BOLD Academic Fellowship Exchanges
BOLD Action Workshops on Civic Engagement
BOLD Action Economic Development Workshop
BOLD Small Grant Mentoring Program

Applications for this grant are currently closed. Please watch for future funding opportunities.

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

U.S. EMBASSY SARAJEVO, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY SECTION

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Funding Opportunity Title: BOLD ACTION WORKSHOPS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Funding Opportunity Number: 006-FY2022

Deadline for Application: March 25, 2022

CFDA Number: 19.900

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS), is pleased to announce a Notice of funding opportunity to design and implement BOLD (BiH Omladinski Lideri, Bosnia and Herzegovina Young Leaders) Economic Development/Entrepreneurship Workshop for BiH Youth Leaders. The goal of this workshop is to develop the skills of young BiH leaders to create opportunities for economic development in their communities through developing and/or launching their own business plan or developing projects in support of entrepreneurship. Special emphasis should be placed on innovative business model design; project-based collaboration; and leveraging assets within the BOLD network to ensure project success.

Mandatory components:

Applicants should propose one seven-day long workshop (excluding arrival and departure date), for up to 50 participants from across BiH. Minimum number of participants is 45.
The age range of possible participants is 18- 35, but the applicant may limit the range further for participation, to best fit the proposed workshop’s theme.
The workshop should be planned, organized, and take place within the 12 months of the grant awarding.
The workshops should offer an innovative plan and provide young people with practical skills to contribute to the economic development of their communities. Content can include, but is not limited to, the ideas for starting and running a small business in BiH, market research and pitching business ideas, organizational development and management, innovation, emerging markets and risk analysis, strategic business planning, corporate social responsibility, gaining entrepreneurial skills that will better prepare them for the 21st century market, or an idea about enhancing existing enterprises.
The primary outcome of the workshop is for participants, individually; or groups of participants, jointly; to design an economic development project to be implemented in their communities over the course of the following year. The workshop should deliver training in project management and the design and development of a project proposal and/or business plan, including a budget. By the end of each workshop participants should complete a basic draft of their project designs in the form of a project proposal which will be competitive for funding from the Embassy or other donors.
Participants will be eligible to submit proposals in a BOLD small grant competition that will take place later upon workshop completion. To prepare them for this, a representative from the PDS grants team should be invited to present during the workshop on the basics of applying for a grant with the U.S. Embassy.
The proposal should contain detailed day-by-day schedule for the workshop, and other necessary information that makes it clear to anyone not familiar with it how the program will meet the stated objectives and projected outcomes.
There should be a strong American connection in the delivery of the workshop, ideally, with at least one participating American trainer contributing their expertise and experience from the economic or business field, either virtually or in person.
The applicant should propose a nationwide recruitment plan to reach workshop participants from all parts of the country that goes beyond a public call for applications to include targeted outreach to appropriate youth audiences. PDS should review the final list of participants for each workshop before they are notified of their selection.
It is the obligation of the applicant to ensure that workshop participants’ information about themselves, their experience in the workshop, and/or their project ideas are shared and publicized on social media platforms of the BOLD network so that others can see their leadership examples and be motivated by their experience in the workshop. All photos, videos, or text material produced during the workshop or after should be submitted to PDS at info@BOLD.ba.

A detailed budget should be expressed in USD, with a maximum amount of $80,000. PDS reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets, participant numbers, based on program needs and the availability of U.S. government funding.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of Performance Period: 12 months

Number of Awards Anticipated: One

Award Amounts: One award in the amount of USD 80,000

Total Available Funding: USD 80,000

Type of Funding: FY21/2022 Assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia (AEECA) under the Foreign Assistance Act

Anticipated Award Date: Second half of April 2022

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement or Grant

B1. Awards related to this notice is subject to availability of funding. The U.S. Embassy reserves the right to cancel this Notice of Funding Opportunity at any time without any commitment to any applicant. Awarding of non-competitive continuations in FY 2022 and FY 2023 is contingent on the availability of funding and successful performance.

B2. Project performance period. All activities should last for a maximum of 12 months and take place between April 2022 and April 2023.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C1. Who can apply: Non-government, non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society organizations) educational institutions that are based and legally registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina are eligible to apply. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to work in all parts of BiH, whether independently or in cooperation with a partner organization.

C2. Other eligibility requirements: All organizations must have a valid registration on www.SAM.gov before their project proposals can be funded. Organization must obtain SAM registration in order to receive funding. Please see Section E for information on how to obtain these registrations.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

D1. Mandatory application forms: Your application cannot be reviewed without all of the below elements. All forms and instructions are available at the top of this webpage in the box marked ‘Application package.’

Please note: Obtaining the DUNS number and registering in the SAM system can take up to one month. We strongly encourage you to start this process as soon as possible.

SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations).
SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)
Project Proposal (6 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do.

D2. General Guidelines: Please read all instructions carefully – proposals that do not meet the requirements listed here will not be considered for funding.

All proposals must be written and submitted in English.
One organization may submit only one proposal to this NOFO.
Proposals may not exceed 6 pages in length (including budget and checklist) in Times New Roman size 12 font.
All fields in the grant application form and checklist must be completed and sent via email as one document.
Project duration may not exceed 12 months.

The deadline for submission of proposals /supporting documentation is March 25, 2022 by 17:00 p.m. Please submit your filled-in application to the following e-mail address: info@BOLD.ba. Upon submission, please request a confirmation of the receipt of your application.

D3. Budget Guidelines: Any application not meeting the budget requirements below will not be considered for funding.

Detailed budget should be written in USD, with a maximum amount of USD 80,000.
Budget should NOT include VAT expenses; organizations will be able to be reimbursed VAT money.
Budget costs should be grouped into the following categories:
- Personnel costs (salaries for staff who already work for your organization, fees for project manager, project coordinator/assistant, and or accountant)
- Fringe (social and pension insurance contributions)
- Travel (transportation costs, lodging, meals and incidentals)
- Supplies (office supplies and other materials for project implementation)
- Contractual (fees for trainers, moderators, experts, and educators, who do NOT normally work for your organization but who are engaged to implement certain project activities, printing of promotional materials, renting of space/equipment, broadcasting of TV and radio shows, web site development, and other contractual services needed for project implementation.)
- Other direct costs: (office rent, utilities, phone/fax/internet, office supplies, bank charges, etc.)
Alcohol, entertainment, or “miscellaneous” expenses are not allowed.
Costs incurred before the grant period start date will not be reimbursed.

Grant funds may not be used for the following:

Long-term infrastructure needs
Provision of direct social services to a population
Vocational training, for example teaching participants to weld, perform electrical work, sew, raise bees, etc.
Partisan political activity (Note: non-partisan election education and public information activities are allowable.)
Funding of charitable activity and humanitarian aid, commercial projects, or fund-raising campaigns

D4. Application Instructions: Please read carefully and complete each question as instructed. Omitting any of the requested information will delay the review of your proposal and may result in it being eliminated from consideration.

Program Type: Please indicate which program you are applying for (BOLD Action Workshops on Economic Development).

Applicant’s Contact Information:

Implementing organization: Specify the officially registered name of the organization.
Contact person and title: Name and the title of the person who is authorized to sign official documents, if different from the Project Coordinator. You may state the name of the Project Coordinator too.
Address/Postal Code and City:

Phone number:

E-mail: Please include both the general e-mail address for your organization and the e-mail address of the project coordinator or person who is authorized to sign official documents.

Basic Information about the Proposal

Project title:
Amount requested (USD)/Amount of cost share (USD)/Total cost (USD):

Please list the amount of funding requested from the Embassy. If there is a cost share (another organization covering part of the total cost of the project), please list the amount here. Please list the total cost of the project which you get when you sum the amount you request from U.S. Embassy and amount of co-share.

Elevator pitch:

In 50 words or less, describe what your project is designed to accomplish and why it should receive support from the U.S. Embassy.

Definition of situation:

Clearly identify the problem your project will address. Please explain what causes the problem, and what aspect of this cause you are addressing. For example: The percentage of unemployment is the highest among youth population (60%) in my local community. Lack of employment contributes to the departure of young people from the country. The IT sector offers a promising employment opportunity, but youth lack the required skills. Existing educational institutions do not have adequate curriculum to meet the needs of the IT market.

Project outcomes:

Please explain how you want to solve this problem by explaining the outcomes of your project. An outcome is defined as the impact or change in a participant’s knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes as well as the longer-term effect on their organization or community. Following the above example, a project outcome might be “Create conditions to increase job opportunities for youth in the IT sector in my local community.”

Description of the project activities:

Explain the activities you plan to implement in the scope of your project and how those activities will achieve the projected outcome(s).

Activity locations:

List the cities/towns/communities where the project activities will take place.

Project beneficiaries:

Describe the anticipated beneficiaries of your project, including estimated number and age range.

Project schedule and timeline:

Note your project duration in months and give an overview of the schedule. If you have a specific timeframe, please list the dates and explain why your project must take place within that timeframe. Please note that grant money could be received any time between April and August 2022, depending on the U.S. budget cycle.

Project partners:

If you are implementing your project jointly with any other organizations, please list the names and type of involvement of those partner organizations. A partner organization is an organization with which you work to develop and implement the project. Partner organizations also need to obtain DUNS/UEI numbers. Please note: contractors you engage to deliver goods or services such as trainers, web developers or suppliers are NOT partner organizations.

Key personnel:

List the names, titles and roles of key personnel involved in the project, including organization staff and any experts or trainers you will engage to implement the project. Give a brief overview (1-2 sentences) of their experience/qualifications. What proportion of their time will be used in support for your project?

Anticipated outputs of the project:

An output is defined as the direct and tangible results of the project activities, which can usually be measured (number of people trained, number of public advocacy campaigns conducted, number of media articles or social media posts published, etc.)

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:

Monitoring and Evaluation plan: The proposal should outline in detail how project success and impact will be determined. Please include how you intend to measure the success of the project – this could involve pre- and post-project surveys of participants; it could be evidence that your project changed/improved a situation.

For the initial example, it could be proof of new training programs for youth in the IT sector, or it could be a post-project report that indicates how many youth had secured internships or jobs.

If effective evaluation involves follow up for more than a year after the initial grant, we are open to considering a grant to accommodate this.

We encourage you to consider the following examples of indicators to use when evaluating your project

Participant satisfaction with the program.
Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
Participant behavior, such as concrete actions to apply knowledge in work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community members, and others.
Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational improvements.
Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example, satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-term outcomes

Project sustainability:

Please explain your plans for follow-on activities after the grant period ends to ensure project impact continues. Example: “After the workshop series, the participants will continue to meet and serve as a support network to each other, as well as mentor other young people.”

Background of implementing organization:

Briefly explain the mission of the organization, date of registration, number of employees, their work experience, number of volunteers, past and current programs implemented, as well as its technical and management capacity. Please briefly explain what internal control procedures you have put in place to manage grant funds.

Previous U.S. Government funding:

Indicate whether the implementing organization has received previous funding from the U.S. Government. If so, please state the name of the project, the year and the amount of funding for each project.

Detailed budget:

Present the budget in the form of a spreadsheet, in USD amounts, dividing the budget into the categories delineated in the application. Ensure that your stated project activities are properly budgeted based on reasonable market price for personnel, fringe, travel, contractual services, supplies, and other direct costs. The ratio between administrative costs (personnel, fringe and other direct costs) and program costs (travel, supplies and contractual) will have impact to project evaluation. Cost sharing is not required. However, the Recipient may present cost-sharing on voluntary basis including in-kind contributions. The absence of cost sharing will not in any way impact evaluation of the project. However, if the Recipient includes cost sharing in the project proposal, then the Recipient is accountable for providing it. In the event the Recipient does not provide the minimum amount of cost-sharing as stipulated in the Recipient’s approved budget, the government contribution may be reduced in kind.

Budget narrative:

Please explain your budget in narrative form, detail personnel duties, list names of trainers/moderators/experts and project staff and break down travel and lodging costs (i.e., how many people, how many overnights, cost per person per day, etc.)

E. HOW TO APPLY FOR REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS

Required Registration: Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.

Who must apply? All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

Unique entity identifier from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)
NCAGE/CAGE code
www.SAM.gov registration

First, get your DUNS Number

Please use the link to obtain your DUNS number.

The system is set up to be user-friendly and we encourage you to use it to obtain your DUNS number for yourself. However, if you experience problems, you may seek further assistance from:

Bisnode BH, Vrazova 8, 71000 Sarajevo

info.ba@bisnode.com

Tel: +387 33 215 454

+387 33 215 452

Bisnode web site

Next, get your NCAGE/CAGE code

To apply, go to this link.
Instructions for the NCAGE application process are available here.
For NCAGE help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766
Email ncage@nato.nspa.int for any problems in getting an NCAGE code.

After you receive your NCAGE code, complete your SAM.gov registration

To register in the SAM system, go to SAM web page.
Please read the quick guide for grants registration attachment which is the part of the application package that is posted on the Embassy web site.
SAM registration must be renewed annually, so even if you are already registered in SAM from a previous grant, please check to see if your registration is still valid.
Entities registering in SAM must submit a letterappointing their authorized Entity Administrator. Please check the template of the letter which is the part of the application package.

However, if you experience any problem in registering in SAM.gov use the following link to register for live chat, so the SAM administrators can answer your questions. Working hours for this service are from Monday through Friday after 14:00.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!

Please be informed that DUNS is going away next April 2022. It will be replaced by UEI which will be assigned by sam.gov. UEIs are being given to organizations who register/renew this year. As a reminder sam.gov needs to be renewed yearly.

The site to obtain a UEI is the same for registrations, but when the organization answers the questions, they can select UEI only.

https://sam.gov/content/home

We recommend you start asking for your UEIs and NCAGE/CAGE in addition to DUNS. This way you start socialize the change. After April 2022 DUNS will not show in SAM.gov and the DUNS site for SAM.gov, https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ will go away. While you can search on names in sam.gov, it is much easier to search using the NAGE/CAGE, also this number will be needed if you want to see the status of progress in sam.gov. Found here:

https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker

For instructions on UEI transition, please check the following link.

E.5. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:

All proposals will be evaluated by the review panel according to the below criteria:

Quality and feasibility of the project idea. The proposal is well developed, innovative and offers creative solutions with all necessary details about how project activities will be carried out (location, number of participants, events to organize, media coverage etc.) (25 points)
Outcomes. Project clearly identifies goals and objectives of the project and is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving proposed results. (15 points)
Organizational capacity and record on previous grants. The organization demonstrates expertise and the ability to perform the proposed activities.(25 points)
Budget and narrative justification are completed and reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. (10 points)
Monitoring and evaluation. The proposal outlines in detail how project success and impact will be determined. This will include methods to measure project impact and/or indicators/milestones to indicate project progress towards achieving the outcomes outlined in the proposal. (15 points)
Sustainability. The proposal needs to contain information about sustainability of the project. Project activities should continue to have a positive impact after the end of the project. Proposals should explain this future impact and/or sustainability of the project. (10 points)

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

F1. Federal Award Notices

The grant award will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer and the grants management team. The Recipient may only start incurring project expenses beginning on the start date shown on the grant award document signed by the Grant Officer. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient for review and signature by email.

Funding decisions are contingent on the availability of funds. The total amount for this program may not exceed 80,000 USD. The U.S. Embassy reserves the right to cancel this Notice of Funding Opportunity at any time without any commitment to any applicant.

A Cooperative Agreement (CA) may be issued, particularly in the case that the selected applicant is a first-time recipient of Federal Funding. Elements of substantial involvement include:

Participating in the design or direction of activities, design of conference agendas, and training delivery models
Participating in the selection of key project staff and trainers
Participating in the presentation of results
Assisting in the selection and/or analyses of data
Review and approval of each press release and other public statements and publications before their release to the public

If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the discretion of the Department of State.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S. government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Payment Method: The payment of the award amount will be made in multiple installments. A certain percentage of the total award amount up to 50% of the total will be paid immediately after signing the grant and submission of the valid bank account by Recipient. However, if the project implementation requires a higher percentage of advance payment than 50%, the Office of Public Affairs will require justification. The rest will be paid upon submission of the interim and final program and financial reports by Recipient. Each award document will contain detailed payment information. The USG reserves the right to retain the last payment up to 10 % of the award amount until all project activities are completed and the final program and financial reports are submitted by the Recipient and approved by the Grant Officer and the Grant Officer Representative.

F2. Terms and Conditions

Before submitting an application, applicants may wish to review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department of State will review and consider applications for funding, as applicable to specific programs, pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity in accordance with the following: NOTE:

Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), as updated in the Federal Register’s 85 FR 49506 on August 13, 2020, particularly on:
- Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the program objectives through an objective process of evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR part 200.205),
- Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115—232) (2 CFR part 200.216),
- Promoting the freedom of speech and religious liberty in alignment with Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities (E.O. 13864) (§§ 200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 200.341),

Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR part 200.

Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest extent authorized by law, if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities (2 CFR part 200.340

F.3. Reporting Requirements

Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The award document will specify the forms and how often these reports must be submitted.

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

For more information, please contact us by phone: + 387 33 704-331,704-078, 704-285, fax: + 387 33 704-432 or e-mail at info@BOLD.ba .