not be funded will also be notified in writing.

Reporting Requirements: All awards issued under this announcement 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 award administration will be specified in the award agreement as well.

Guides

Guides

Pre-award phase

• Quick Guide to  Small Business Search by NAICS (PDF, 300K)
• Quick Guide for Account Migration (PDF, 264K)
• Quick Guide for International  Entity Registration (PDF, 874K)
• Registering SAM (PDF, 400K)

Award phase

• Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements:
  Chapter VI – Department of State

Regulations

Award phase

• Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (PDF, 130K)

Contact Information

Do you have questions?

If you still have questions about the financing opportunities process, you can send a message to: MexicoGrants@state.gov