Request for Proposals: Cuba

The summary for the Request for Proposals: Cuba grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Request for Proposals: Cuba: Department of State Public Notice Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Request for Proposals: Human Rights and Democracy Initiatives in Cuba PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly urges applicants to access immediately www.grants.gov in order to obtain a username and password. It may take up to two full weeks to register with grants.gov. Please see the section entitled, "DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS" below for specific instructions. Proposals must be sent to grants.gov. No exceptions will be made for organizations that do not submit proposals via grants.gov. SUMMARY: The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor announces an open competition for assistance awards. DRL requests proposals from non-profit organizations interested in a grant award from the U.S. Department of States FY 06 Human Rights and Democracy Fund for democracy and human rights programs in Cuba. Brief Background Description of Cuban Initiatives Each proposal should outline program concepts and capacity to manage projects that address one of the following specific initiatives. Creative and innovative proposals are encouraged, and DRL strongly recommends interested organizations to contact the Bureau (see contact information below) before submitting proposals.. Break the information blockade by employing high tech communication devices to facilitate communications between activists on the island, foster a nascent civil society, and improve the dissemination of information to and from the island, especially by increasing the communication of democracy and human rights messages. Low-tech projects that serve the same purposes in a creative manner will also be considered. Approximately $1.25 million is available for this award.. Strengthen ordinary citizens ability to build effective civil society organizations in a transition environment by providing them material support, including electronic communications devices, and training in skills such as consensus building, conflict reduction, stakeholder consulting, and organizational management. Projects that focus on Afro-Cubans, women and youth will be prioritized. Approximately $450,000 is available for this award.. Inventory current legal obstacles to the holding of democratic elections and propose suggestions for repealing or amending such provisions for use by a Cuban Transition Government. Approximately $500,000 is available for this award.. Develop and place public service announcements on commercial radio stations to promote democracy, human rights and democratic transition in Cuba. Approximately $300,000 is available for this award.. Develop leadership, management and communications skills of women currently active in Cuban civil society. Approximately $500,000 is available for this award. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The Bureau supports innovative programs that uphold democratic principles, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, and build civil society in countries and regions of the world that are geo-strategically important to the U.S. The Bureau funds projects that have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms. Projects should have potential for continued funding beyond Bureau resources. Projects must not duplicate or simply add to efforts by other entities. DRL anticipates awarding grants by late fall 2006. The bulk of project activities may last between 1 and 3 years. U.S.- based activities, study tours, scholarships or exchange projects are strongly discouraged. However, proposals that include a component of limited training in the U.S. may be considered only if detailed justification is provided. Without detailed justification, projects involving U.S. training will be deemed non-competitiveThe Bureau anticipates making approximately 3-6 awards for a total of $3 million to support program and administrative costs required to implement programs.Proposals should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages in length using 12 point Times New Roman font in Microsoft Word with at least one-inch margins. Budgets should be provided separately on Excel or compatible spreadsheets. A narrative budget must accompany the Excel spreadsheet. The inclusion of a monthly timeline of project activities is strongly encouraged. APPLICANT/ORGANIZATION CRITERIA: Organizations submitting statements should meet the following criteria:* Be a U.S. non-profit organization meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c) (3).* Have demonstrated experience administering successful projects, preferably in the Western Hemisphere or similarly challenging program environments. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.* Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with in-country organization(s).* Organizations may form consortia and submit a joint proposal. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant. * Applicants may include subcontracts to institutions in order to provide technical expertise as a component of their proposal. REVIEW PROCESS: A State Department Review Committee will evaluate proposals submitted under this request. Review criteria will include: 1. Quality of program idea - proposals should be responsive to the solicitation and exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureaus mission. 2. Program planning/ability to achieve objectives - work plan should demonstrate substantive activities and the organizations capacity and planning to undertake them. Objectives should be ambitious yet measurable and achievable. 3. Impact/multiplier effect - proposed program should address long-term institution building with an emphasis on moving towards sustainability, directly impact the situation in the target country, and define and reach numerous audiences. 4. Program evaluation plan - proposals should demonstrate the capacity for engaging in impact assessments and providing measurable outputs, outcomes, and short and long-term goals. 5. Institutions record and capacity - proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful program management in repressive environments. The Bureau will consider past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. 6. Cost-effectiveness - the overhead and administrative components of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as low as possible. Cost-sharing is highly encouraged. DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Applicants must submit proposals using www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on October 20, 2006. DRL will not accept proposals submitted via email, the U.S. postal system, Fedex, UPS and similar delivery companies, or courier. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Please note: In order to safeguard the security of applicants electronic information, www.grants.gov utilizes a credential provider. It is the process of determining, with certainty, that someone really is who they claim to be. The credential provider for www.grants.gov is Operational Research Consultants (ORC). Applicants MUST register with ORC to receive a username and password which you will need to register with www.grants.gov as an authorized organization representative (AOR). Once your organization's E-Business point of contact has assigned these rights, you will be authorized to submit grant applications through Grants.gov on behalf of your organization. Each organization will need to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and you will need to have your organization's DUNS number available to complete this process. After your organization registers with the CCR, you must wait 3 business days before you can obtain a username and password. PLEASE be advised that completing all the necessary steps for obtaining a username and password from www.grants.gov can take up to 2 full weeks. DRL strongly urges applicants to begin this process on www.grants.gov well in advance of the submission deadline. No exceptions will be made for organizations that have not completed the necessary steps to post applications on www.grants.gov. Please access www.grants.gov for the all necessary information. TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY: Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via www.grants.gov by the designated due date before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and 2) have heeded all instructions contained in the solicitation document and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission. If there is a discrepancy between the PSI and this announcement, please note that this document takes precedence. (Update as of 10/17: Please note that ONLY organizations that are experiencing technical difficulty in submitting proposals via grants.gov can submit the proposals to Megan Oates at [email protected] IN ADVANCE of the 11:59 pm October 20 deadline. In the email on which the proposal is attached, please include the specific problems your organizations has encountered with grants.gov and the steps taken to resolve them.) DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All proposals must be received at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on October 20, 2006. Please refer to the PSI for specific delivery instructions. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). Please specify Catherine Newling (202-647-8239), or Megan Oates (202-663-2678) on all inquiries and correspondence. Please read the complete announcement and PSI before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.