U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. EMBASSY SARAJEVO, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY SECTION
NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Funding Opportunity Title: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SMALL
GRANTS PROGRAM
Funding Opportunity Number: BH-004- FY2024
Deadline for Application: Friday, March 29, 2024
CFDA Number: 19.900
A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Public
Diplomacy Section, is pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NOFO) for the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants Program.
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM
This program supports NGO efforts to enable women as equal participants in
economic, civic, and political life in BiH. Proposals that go beyond awareness
building to promote action or create behavior change or institutional change will be
particularly competitive. We also encourage proposals that build solidarity among
women from different cities, political parties, or ethnic groups, and that support
vulnerable and marginalized women in BiH.
PROJECT THEMES
Projects should address one of the following themes:
• Advancing women’s participation in the economic life of BiH in business,
the arts, law, education, healthcare, science, and other sectors. (Proposals
may not include vocational training.)
• Advancing women’s participation in politics and amplifying women’s
voices and leadership on issues that affect citizens of BiH.
• Increasing the potential of girls and young women to become leaders in their
schools, communities, and country.
• Preventing gender-based violence and all other forms of mistreatment of
women, such as sexual harassment and workplace discrimination;
strengthening support from institutions and civil society to victims of
gender-based violence and discrimination.
• Organizing grassroots projects that help strengthen civil society, connect
women across social divides, and improve the quality of life for women in
their communities and across BiH.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: This program aims to result in more active
engagement and equitable treatment of women in all spheres of life, such as
politics, the economy, academia, and civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This
program also aims to prevent gender-based violence and all other forms of
discrimination and abuse against women and to support community-based projects
that improve the quality of life for women in BiH.
PARTICIPANTS AND AUDIENCES: Female entrepreneurs, politicians, artists,
students, civil society, media, government, victims of domestic violence and all
other kinds of discrimination against women, health professionals, civic activists,
etc. We especially encourage civil society organizations from smaller and remote
communities to apply for this program.
B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
Length of Performance Period: 12 months* (*In certain circumstances, we will
consider proposals that incorporate evaluation activities that take place more than a
year after the initial grant award. Such plans should be included in the monitoring
and evaluation plan of the proposal.)
Number of Awards Anticipated: 10 or more
Award Amounts: Awards may range from USD 1,000 to USD
50,000
Total Available Funding: USD 275,000
Type of Funding: FY23/24 Assistance to Europe,
Eurasia & Central Asia (AEECA) under the
Foreign Assistance Act
Anticipated Award Date: June/July 2024
Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award (FAA),
Cooperative Agreement
This notice is subject to availability of funding.
PROJECT PERFORMANCE PERIOD
The budget for single project proposals for the Women’s Empowerment Small
Grants Program should not exceed USD 50,000 and program activities are
envisioned to take place no sooner than July 2024. Please note that the precise
timeframe in which grant money will be received cannot be guaranteed. Grantees
should design projects that can be implemented if money is received after July
2024.
C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
C1. Who can apply: non-governmental, non-profit organizations (including think
tanks, civil society organizations, non-profit associations), educational institutions
and independent media organizations that are based and legally registered in
Bosnia and Herzegovina are eligible to apply. American or other donor country
organizations and individuals are not eligible for grants under this program. Grants
are generally awarded only to organizations. Organizations may only submit one
proposal per program.
C2. Other eligibility requirements: In order to be eligible to receive an award,
all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via
www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see
Section E. for more information.
D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
D1. Mandatory application forms: Your application cannot be reviewed
without all the below elements. All forms and instructions are available on our
website, under Application Forms on the top of the grants programs page.
Please note: Obtaining the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and registering in the
SAM system can take up to one month. We strongly encourage you to start this
process as soon as possible.
• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations). Please make
sure to include your UEI in the application.
• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs).
• Project Proposal (6 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient
information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what
the applicant wants to do.
D2. General Guidelines: Please read all instructions carefully – proposals that do
not meet the requirements listed here will not be considered for funding.
• All proposals must be written and submitted in English.
• Proposals may not exceed 6 pages in length (including budget and checklist)
in Calibri size 12 font.
• All fields in the grant application form and checklist must be completed and
sent via email as one document.
• In general, project duration may not exceed 12 months, but under certain
circumstances we will accept projects that build in a longer evaluation
period after project activities are complete that would be longer than 12
months total.
• Grants are normally made on a one-time basis and reiterations of past
programs usually do not receive funding. If you are requesting support to
fund a repetition of a project you previously implemented, you must include
a very strong justification as to why the repetition is necessary.
• Please submit your filled-in application to the following email address:
WomenBiH@state.gov.
The deadline for submission of the Women’s Empowerment Small Grants
proposals /supporting documentation is Friday, March 29, 2024, at 17:00
(GMT + 1).
Upon submission, please request a confirmation of receipt of your application. If
you don’t receive the confirmation, we encourage you to give us a call. Sometimes
it happens that we do not receive your proposal within the required deadline due to
some technical issues.
D3. Budget Guidelines: Any application not meeting the budget requirements
below will not be considered for funding.
• The detailed budget should be in USD. The award amount may be up to a
maximum of $50,000, although most award amounts may be smaller.
• The budget should NOT include VAT expenses; organizations need to ask
for VAT return based on bilateral agreements signed between the U.S.
government and BiH government.
• Budget costs should be grouped into the following categories:
o Personnel costs (salaries for staff who already work for your
organization, fees for project manager, project coordinator/assistant,
and or accountant);
o Fringe (social and pension insurance contributions);
o Travel (transportation costs, lodging, meals, and incidentals);
o Supplies (office supplies, computer devices and other materials
needed for project implementation);
o Contractual (fees for trainers, moderators, experts, and educators, who
do NOT normally work for your organization but who are engaged to
implement certain project activities, printing of promotional materials,
renting of space/equipment, broadcasting of TV and radio shows,
website development, and other contractual services needed for
project implementation); and
o Other direct costs: (please describe other costs directly associated with
the project, which do not fit in the other categories. For example:
office rent, utilities, phone/fax/internet, office supplies, bank charges,
etc.).
• Alcohol, entertainment, or “miscellaneous” expenses are not allowed.
• Costs incurred before the grant period start date will not be reimbursed.
Grant funds may not be used for the following:
• Long-term infrastructure needs.
• Travel to the United States. (Projects involving regional travel will be
considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a clear justification
outlining why the travel is integral to the project.)
• Provision of direct social services to a population.
• Vocational training. (For example, teaching participants welding, electrical
work, sewing, beekeeping, etc.)
• Partisan political activity. (Note: non-partisan election education and public
information activities are allowable.)
• Funding of charitable activity and humanitarian aid, commercial projects, or
fundraising campaigns.
D4. Application Instructions: Please read carefully and complete each question as
instructed. Omitting any of the requested information will delay the review of
your proposal and may result in it being eliminated from consideration.
Program Type: Please indicate which program you are applying for.
• Women’s Empowerment
1. Applicant’s Contact Information:
• Implementing organization: Specify the officially registered name of the
organization.
• Contact person and title: Name and the title of the person who is authorized
to sign official documents, if different from the Project Coordinator. You
may state the name of the Project Coordinator too.
• Address/Postal Code and City.
• Phone number.
• E-mail: Please include both the general email address for your organization
and the email address of the project coordinator or person who is authorized
to sign official documents.
2. Basic Information about the Proposal:
• Project title:
• Amount requested (USD)/Amount of cost share (USD)/Total cost (USD):
Please list the amount of funding requested from the Embassy. If there is a
cost share (another organization covering part of the total cost of the
project), please list the amount here. Please list the total cost of the project
which you get when you add the amount you request from U.S. Embassy
and amount of cost share.
3. Elevator pitch: In 50 words or less, describe what your project is designed to
accomplish and why it should receive support from the U.S. Embassy.
4. Definition of situation: Clearly identify the problem your project will address.
Please explain what causes the problem, and what aspect of the problem you are
addressing. For example, “Although women in BiH are actively involved in
politics, the number of elected women candidates is much smaller than the number
of their male counterparts. Political participation of women in decision-making
processes at all levels is not satisfactory Although the majority of political parties
respect the election quota to put enough female candidates on the ballots, the
problem arises after elections when women do not get enough votes from the
electorate or when political parties give preference to male candidates for certain
positions.”
5. Project outcomes: Please explain how you want to solve this problem by
explaining the outcomes of your project. Outcome is defined as the impact or
change in a participant’s knowledge, skills and/or attitudes as well as the longer-
term effect on their organization or community. For example, a short-term outcome
of the training may be that women learned enough to be willing to run for office.
A long-term outcome may be that more women are elected to public office. Please
note, we are seeking proposals that go beyond just building awareness.
6. Description of project activities: Explain the activities you plan to implement
as part of the project to reach the outcome.
7. Activity locations: List the cities/towns/communities where the project
activities will take place.
8. Project beneficiaries: Describe the anticipated beneficiaries of your project,
including estimated number, age range, and profile, i.e., “approximately 50
unemployed women in Capljina, ages 25-40” or “about 100 high school students in
Rogatica.”
9. Project schedule and timeline: Note your project duration in months and give
an overview of the schedule. If you have a specific timeframe, please list the
dates, and explain why your project must take place within that timeframe. Please
note that grant money could be received any time between July and September
2023, depending on the U.S. budget cycle.
10. Project partners: If you are implementing your project jointly with any other
organizations, please list the names and type of involvement of those partner
organizations. A partner organization is an organization with which you work to
develop and implement the project. Partner organizations also need to obtain UEI
numbers.) Please note that contractors you engage to deliver goods or services,
such as trainers, web developers, or suppliers, are NOT partner organizations.
11. Anticipated outputs of the project: Output is defined as the direct and
tangible results of the project activities (number of women trained, number of
public advocacy campaigns conducted, number of media articles or social media
posts promoting women’s engagement in politics, etc.).
12. Monitoring and evaluation plan: The proposal should outline in detail how
project success and impact will be determined. Please include how you intend to
measure the success of the project – this should involve pre- and post-project
surveys of participants; it could also include evidence that your project led to
observable change. In certain circumstances, we will consider proposals that
incorporate evaluation activities that take place more than a year after the initial
grant award. We encourage you to consider the following examples of indicators
to use when evaluating your project:
o Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, skills,
and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both
substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
o Participant attitudes and perceptions of a particular issue, as
measured through pre- and post-project surveys.
o Participant behavior, such as concrete actions to apply knowledge in
work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic
organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new
knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants,
community members, and others.
o Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and
partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational
improvements.
o Please note: We are looking for indicators beyond participant
satisfaction that show impact. Consideration should be given to the
appropriate timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For
example, behavior and institutional changes are normally considered
longer-term outcomes. In certain circumstances, we will consider
proposals that incorporate evaluation activities that take place more
than a year after the initial grant award. Such plans should be
included in the monitoring and evaluation plan of the proposal.
13. Project publicity: Please describe if and how you plan to publicize the project
through traditional media and/or social media. If your plans include inviting U.S.
Embassy representatives to attend or media to cover one or more project activities,
please describe those plans.
14. Project sustainability: Please explain your plans for follow-up activities after
the grant period ends to ensure project impact continues. Example: “After the
workshop series, the participants will continue to meet and serve as a support
network to each other, as well as mentor other young people.”
15. Background of implementing organization: Briefly explain the mission of
the organization, date of registration, number of employees, their work experience,
number of volunteers, past and current programs implemented, as well as its
technical and management capacity. Please briefly explain what internal controls
and procedures you have put in place to manage grant funds.
16. Key personnel: List the names, titles and roles of key personnel involved in
the project, including organization staff and any experts or trainers you will engage
to implement the project. Give a brief overview (1-2 sentences) of their
experience/qualifications. What proportion of their time will be used in support of
your project?
17. Previous U.S. government funding: Indicate whether the implementing
organization has received previous funding from the U.S. government. If so,
please state the name of the project, the year, and the amount of funding for each
project.
18. Detailed budget: Present the budget in the form of a spreadsheet, in USD
amounts, dividing the budget into the categories delineated in the application.
Ensure that your stated project activities are properly budgeted based on reasonable
market price for personnel, fringe, travel, contractual services, supplies, and other
direct costs. The ratio between administrative costs (personnel, fringe, and other
direct costs) and program costs (travel, supplies and contractual) will be a factor in
the evaluation of the proposal. Cost sharing is not required, and the absence of
cost sharing will not in any way impact evaluation of the project. However, if the
Recipient includes cost sharing in the project proposal, then the Recipient is
accountable for providing it. In the event the Recipient does not provide the
minimum amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the Recipient’s approved budget,
the government contribution may be reduced in kind. The Recipient may present
cost sharing on voluntary basis including in-kind contributions.
19. Budget narrative: Please explain your budget in narrative form, detail
personnel duties, list names of trainers/moderators/experts and project staff and
break down travel and lodging costs (i.e., how many people, how many overnights,
cost per person per day).
E. HOW TO APPLY FOR REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS
All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain the
following registration which is free of charge:
• www.SAM.gov registration which will generate a UEI
Any applicant with an exclusion in the System for Award Management (SAM) is
not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines
at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189)
and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.”
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is one of the data elements mandated by Public
Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
(FFATA), for all Federal awards. SAM.gov is the Federal government's primary
database for complying with FFATA reporting requirements. OMB designated
SAM.gov as the central repository to facilitate applicant and recipient use of a
single public website that consolidates data on all federal financial
assistance. Under the law, it is mandatory to register in SAM.gov.
The UEI will be assigned when an organization registers or renews its SAM
registration. To access SAM.gov an organization is required to have a Login.gov
account. Organization can create an account at https://login.gov/. As a reminder,
organizations need to renew its sam.gov registration annually.
www.sam.gov requires all entities to renew their registration once a year to
maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the
applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM.gov.
If an organization plans to issue a sub-contract or sub-award, those sub-awardees
must also have a unique entity identifier (UEI number). Those entities can register
for a UEI only at SAM.gov.
If an organization does not have an active registration in SAM.gov the grant will
not be signed with that organization. If you experience difficulties in registering in
SAM during the process of applying, you may send us the screenshot as the proof
that you already started the SAM registering process. All organizations applying
for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations, the latter are free of
charge.
However, if you experience any problem in registering in SAM.gov use the
following link to register for live chat, so the SAM administrators can answer your
questions. Working hours for this service are from Monday through Friday after
14:00.
A CAGE/NCAGE number is no longer needed to register in SAM.gov! *
*Only organizations which plan to do business with the Department of Defense
(DOD) will be issued a CAGE code or be required to obtain an NCAGE number.
When registering in SAM.gov, organization must self-select whether it plans to
submit proposals to DOD. Only if an organization indicates “yes” will it be issued
a CAGE code or be prompted to enter its NCAGE number.
If you are planning to respond to this call, please carefully follow instructions how
to register in SAM and select “NO” if asked whether you plan to submit proposal
to Department of Defense (DOD.)
F5. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
All proposals will be evaluated by the Women’s Empowerment review panel on
the below criteria:
• Quality and feasibility of the project idea: The proposal is well developed,
innovative and offers creative solutions with all necessary details about how
project activities will be carried out (location, number of participants, events
to organize, media coverage, etc.).
• Outcomes: Project clearly identifies goals and objectives of the project and
is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving proposed results.
• Organizational capacity and record on previous grants: The organization
demonstrates expertise and the ability to perform the proposed activities. We
also welcome first-time applicants who demonstrate capacity for
implementing a proposed project.
• Budget: Budget and narrative justification are completed and reasonable in
relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results.
• Monitoring and evaluation: The proposal outlines in detail how project
success and impact will be determined. This will include methods to
measure project impact and/or indicators/milestones to indicate project
progress towards achieving the outcomes outlined in the proposal. This
should include pre- and post-project surveys of participants.
• Sustainability: The proposal needs to contain information about
sustainability of the project. Project activities should continue to have a
positive impact after the end of the project. Proposals should explain this
future impact and/or sustainability of the project.
• Geographic diversity: The proposal includes participants and audiences from
smaller communities outside the major cities of BiH.
G. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
G.1. Federal Award Notices
The grant award will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants
Officer and the grants management team. The Recipient may only start incurring
project expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document
signed by the Grant Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing
document, and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by
email.
Funding decisions are contingent on the availability of funds. Total amount
for this program may not exceed 275,000 USD. The U.S. Embassy reserves
the right to cancel this Notice of Funding Opportunity at any time without any
commitment to any applicant.
If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to
provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or
extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.
Issuance of this NOFO 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.
Payment Method: The payment of the award amount will be effected in two or
three installments. A certain percentage of the total award amount up to 50% of
the total award amount will be paid immediately after signing the grant and
submission of the valid bank account by Recipient. However, if the project
implementation requires a percentage of advance payment higher than 50%, the
Public Diplomacy Section will make a payment based on the Recipient’s
justification. The rest will be paid upon submission of the interim and final
program and financial reports by Recipient. Each award document will contain
detailed payment information. The USG holds the right to retain the last payment
up to 10% of the award amount until all project activities are completed and the
final program and financial reports submitted by the Recipient are approved by the
Grant Officer and the Grant Officer Representative.
G2. Terms and Conditions
Before submitting an application, applicants may wish to review all the terms and
conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that
they will be able to comply. These include:
2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, Certifications and Assurances, and the Department of
State Standard Terms and Conditions, all of which are available at:
https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/. Note the U.S
Flag branding and marking requirements in the Standard Terms and Conditions.
G3. Reporting Requirements
Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The
award document will specify the forms and how often these reports must be
submitted.
FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS
The U.S. Embassy receives hundreds of proposals and takes time to carefully
review each application. We expect to inform applicants of the status of their
proposals approximately 3-6 months from the closing date of this Notice of
Funding Opportunity. Funding decisions are contingent on the availability of
funds. The U.S. Embassy reserves the right to cancel this Notice of Funding
Opportunity at any time without any commitment to any applicant.
For more information, please contact us by phone: + 387 33 704-344, 704-300 or
email WomenBiH@state.gov
