Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Notice of Intent to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Displaced Iraqis and Syrian Refugees
Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement
CFDA Number(s): 19.519 – Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for Near East
Estimated Post Date: December 16, 2019
Estimated Application Due Date: January 22, 2020
Estimated Program Start Date: September 1, 2020
Fiscal Year: 2020
Eligible Applicants: (1) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; (2) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with IRS, other than institutions of higher education; and (3) International Organizations. International multilateral organizations, such as United Nations agencies, should not submit concept notes through Grants.gov in response to the anticipated Notice of Funding Opportunity. Multilateral organizations that are seeking funding for programs relevant to this announcement should contact the PRM Program Officer (as listed on the announcement once published).
For purposes of this notice, PRM considers a consortium to be a group of no less than four eligible applicants that comprise an agreement, combination, or group formed to undertake, or proposing to undertake, an assistance activity.
Description:
In FY 2020, PRM intends to issue its annual Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), beginning with a request for concept notes to be posted on or around December 16, 2019, for programming to assist displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Further information about sectors prioritized for PRM funding in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey will be included in the full NOFO.
As part of this NOFO, for the first time, organizations may apply for programs in Iraq as individual organizations or consortia. In Iraq, in the education sector only, PRM intends to prioritize funding for proposals submitted by consortia. Education sector proposals for Iraq should seek to assist Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and vulnerable host community members, as well as Syrian refugees. Please note that consortia proposals targeting Syrian refugees in Iraq exclusively will not be considered.
For consortia, one organization must be designated as the lead applicant at both the concept note and full proposal stage, as applicable. PRM may request to review and approve substantive provisions of proposed sub-awards. Applicants may form consortia in order to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive program in one proposal. Applications by organizations as part of a consortium do not count toward an individual organization’s application limit. Consortia will be required to provide a description of how the partnership will be organized and how lines of authority and decision-making will be managed across all team members and between the lead applicant and associate awardees.
General Guidance for Iraq Proposals:
- NGO projects should seek to fill gaps in the humanitarian response, not duplicate activities undertaken by large international organizations or government entities. NGO activities should support national responses. If an activity is parallel to the national response, the proposal must address how the project is linked to the national response and provide a brief timeline for phase-out.
- NGO proposals seeking to assist Syrian refugees should be in line with activities in the UN’s Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) Appeal. NGO proposals seeking to assist Iraqi IDPs and returnees should be in line with activities in the UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan for Iraq.
- PRM welcomes submissions from both international and national NGOs. PRM strongly encourages partnerships with women-led organizations when possible.
- Iraqi IDPs and returnees must make up more than 50 percent of total beneficiaries for projects focusing on IDPs, and each of those groups should be substantially represented within this 50 percent. Projects may not focus solely on returnees. Projects assisting both Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs/returnees must ensure populations of concern make up more than 50 percent of the target population, with Syrian refugees comprising at least 30 percent of the total. Consortia proposals for Syrian refugees exclusively will not be considered. PRM will give preference to projects providing clear breakdowns of populations to be served. Where feasible, organizations are strongly encouraged to allow for support of other local refugee populations and vulnerable host community members within their projects.
- PRM welcomes projects that focus on IDPs located in informal and non-camp settlements, particularly in acute needs areas. When projects include returnees, NGOs are encouraged to include locations identified as hotspots of severity in IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix Returns Index.
- Vulnerable members of religious and ethnic minority communities are among the populations PRM seeks to assist, although PRM does not encourage programs that single out such communities to the exclusion of others, due to safety concerns and to maintain the principle of impartiality.
- PRM strongly encourages programs that assist Iraqi IDPs and refugees in reaching a durable solution, including return and local integration, as well as those that build the capacity of local authorities and organizations.
I. Consortia Proposals in Iraq:
Duration of Activity: Program plans for two or three years (24 or 36 months) will be considered.
Funding Limits: Intended funding limits for program proposals will be not less than the funding floor and not more than the funding ceiling per year. Funding ceilings and floors pertain to the PRM cost per year.
Funding floor per award: Not less than $5 million per year
Funding ceiling per award: Not more than $10 million per year
Consortia proposals should address the following country-specific sectors:
- Education
- In the education sector, PRM prioritizes support to help children prepare for, enter, participate, and succeed in formal education and to assist youth who may be unlikely to participate in the formal education sector to obtain the necessary skills to transition to adulthood.
- PRM will not fund programs for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of infrastructure, including schools.
- Proposal activities in the education sector may include camp-based interventions.
- Activities should adhere to Education Cluster guidance.
II. Non-Consortia Proposals in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey:
Duration of Activity: Program plans for one or two years (12 or 24 months) will be considered.
Funding Limits: Intended funding limits for program proposals will not be less than the funding floor and not more than the funding ceiling per year. Funding ceilings and floors pertain to the PRM cost per year.
Funding floor per award: To be included in the full NOFO
Funding ceiling per award: To be included in the full NOFO
Sectors: To be included in the full NOFO
PRM Contacts for Iraq Consortia Proposals:
- PRM Program Officer: Virginia Terhar, TerharVS@state.gov, 202-453-9292, Washington, D.C.
- Baghdad Senior Coordinator: Chris Snipes, SnipesCK@state.gov, Embassy Baghdad, Iraq.
- Erbil Coordinator: Holly Wilkerson, WilkersonHD@state.gov, Consulate Erbil, Iraq.
