Grants for Public and State controlled institutions of higher education - Capacity Building

This notice is subject to availability of funding. A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Belgrade, announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project that will establish a network of researchers, analysts, business leaders, and/or journalists in the Western Balkans, who promote responsible trade and foreign direct investment. This includes considerations for stewardship of the environment, development of human capital, advancement of long-term prosperity built on a market- and rule of law-based system, and engagement with Euro-Atlantic commercial and analytical partners. This network of diversified stakeholders will investigate the current effects of trade and FDI on economic growth in the six Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia), evaluate free trade agreements, promote Euro-Atlantic trade, and create mechanisms to maintain this network to promote economic reform that interests key stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and academia.Please follow all instructions below. A.1 BackgroundThe six Western Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia can be considered small, open economies that have varying degrees of reliance on trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) for growth.The qualities that allow a country to trade and to attract FDI, however, do not always promote long-term prosperity. Economic reforms aimed at (i) improving resource allocation by eliminating market-distorting policies, (ii) minimizing the regulatory burden on business, (iii) reducing FDI volatility by increasing political and economic stability, and (iv) removing natural resource dependence by diversifying the economy can benefit the Western Balkan countries and induce growth in the long run. Moreover, continued integration with Euro-Atlantic commercial and academic institutions, including through trade and investment, often can enhance long-term prosperity in the Western Balkans.A.2 GoalsThe first goal of this project is to establish a network of researchers, analysts, business leaders, and/or journalists in the Western Balkans, who promote Euro-Atlantic trade, responsible foreign direct investment, stewardship of the environment, development of human capital, long-term prosperity built on a market- and rule of law-based system, and engagement with Euro-Atlantic commercial and analytical partners. This network of diversified stakeholders will investigate the current effects of trade and FDI on economic growth in the six West Balkan states and promote Euro-Atlantic integration through a trade and investment forum as well as through public discourse. A second goal is to create mechanisms to maintain this network, which will promote economic reforms that interest key stakeholders, including the government of Serbia, the Serbian civil society and private sector, in addition to the Serbian academic society.A.3 Expected ResultsIllustrative examples of anticipated program outcomes include: Publicly accessible information on the current effect of free trade agreements and FDI on economic growth in the six West Balkan states. In particular, this should emphasize the positive impacts of Euro-Atlantic trade and investment in the Western Balkans, A significant trade and investment forum to promote Euro-Atlantic commercial relations with the Western Balkans, Greater public awareness of and expert attention to the environmental effects of FDI, Greater public awareness of and expert attention to FDIs effects on human capital, for example the creation of jobs overall as well as the creation of high-level, high-wage employment in leadership and management positions of foreign-owned companies in the Western Balkans, Development and/or implementation of local, national, or European Union-led strategies to mitigate risks associated with existing FDI in infrastructure, mining, auto and battery production sectors. These risks might include the potential for exploitation of cheap labor and resources and the risk of cultural clashes and political instability.A.4 Main ActivitiesIllustrative examples of program activities include: Development of a public trade and FDI portal and creation of a mechanism to ensure it continues beyond the two-year program of the grant, Organizing and hosting a trade and investment forum in the Western Balkans and creation of a mechanism to ensure the forum has long-lasting spillover effects, commercial, political, and/or analytical, Articles and op-eds published in local languages and/or English discussing trade and FDI and emphasizing, when possible, the positive impact of Euro-Atlantic investment and trade, Roundtable discussions in covered countries, organized by local partners, to publicize findings and galvanize responses.A.5 Performance IndicatorsThe project should aim to have an impact that leads to measurable increases in public awareness of trade and FDI, increased public attention regarding the positive impacts of EU and transatlantic commercial ties and investment, and evidence of continuing networking on relevant issues in the Western Balkan region. A catalog of the number of media stories with such an emphasis could be an indicator of success. New and widely publicized data regarding positive impact of Euro-Atlantic trade and investment on job creation, especially high-wage managerial positions, would be another indicator as would an increase in such job creation, though the latter would take several years to produce. In accordance with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities, programs should implement strategies for integration and inclusion of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries that can bring perspectives based on their religion, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, national origin, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, political affiliation, or veterans status. Programs should be demand-driven and locally led to the extent possible. All programs should be non-discriminatory, and implementers should include strategies for nondiscrimination of individuals/ organizations/beneficiaries based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, or veterans status.Priority Region: Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia)B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: Up to 36 monthsNumber of awards anticipated: 1Award amount: $500,000Total available funding: $500,000Type of Solicitation: Open CompetitionType of Funding: FY23/24 AEECA Funds under the Foreign Assistance ActAnticipated program start date: Your project should start no earlier than October 1, 2024, and no later than September 30, 2025.Funding Instrument Type: GrantProgram Performance Period: Proposed program activities should be completed in 36 months or less. (This includes the time for assessment and evaluation, as well as the drafting of the final report.)The Department of State may entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive 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.C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants: The following entities, from one of the six Western Balkan countries or from the United States, are eligible to apply: Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks, business associations, universities, and civil society/non-governmental organizationsIndividuals may not apply for this program.2. Cost Sharing or Matching.Cost sharing is allowed but not required and will not impact funding decisions.While filling out the application, you will be required to tell us whether you are also receiving funding from other donors for your project. Please be aware, however, that you must be able to carry out all the activities described in your application with the funding you receive, even if the contributions from other donors or other funding sources fail to materialize.3. 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 D.3 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov.If an applicant has already received a grant from the U.S. Embassy the grant period for the new project will overlap with the existing one, or if an organization has submitted more than one project proposal, please use section y in the application form to explain how you will manage more than one project and describe your capacity to do so.4. Funding Restrictions.You may NOT apply for this grant if your project: involves partisan political activity; involves charitable activities and/or the distribution of humanitarian aid; is a fundraising campaign; is commercial in nature, i.e., you or a project partner are making money from this project, or the activity supports a current or future business or entrepreneurial venture. involves the provision of health care or services, childcare, food subsidies, or other social services to populations.This funding opportunity aims to support specific projects with objectives which can be achieved within a set timeframe. We will not accept applications which are aimed more broadly at supporting your organizations usual or typical daily activities and operations. Those will be deemed technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding by the review committee.For this particular NOFO, grant funding can be used to cover the cost of international travel as an essential part of the project.As a general rule, participants or audiences should not be charged for taking part in any the U.S. Embassy Belgrade-funded activity. If you envisage that your project activity will not be free for some reason, please contact the U.S. Embassy Belgrade while you are in the process of completing the application to see whether that could be allowed. Depending on the funding source, the U.S. Embassy Belgrade might be able to support your project, but only if you can demonstrate how the revenue generated will be used to support the larger objectives and explain that your organization will profit from the modest entrance fee.See also Guidelines for Budget Justification under Section H in the full text of the NOFO for more information on budget items.D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Requesting the Application Package Application forms required below are available at https://rs.usembassy.gov/grants-programs/ and www.grants.gov.2. Content and Form of Application SubmissionPlease follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.Please ensure that: The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity All documents are in English All budgets are in U.S. dollars All pages are numbered All documents are formatted to 8 x 11 or A4 paper, and All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Calibri font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.The following documents are required:a. SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance organizations)b. SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)c. SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) if the applicant is an organization whose registration in SAM.gov is still pending.d. the U.S. Embassy Belgrade Grant Application Form for Fiscal Year 2024. Note: Detailed directions for filling out the grant application are included with the form.e. Budget Justification Narrative (Excel Spreadsheet): After filling out the SF-424A Budget (above), use the Excel spreadsheet template to describe and explain each of the budget expenses in detail. See section H. Other Information: Guidelines for Budget Submissions below for further information.f. Attachments 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner, if applicable. Official permission letters, if required for program activities. Proof of SAM registration. If you still have not completed SAM.gov registration, a screenshot from SAM.gov reflecting that you have started the process.Please follow all the instructions when filling out the Application Form. 3.Required Registrations:All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. A 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.The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee. Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.4. Submission Dates and Times: Applications are due no later than August 28, 2024.5. Other Submission Requirements: All application materials must be submitted by email to [email protected] the U.S. Embassy Belgrade does not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. 6. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates: The U.S. Embassy Belgrade anticipates that final funding decisions will be made by September 13, 2024. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTSIf you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: [email protected] detailed information please see the full text of the Notice of Funding Opportunity in the Related Documents tab ..

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local and regional organizations in Columbia, Garfield, Walla Walla, and Umatilla counties that are dedicated to serving their communities.

This initiative provides up to $100,000 in technical assistance vouchers to businesses and organizations seeking to commercialize scientific innovations through collaboration with experts at U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories.

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This grant provides financial support to Historically Black Colleges, Tribal Colleges, and other Minority Serving Institutions to enhance their capacity to secure federal contracts and funding through training and mentorship.

This program provides funding to organizations that create arts initiatives for military personnel, veterans, and their families, promoting engagement and support through creative activities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to various organizations to create after-school programs that enhance academic achievement and offer enrichment activities for children in low-income and underperforming schools.

This funding opportunity is designed to assist local and state organizations, private companies, and nonprofits in Maryland with projects that improve water quality by reducing pollution in designated watersheds.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations, local governments, and educational institutions in Oklahoma for arts and cultural programs that engage the community through festivals, exhibitions, and performances.

This program provides funding and support for educational units in Colorado to enhance gifted education through regional consultants, professional development, and resources tailored to local needs.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute created the Community Partnership Program (CPP) to support the development of sustainable collaborations with Oregon communities to address community-identified cancer needs. Donor Name: OHSU Knight Cancer Institute State: Oregon County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/09/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The mission of the Community Partnership Program is to work hand in hand with Oregon communities as allies in the Knight Cancer Institute’s efforts to end cancer as they know it. Support Oregon communities in identifying and addressing their most pressing cancer-related needs. Enhance collaboration between Oregon communities and OHSU to address local cancer issues and cancer health disparities. Foster the skills and abilities of Oregon communities to ensure efforts to address local cancer issues are sustainable long-term. The Community Partnership Program highly encourages proposals that address cancer-related health disparities and increase equity for Oregon communities that have been historically disadvantaged and/or marginalized. Organizations that are led by and/or those that are committed to serving populations facing cancer health disparities are highly encouraged to apply. Grant Tiers  The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute provides awards across three tiers. Tier 1: Define Need Develop a local action plan through the identification of cancer priorities based on local capacity building, data collection and analysis. This could be achieved through one of the following: Conduct a community cancer needs assessment to define next steps for addressing a local cancer issue. Establish a committee or coalition to review existing data and collaboratively address a pressing local cancer issue. Tier 2: Develop and Pilot Develop/adapt and pilot a small program, project or activity to determine its feasibility and acceptability for addressing a priority cancer issue(s) or disparity in a specific community. This could be achieved through one of the following strategies: An evidence-based approach or intervention. A newly developed approach. Tier 3: Evaluate and Sustain Evaluate an approach with demonstrated feasibility/acceptability and establish strategies for sustainability. This could be achieved through implementation of one of the following: An evidence-based approach adapted for the target community. A previously piloted project, program, or activity in a specific community. Funding Information Tier 1: Define Need Up to $15,000 Tier 2: Develop and Pilot Up to $30,000 Tier 3: Evaluate and Sustain Up to $60,000. Grant Period 1 Year. Allowable Expenses Funds may be used for the following types of expenses provided they are directly attributable to the proposed project: Personnel: Costs include both salary and fringe benefits (see restriction below in unallowable expenses). Consultant fees. Equipment: Defined as any item that has a useful life of over one year. Materials and supplies. Travel costs (excluding travel for CPP required trainings, which will be provided). Clinical care costs. Indirect costs: Include facilities and administration and/or overhead. Not to exceed 10% of the total budget (without an approved justification). Eligibility Criteria  Individuals affiliated with community groups/organizations, schools, government bodies, health/medical clinics, health systems or businesses may apply. OHSU employees, students, divisions or departments are not eligible to apply. While the Community Partnership Program encourages collaboration between community organizations and experts in the field, funds are not intended to solely support the work of an individual who is not affiliated with a community organization. Individuals affiliated with an academic institution or university are required to partner with a local community-based organization to ensure funds are invested into the target community. This partnership should include collaboration on proposal development and, if funded, the community partner should contribute to or lead project implementation. The Community Partnership Program may limit the number of grants made to an organization in a single cycle or cumulatively. In addition, the Steering Committee may prioritize applications that propose a unique or innovative project, thereby reserving the right to deny the funding of proposals that duplicate or are similar in scope to other previously funded and/or proposed CPP projects. For more information, visit OHSU.

This funding opportunity supports North Carolina-based organizations that provide essential leadership and services to the arts community through activities like workshops, conferences, and resource publications, requiring a matching contribution from the applicants.

This funding opportunity supports arts projects that promote healing and self-expression for North Carolina's military service members, veterans, and their families, fostering community connections through various artistic initiatives.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION U.S. Embassy Maseru announces an open competition for organizations and individuals interested in submitting applications to implement a project that will deliver tailored human rights training modules for Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS) leadership and policymakers, covering topics such as international human rights standards, inmate rights, ethical conduct, and conflict resolution. This training should include interactive workshops and scenario-based learning exercises. Additionally, the project will support the establishment of a dedicated human rights unit within LCS to oversee compliance and investigate reported abuses.Program Objectives:1. Conduct comprehensive human rights training for Lesotho law enforcement agencies, and specifically LCS, building on previous UNDP training, to enhance their understanding and application of human rights principles in daily operations.2. Support the creation of a dedicated human rights unit within LCS. Establish criteria the new unit can use to monitor and report human rights violations, oversee compliance with human rights standards and investigate reported abuses effectively to ensure accountability and transparency.Anticipated Outcome(s):1. Increased awareness, knowledge, and understanding of international human rights principles and ethical conduct among LCS officials will allowfor an environment where preventative measures can be implemented to forestall human rights violations.2. Improved ability to handle conflict resolution and protect inmate rights.3. Improved reporting and accountability mechanisms for addressing human rights violations within LCS.4. Improved oversight of human rights compliance within the LCS.5. Reduced incidents of human rights abuses and enhanced respect for inmate rights within correctional facilities.Participants and Audiences: All applicants must be registered Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, or individuals with demonstrated experience in human rights training and capacity-building.Any application that is received after the deadline, is incomplete, or is missing required documentation will be rejected.Please Note: The U.S Embassy Maseru retains the right to ask for additional documents not included in this NOFO.Application guidelines can be requested via email, [email protected] U.S. Embassy Maseru will accept applications from July 16, 2024 to August 16, 2024

This funding opportunity supports schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations in Texas by providing financial assistance for hiring professional artists to conduct performances or workshops, thereby enriching the local creative economy.

The U.S. Department of State through Embassy Bridgetown announces an open competition for a project to strengthen independent medias ability to increase access to objective and quality information in the Eastern Caribbean. Media outlets across the Caribbean face challenges including declining revenue sources and expensive operating environments. These challenges are compounded by the fact that many outlets have been traditionally under resourced. Media enterprises are suffering loss of advertising revenue and other funding streams. Many media houses also have gaps in adapting to the financial and editorial challenges of the current age and may lack fully developed business plans, leaving the outlets open to potential malign influence or interference efforts. Outlets also lack up-to-date equipment, computers, and software, hampering their ability to produce high-quality and timely content. Further, many operate under austere conditions and struggle to produce enough original, local content, exacerbating their vulnerability to disinformation, propaganda, and co-optation. Assistance is needed to ensure that journalists, outlets, and other media-related institutions have access to the training, networks, content, and equipment they need to resist false narratives and maintain a free and diverse media ecosystem. Embassy Bridgetown and partners seek to build the capacity of Eastern Caribbean media outlets using a third-party implementer. The implementer will scope its approach based on the following lines of efforts: Training and capacity building: training to include but not limited to: methods to increase content production on a wide range of stories, how to expand reach and advertising revenue, how to develop sustainable business models and plans, fact checking and other core journalistic skills, identifying and countering disinformation, and better educating the general public on how to spot disinformation. A training centered around World Press Freedom Day and multimedia training will be built into the program deliverables. Mentorship and network building: mentorship on journalism and media production skills building and financial/business practices. Network building to support joint reporting and fact-checking, and to create a sustainable community of practice that can share best practices beyond the life of this project. Content provision: providing Caribbean media outlets with access to wire service licenses to enable them to run high-quality, independent, third-party content (Associated Press in English, for instance). Content provision may draw on collaboration with other international wire services to offer an aggregated package to local media partners that they could pull from to disseminate themselves. Supplies: providing up-to-date media equipment, computers, and software on an objectively assessed needs basis to support independent, locally developed news content. Embassy Bridgetown seeks proposals that will provide financial and technical assistance to small and medium-sized media outlets to strengthen their ability to safely produce and disseminate accurate information to audiences in the Eastern Caribbean. The goal of this project is to support the independence of regional journalists and media outlets to increase access to information within the domestic and regional media ecosystems.

This funding opportunity supports non-profit organizations, schools, and government agencies in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, or Presque Isle County for innovative projects that benefit the community.

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The U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to support investigative journalism and practices that aim to build up Nairobi as a hub for public interest journalism. This program will focus on teaching investigative journalism techniques to professional and citizen journalists, civil society members, and others, with an emphasis on how to identify inauthentic behavior and the application of artificial intelligence in online publications. The program must include designing an investigative journalism curriculum, developing materials, virtual exchanges, training, and mentoring. The program should include a structured fellowship program which would host and support participants conducting investigative projects. Finally, the program should lead to the creation of an independent Center for Investigative Reporting in Kenya and an institutional sustainability strategy. Funds are authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act. Applicants may apply on GRANTS.gov and/or via e-mail to [email protected] under the announcement title Bolstering East Africas Investigative Journalism Ecosystem, DOS-NBO-PDS-FY24-005.