USAID Civic Initiatives Support Program
Civil Society Institutional Strengthening Fund 2014
Annual Program Statement (APS)
March 2014-February 2015
Issue Date: March 3, 2014
Closing Date: February 28, 2015
USAID Civic Initiatives Support Program (USAID CIS)
P. O. Box 1252 Amman, 11821 Jordan
Tel.: +962 6 5933116 - Fax: +962 6 5934554
Email:
The contents of this Annual Program Statement are the responsibility of FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW 3
GRANT STRUCTURE 5
EVALUATION CRITERIA .6
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS 6
DISCLAIMERS 8
Attachments:
Application Form
Sample Vendor Selection Matrix
Vendor Selection Matrix
I. CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING FUND OVERVIEWThe USAID Civic Initiatives Support Program (USAID CIS) aims at cultivating a strong and vibrant civil society in Jordan through supporting a broad range of civic initiatives. Working at both national and local levels, it supports civic initiatives and advocacy responding to common interests, strengthens the organizational capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) and promotes Government of Jordan-civil society collaboration efforts to address reform and development challenges. USAID CIS is a three-year project (2013-16) implemented by FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions.
Through the Civil Society Institutional Strengthening Fund (herein referred to as the “Fund"), grants will be provided for CSOs and Intermediary Support Organizations (ISOs) to directly contract external technical assistance for customized capacity building and institutional support to respond to the Recipient’s defined priorities. Such support may be focused on reinforcing technical capabilities in their respective sector and/or strengthening organizational capacity in areas such as strategic planning, governance systems, knowledge management, sustainability planning, etc. Gender and inclusion of persons with disability and marginalized groups should be considered as cross cutting themes. A cost share contribution of 5% is required from the Recipient.
The Fund targets CSOs and ISOs with the objective of enhancing their capacities to more effectively perform their missions by strengthening the transparency, governance and effectiveness of their institutions. The Fund will provide CSOs and ISOs with fixed-obligation grants for institutional capacity building activities, goods, or services which enable them to meet these objectives and contribute to the long-term sustainability of their institutions.
The APS will remain open for 12 months (March 3, 2014 – February 28, 2015). Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through the end date of the APS and will be evaluated on a monthly basis. Grants of up to 15,000 JOD for a maximum of six months duration will allow organizations to directly contract external technical assistance providers for customized capacity building, institutional support and/or mentoring to match the applicant’s identified priorities. Organizations that have been awarded USAID CIS grants under other grant opportunities may apply for a Civil Society Institutional Strengthening Fund grant.
Examples of the types of activities and services (consulting, training, production) that may be funded include, but are not limited to the following:
Grant Objective - Strengthening Transparency:
· Developing systems and policies in the area of financial management, human resources management, research methodologies and CSO management;
· Conducting staff training to implement institutional systems and policies and/or to enhance specific technical areas;
· Enhancing the organization’s website to include an interactive section where the public can ask questions, receive assistance and share experiences;
· Developing an organizational communications plan, producing and disseminating annual reports, brochures, case studies, videos, etc.
Grant Objective - Strengthening Governance:
· Developing a detailed strategic plan and governance system to support the organization’s long-term sustainability;
· Reviewing and enhancing the operational policies and procedures of the central management unit to provide guidance and oversight to field offices;
· Enhancing the role of board members in advancing the recipient organization’s mission and technical interventions;
· Engaging board members to develop comprehensive organizational by-laws and values;
· Developing a strategic plan for the organization to engage women, persons with disability and other marginalized populations in its work;
· Designing an organizational gender policy and strategy, and mainstreaming the gender transformative approach into the organization’s governance and operations;
· Developing an inclusion policy to ensure accessibility and reasonable accommodations for persons with disability.
Grant Objective - Improving Effectiveness:
· Working with an external monitoring & evaluation (M&E) expert to design a program-specific M&E framework that includes strategies for assessing impact, gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and capturing knowledge throughout the program;
· Conducting an impact assessment of past training programs (or advocacy campaigns, service provision, etc.) and designing more effective program interventions based on the results;
· Working with an external consultant or training service provider to upgrade technical knowledge of topics relevant to the organization’s work including health; education; economic development; water, energy and environment; gender, equality and inclusion; and democracy, rights and governance;
· Providing Training of Trainers (TOT) training for staff to improve their training design and delivery skills and/or technical issues;
· Strengthening collaboration, ties and relationships between the recipient organization and government, private sector and/or other partner CSOs;
· Enhancing the organization’s internal database and knowledge management system;
· Enhancing advocacy skills and supporting the development of a strategic advocacy plan for the core issues addressed by the organization;
· Developing materials and tools for inclusive programming including adding sign language interpretation to films, Braille printing of materials/curricula, upgrading websites for the hearing and visually impaired, etc;
· Preparing a position paper or an after action review on a core issue that the CSO is addressing;
· Conducting a gender analysis of the organization’s core issue and mainstreaming the results into program implementation plans;
· Building staff capacities on gender concepts, transformative approach, human rights based approach, gender analysis, and mainstreaming.
GRANT STRUCTUREApplicants must demonstrate how the capacity building topic and activity was identified, explain the process followed to identify this priority, and any prior organizational capacity assessments conducted (if available) internally or externally. In addition, as part of its application, the applicant must submit a detailed scope of work, along with three quotes to justify the selection of the proposed consultant and/or service provider.
The following cost principles apply to the Fund:
· FHI 360 will not accept consultant daily rates in excess of 177 JOD per day; each consultant’s proposed rate should be commensurate with experience and previous salary history;
· On an exceptional basis, percentages above 20 percent (20%) of the total budget may be spent on non-expendable equipment (items over 3,500 JOD/unit).
Costs that will NOT be covered under the Fund
· Staff salaries
· Fundraising
· Office maintenance and overhead expenses
· Business or commercial for-profit activities
· Construction costs
· International travel
· Scholarships for individuals to pursue degree programs
· Promotion of political parties, religion, or commercial interests
Cost Share Requirement
Organizations are required to include a cost share contribution of at least five percent (5%) of the total budget from the applicant or other sources. The cost share should be calculated based on the total amount requested from USAID CIS (for example if the budget requested from USAID CIS is 10,000 JOD, a cost share of 500 JOD is required). Cost share can refer to funds or resources from other donors or the private sector to pay for program related activities, or payments from the Applicant’s own funds or the fair value of contributions in-kind, such as space, equipment, the value of volunteers or staff time, etc. Cost-share contribution may not be paid by the U.S. Government under another grant, cooperative agreement, or contract.
Applicants must explain the source of organizational funds that will constitute the organization's cost share contribution. Grantees are contractually obligated to contribute cost share from sources stated in the Application and Budget and described in the Grant Agreement.
Reporting and Evaluation
Grant recipients will be required to submit a final report upon completion of grant activities, outlining how the grant has achieved the applicant’s institutional strengthening objectives. In addition, USAID CIS may require a pre- and post-assessment (3-6 months after activities have ended) for certain capacity building areas to evaluate the extent to which the grant has strengthened the transparency, governance and/or effectiveness of the grant recipient’s institution.
EVALUATION CRITERIAUSAID CIS intends to award grants resulting from this solicitation to applicants whose proposals best conform to the solicitation requirements after evaluation in accordance with the criteria listed below.
Upon receipt, USAID CIS staff will screen all offers for eligibility and completeness. An offer can be categorized as non-responsive if it is incomplete or does not comply with the application format requirements.
Eligible applications will be reviewed and scored by the Grant Evaluation Committee (GEC). GEC members will meet to discuss and finalize their scores and select applicants to be considered for grants.
The evaluation criteria are presented by major category below.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposed activities contribute to achieving the Fund’s objectives of strengthened transparency, governance, and/or effectiveness of the organization (35%)
Organization’s demonstrated ability to benefit from proposed activities (35%)
Organization’s past performance and capacity to manage the grant to achieve the intended results (30%)
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTSBelow are the steps to apply to the Civil Society Institutional Strengthening Fund Annual Program Statement. Interested applicants are encouraged to check the USAID CIS website and Facebook page for updates, including questions and answers, modifications, and solicitation workshop opportunities.
· Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be registered as non-profit legal entities in Jordan with headquarters in Jordan to apply for a grant under the Fund.
· Application Forms: Only Applicants that submit a completed application form will be considered. ISF APS templates are available for download at www.cisjordan.org or applicants can request a copy from: USAID Civic Initiatives Support Program, P. O. Box 1252 Amman, 11821 Jordan; Tel.: +962 6 5933116 - Fax: +962 6 5934554; Email:
· Questions & Answers: Requests for clarification are accepted on an ongoing basis via email to . Only written requests for clarification will receive a response and consolidated questions and answers will be posted regularly on the USAID CIS website (www.cisjordan.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/CIS-Jordan/363894290419241)
· Application Requirements: Proposals may be submitted in English or Arabic, and budgeted costs must be represented in Jordanian Dinars. The application must be submitted in the format described in this document and the Application Form (Attachment I) and Vendor Selection Matrix (Attachment III). Three quotes and a selection matrix (Attachment III) must be submitted for each cost that exceeds 1,000 JOD/unit. Applications that do not include the required quotes and selection matrix(es) will not be considered. A copy of the Applicant organization’s registration certificate must also be submitted to verify the Applicant’s non-profit status.
· Submission Procedures and Application Deadlines: Any application submitted in any other format is not eligible for evaluation. Electronic copies should be submitted via email to . Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed by the Grant Evaluation Committee during the first week of every month. For applications to be considered in a particular cycle, applicants are encouraged to submit by the 30th of the month before.
· Timeline: The following is an illustrative timeline of the APS process:
DISCLAIMERS· FHI 360 may cancel solicitation and not award;
· FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received;
· Issuance of solicitation does not constitute award commitment by FHI 360;
· FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on Applicant failure to follow solicitation instructions;
· FHI 360 will not compensate Applicants for response to solicitation;
· FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion;
· FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities;
· FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition;
· FHI 360 will be contacting all Applicants to confirm contact person, address and that bid was submitted for this solicitation.
USAID Civic Initiatives Support Program: Institutional Strengthening Fund APS, FINAL, March 2, 2014, pg. 2