US Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Application 2020

Dec 19, 2019 | News | 0

Announcement and Request for Proposals

Through funding from the State Department’s Full Participation Fund, the Ambassador’s Small Grants Program for Women’s Empowerment seeks to increase community-based organizations’ capacity to improve the welfare of women and girls in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands.

Deadline: December 31, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. (Port Moresby local time)
Contact: Agatha Pio, Grants Officer Representative, Economic Section, econportmoresby@state.gov
Funding Instrument Type: Grant Agreement
Floor of Individual Award Amounts: USD $2,500/PGK 6,500*
Ceiling of Individual Award Amounts: USD $5,000/PGK 13,000 *
*The U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under such other circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. Government.

Specific Program Objectives and Guidelines: Closing gender gaps benefits countries as a whole, not just women and girls. Therefore, investing in women’s health and their entrepreneurial and leadership potential is smart economics. The Ambassador’s Small Grants Program for Women’s Empowerment aims to:

Help women’s organizations build leadership, organizational, and advocacy capacity so that they can increase their participation in building democratic development
Provide economic empowerment and support to women entrepreneurs through financial literacy, training, and networking opportunities so that they may play a key role in their communities
Improve the health of women and girls through increased awareness and information dissemination
Engage men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence
Increase women’s and girls’ awareness of their rights to promote gender equality in local communities

The Ambassador’s Small Grants Program for Women’s Empowerment will fund specific projects by local organizations that include but are not limited to the following activities:

Create mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities
Improve institution building and advocacy skills within the organization
Provide financial literacy and business management skills, as well as networking opportunities for women business owners
Raise awareness on microfinance and other options to access capital for women entrepreneurs
Carry out information campaigns on health issues affecting women and girls
Address gender-based violence in a holistic way and address gender roles
Promote gender equality by increasing awareness of human rights

The Ambassador’s Small Grants Program for Women’s Empowerment encourages projects that

Promote partnerships among two or more local organizations for a common goal
Include young women as project implementers and/or target beneficiaries
Incorporate the use of social media
Demonstrate innovative ways to address women’s issues

Restrictions: Activities that are not funded include, but are not limited to: construction projects; purchase of land; individual travel to conferences; individual scholarships; financial support for fundraising or fund development projects; projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to an individual or single party in electoral campaigns; political party and lobbying activities; projects that support specific religious activities; projects that support commercial firms or for-profit organizations; salaries for board members and permanent staff; and alcoholic beverages and illegal substances.

Project and Budget Periods: Grant projects should be completed in two years or less. The Public Affairs Section will entertain applications for continuation of grants funded under this program, beyond the initial budget period, on a noncompetitive basis, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

Eligible Organizations: Not-for-profit, non-governmental, community-based, and civil society organizations registered in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, or Solomon Islands.

Additional Information: The information contained in this solicitation is binding and may not be modified by any Embassy or U.S. State Department representative. Explanatory information provided by the Embassy that contradicts this language will not be binding. A final award cannot be made until proposals have passed through the required review and approval process and funds have been allocated. The Embassy reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program evaluation requirements.

Award Notices: The grant 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. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the Recipient through e-mail communication.
Organizations whose applications will not be funded will also be notified through e-mail. Issuance of this Request for Proposals does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Reporting Requirements: Grantees are required to submit two reports: a mid-term and a final report that each includes (a) a program summary and (b) a financial summary. The grantee will be given the reporting templates and the due dates for the reports. Reports must be submitted via e-mail to econportmoresby@state.gov.

How to submit your proposal: Your proposal is made up of the application form and four (4) supporting documents. Application forms are available on the Embassy’s official website https://pg.usembassy.gov or in person at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, the American Corner inside the National Library in Port Moresby, or the U.S. Consular Agency in Honiara. Please follow all instructions below carefully and submit in one of the three following methods: (1) via e-mail to econportmoresby@state.gov; (2) via fax at +675 308 2100; or (3) in person at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby. The deadline is Tuesday, December 31 at 4:30 p.m. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement will not be considered.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Please include the following documents with your proposal:

A copy of the organization’s registration
A copy of the organization’s constitution and/or by-laws
A list of the committee or board members with their name, address, and phone number
A completed Electronic Transfer Form (Note: the organization’s bank account must be able to accept U.S. dollar deposits).

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