Institutional Support to Subnational Civil Society Organizations
Geographically limited to USAID/ENGAGE focus regions: Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine
Pact is a leader in building the capacity of non-government organizations, networks, and intermediary organizations. Pact’s mission is to help build strong communities globally that provide people with an opportunity to earn a dignified living, raise healthy families, and participate in democratic life. Pact achieves this by strengthening the organizational and technical capacity of grassroots organizations, coalitions, and networks, and by forging linkages between government, business, and citizens to achieve social, economic, and environmental justices.
Pact is pleased to announce the release of a request for applications (RFA) for funding provided to support Pact’s implementation of USAID/ENGAGE Activity to Enhance Non-Governmental Actors and Grassroots Engagement. The purpose of USAID/ENGAGE is to increase citizen awareness of and engagement in civic activities at the national, regional, and local levels. More detailed USAID/ENGAGE Activity description can be found here.
Background
In 2020, in response to the challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic to advocacy and watchdog subnational CSOs, USAID/ENGAGE started a pilot Stability Fund initiative to shore up financial support to subnational CSO partners’ organizational resilience and adaptive capacities. Within this pilot, USAID/ENGAGE conferred five Stability Fund awards in USAID/ENGAGE’s focus regions. This pilot underlined the need for further investment in organizational resiliency of the CSOs at the subnational level to anchor nascent local reform networks to sub-national and national counterpart CSOs.
With this RFA, USAID/ENGAGE offers full-fledged institutional grants to subnational CSOs in USAID/ENGAGE’s focus regions. Pact issues this RFA to contribute to increasing organizational resiliency of subnational organizations to strengthen their constituency engagement, network and coalition expansion, outreach at local and regional levels, inclusion and gender equality, sectoral leadership, and financial sustainability. This financial support will help the recipient CSOs to address governance challenges, government transparency and social inclusion on the subnational level.
In addition to organizational sustainability, these institutional awards will accentuate results on increased citizen outreach and awareness of and engagement in advancing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including but not limited to decentralization, rule of law, mainstreaming vulnerable, marginalized and hard-to-reach constituencies, anti-corruption, government accountability and transparency, and other topics that are important to citizens and CSOs.
This RFA is geographically limited to advocacy CSOs in USAID/ENGAGE focus regions: Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine.
Goal and Objectives of the Request for Applications
The goal of this RFA is to provide institutional support to civil society organizations at the subnational level, to increase their organizational resiliency, adaptive capacities, innovation, and learning.
The objectives of this RFA are to:
- Support strategic organizational development to flexibly respond to unforeseen events;
- Scale up successful pilots that began as a result of COVID-induced adaptation;
- Increase organizational learning;
- Bolster local and regional civic advocacy and oversight campaigns;
- Increase horizontal and vertical linkages between national, regional and local CSOs;
- Increase information sharing and networking among local level CSOs, grassroots initiatives;
- Increase civic engagement in anti-corruption efforts;
- Institutionalize citizen feedback mechanisms on the regional and local level.
Expected Results
Upon completion of the grant, applicant organizations will have to demonstrate achievement of some or most of the following results:
- Increased operational resilience;
- Increased financial resilience;
- Increased crisis leadership, internal and external;
- Increased downward accountability’ vis-à-vis beneficiaries/constituencies;
- Advanced technological capacities;
- Increased private sector engagement in civil society activities;
- Strengthened long-term organizational sustainability of key subnational CSOs promoting democratic reforms;
- Increased citizen outreach and awareness of and engagement in advancing reform themes;
- Increased civic engagement in advocacy and/or anti-corruption efforts;
- Institutionalized CSO and citizen feedback mechanisms at subnational and local levels;
- Increased citizen awareness of role and importance of civil society organizations.
Performance Indicators
USAID/ENGAGE has identified several performance monitoring indicators to inform achievement of the results.
Below is the list of indicators to which sub-awardees under this RFA will contribute. A proposed institutional development under this RFA will address some or most of the following indicators:
- Improved constituent outreach of CSOs;
- Institutionalized CSOs’ use of ICT to share information and engage constituents;
- Number of citizens engaged in regional and local level coalitions and initiatives;
- Number of adopted CSOs and citizen feedback mechanisms institutionalized at regional and (or) local levels;
- Increased civic engagement in anti-corruption efforts;
- Number of citizens reached online and through traditional media;
- Number of representatives of vulnerable groups engaged into CSOs activities;
- Number of local policy changes positively influenced.
Eligibility Criteria
- Subnational CSOs officially registered in Ukraine;
- This RFA is geographically limited to advocacy and watchdog CSOs in USAID/ENGAGE focus regions: Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine;
- As part of this competition, Pact cannot award grants to business organizations, political parties, government institutions, or individuals.
- Applicants must have a DUNS* number (a nine-digit identification number required for all procurement-related activities).
Mandatory Requirements
USAID/ENGAGE mandatory requirements for institutional support grants under this RFA include:
- Organizational sustainability plans and metrics;
- Results on increased citizen outreach and awareness of and engagement in advancing reform themes;
- Mainstreaming vulnerable, marginalized and hard-to-reach constituencies, anti-corruption, and government accountability and transparency.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications submitted under this RFA will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Relevance to the Goal and Objectives of this RFA;
- Approach to achieve Expected outcomes of this RFA;
- Proven experience in civic advocacy and oversight activities in USAID/ENGAGE focus regions;
- Demonstrated ability of constituency outreach and citizens engagement in USAID/ENGAGE focus regions;
- Ability to achieve sustainable results after USAID/ENGAGE support ends;
- Ability to demonstrate gradual increase of domestic or international resources other than USAID.
Tentative Duration of Grants: 20 months. Preliminary start date: November 1, 2021.
Grant Amount: Pact plans to support up to four (4) applications in an amount not exceeding $50,000 each. The total pool for this RFA is $200,000.
The future agreements will be signed in Ukrainian currency, UAH, so applicants should submit their budgets in UAH.
Deadline for Applications Submission
Applications should be submitted by September 20, 2021, at 24:00 Kyiv time. Pact will not accept applications under this RFA that arrive after this deadline.
Application Process
Submit completed applications by e-mail to grants.engage@pactworld.org with the subject: “Response to RFA P4767-2021-04.”
Applications must be submitted in English or Ukrainian.
Technical applications and attachments must be submitted in Microsoft Word. Budgets must be submitted in Microsoft Excel.
A minimal acceptable application package should consist of the following documents:
- Application;
- Full projected budget for the anticipated institutional support needs, with expected funding from Pact;
- Budget narrative;
- Organizational budget for the current fiscal year;
- SRRA Snapshot Form for Subrecipients; and
- Proof of legal status.
The necessary templates should be downloaded by this link.
Please note!
- Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Paper copies of the applications will not be accepted.
- Applicants will be notified of the status of their application in writing via e-mail.
Selection Process
The selection process is multi-tier and will take place in several stages:
- Eligibility screening of received applications;
- Full review of eligible applications by Selection Committee, which will shortlist applications for the next selection stages;
- Shortlisted applicant organizations will measure their Organizational Performance Index (OPI). This process will be supported and coordinated by Pact.
- Shortlisted applicants will then be requested to develop and submit their organizational capacity development plans, based on OPI results.
- Selection Committee will recommend up to four (4) finalist applicants for funding.
Terms and Conditions
Standard provisions: The Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations as applicable will apply to these grants.
Permission for use and disclosure: By submitting an application under this RFA, the applicant consents to the disclosure of the documents submitted by the applicant to the reviewers involved in the selection process. Please note that all reviewers are bound by non-disclosure agreements.
Disclaimers:
- Pact may cancel the solicitation and not award any funds.
- Pact may reject any or all applications received.
- Issuance of solicitation does not constitute award commitment by Pact.
- Pact reserves the right to disqualify any application based on applicant’s failure to follow solicitation instructions.
- Pact will not compensate applicants for their response to the solicitation.
- Pact reserves the right to issue an award based on initial evaluation of applications without further discussion.
- Pact may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation or to issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities.
- Pact reserves the right to waive minor application deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition.
- Pact may contact applicants to confirm contact person, address, and that the application was submitted for this solicitation.
- Pact may contact listed past performance references without notice to the applicant. Pact also reserves the right to contact other past performance information sources that the applicant did not list in the application.
- By submitting an application, the applicants confirm they understand these terms and conditions.
Questions?
If you have questions, please submit them electronically to grants.engage@pactworld.org. The deadline for questions is September 9, 2021, at 24:00 Kyiv time. The email subject line should read “Questions on RFA P4767-2021-04 – name of organization submitting the question.”
All questions and answers will be shared with all interested applicants.
*In line with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA or Transparency Act) you are required to obtain an individual DUNS Number to be the recipient of a U.S. Government-funded subaward. A DUNS number may be obtained online via fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number is not required for application, but will be required for receipt of award. If you need a detailed instruction on receiving the number, please write to grants.engage@pactworld.org.