Request for Statements of Interest - China

The summary for the Request for Statements of Interest - China 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 Statements of Interest - China: Department of State Public Notice Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Statements of Interest: Democracy, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law for China. SUMMARY The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements Of Interest (SOIs) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in China. This is an initial solicitation to ascertain organizations that may be interested in implementing projects in China and does not constitute a Request for Proposals. Organizations that are invited by DRL to submit a proposal will have an opportunity to expand on their SOIs at a later date. 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 a week to register with grants.gov. Please see the section entitled, "DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS" below for specific instructions. STATEMENTS OF INTEREST (SOI) - REQUESTED PROGRAM OBJECTIVES China The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) invites organizations to submit statements of interest outlining program concepts and capacity to manage projects that will: foster democracy, human rights, transparency, freedom of information and expression, religious freedom, minority rights, judicial independence, criminal and civil rule of law, civil society, freedom of the press, electoral reform, public participation, labor rights, and media reform in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. DRL will consider funding for project components that address the long-term developmental and capacity building needs of indigenous non-governmental entities working in these thematic areas. The Bureau will also consider funding for projects that foster the development of a healthy charitable sector, including the reform or establishment of underlying systems and institutions. Funding for projects in Taiwan will only be considered to the extent that they are matched with sources other than the United States government. DRL seeks to fund projects that will have a direct and lasting impact in China by promoting reforms and structural changes. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Statements of Interest must be submitted as two-page Word documents, single-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point font with a minimum of 1-inch margins. Submissions MUST conform to the following format requirements and include the information below: Page 1 1) Brief description of the organization, including mission, previous work in China/East Asia or other challenging programming environments 2) Project description, including objectives and activities, and duration of project Page 2 3) Project outcomes and outputs, deliverables, and short-term and long-term goals 4) Evaluation procedures 5) An estimated budget. The budget should include 1) Program Costs 2) Administrative Costs (which include Indirect Costs) and 3) Any cost sharing offered 6) Previous grant management experience, including grants funded with private and/or United States Government funding An organization may submit no more than two SOIs. SOIs that do not meet the requirements above may not be considered. Organizations must also fill out and submit SF-424 and SF-424B forms as directed on www.grants.gov. Please fill out the highlighted yellow fields and use the following specific information for the below fields: 1. Type of Submission: Application 2. Type of Application: New 5b. Federal Award Identifier: Please enter zeros or leave blank. 17. Please enter approximate start/end dates for the project 18. Please enter the estimated amount from the SOI under "Federal" and any cost-share under "Applicant." Otherwise, use zeros. 19. Please enter "c" ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labors Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) supports innovative, "venture capital" 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 United States. HRDF 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 HRDF resources. HRDF projects must not duplicate or simply add to efforts by other entities. Please make special note that DRL will not consider Statements of Interest that reflect any type of support, for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization, whether or not elected members of government. The bulk of project activities must take place in-country where feasible and last between 1 and 3 years. U.S.-based activities, study tours, scholarships or exchange projects will not be deemed competitive. Projects that have a strong academic, research, conference, or dialogue focus will not be deemed competitive. DRL strongly discourages health, technology, or scientific projects unless they have an explicit component related to the requested program objectives listed above. Projects that focus on commercial law or economic development will also not be rated as competitive. DRL has approximately $20 million in available funds from the FY 2007 Democracy Fund/Human Rights and Democracy Fund for projects that address DRL objectives in China. The Bureau anticipates making awards in amounts of $250,000 - $1,500,000 to support program and administrative costs required to implement these programs. APPLICANT/ORGANIZATION CRITERIA Organizations submitting statements must 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 China 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 combined statement of interest. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant. REVIEW PROCESS Following a review of all submissions, organizations may be invited to submit full proposals. Invitations will be based on a subjective evaluation of how the project meets the criteria outlined, U.S. foreign policy objectives, and the priority needs of DRL. Review criteria include: 1) Quality of Program Idea Proposals should be responsive to the solicitation and exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureau's mission. 2) Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Long and Short Term Goals A relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity of the organization. The work plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described above. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measurable and achievable. For full proposals, applicants will be expected to provide a monthly timeline of project activities. 3) Multiplier Effect/Sustainability Proposed programs should address long-term institution building with an emphasis on moving towards sustainability, garnering other donor support, or demonstrating capacity-building results. 4) Program Evaluation Plan Programs should demonstrate the capacity for engaging in impact assessments and providing long and short-term goals with measurable outputs and outcomes. Projects that propose an independent evaluation with a clear plan will be deemed highly competitive in this category. 5) Institutions Record and Capacity The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past grants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's goals. Roles and responsibilities of primary staff should be provided at the full proposal stage. 6) Cost Effectiveness The overhead and administrative components of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate. Given that the majority of DRL-funded programs take place overseas, US-based costs should be kept to a minimum. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged and is viewed favorably by DRL reviewers. DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Applicants must submit SOIs using www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Friday, September 14, 2007. 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 approximately 3-5 business days before you can obtain a username and password. This may delay your ability to post your Statement of Interest. Therefore, 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. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This call for Statements of Interest will also appear on www.grants.gov and DRLs website, www.state.gov/g/drl. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT For questions related to proposal submissions please contact Samuel Chang, [email protected], 202-261-8003, Kara Cumberland, [email protected], or Jennifer Mitchell, [email protected], both at 202-261-8011.