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A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office announces an open competition for local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to submit applications to implement a community-led monitoring (CLM) program, specifically the Lesotho PLHIV Facility Feedback Tool (attached). The community-led monitoring (CLM) program is funded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in support of the Ministry of Health’s effort to achieve HIV epidemic control through the implementation of evidence-based and client-centered interventions to accelerate progress in HIV prevention, care, and treatment. The goal of the CLM program is to help PEPFAR programs and health institutions identify persistent problems, challenges, and barriers to effective service and client outcomes at the site level in order to formulate workable solutions that overcome these barriers and ensure beneficiaries have access to quality services. The objective of the CLM program is to facilitate participation of local CSO players in the evaluation of HIV services, identify areas for improvement, advocate for change, guide the health care providers to incorporate monitoring as part of their routine activities, and popularize the facility feedback tool among PLHIV groups. Each grant will only implement the Lesotho PLHIV Facility Feedback Tool at public health facilities (Government of Lesotho and Christian Health Association of Lesotho) and will specify the district to be targeted (in order of preference) and the number of health facilities it can provide community monitoring. Each grant will only implement the Lesotho PLHIV Facility Feedback Tool at public health facilities (Government of Lesotho and Christian Health Association of Lesotho) and will specify the district to be targeted (in order of preference) and the number of health facilities it can provide community monitoring. Local organizations that receive the grants will conduct facility exit interviews and facility/community interfaces and dialogues as per the guidance from the Tool. Data from the feedback forms will be provided to the CLM coordinating organization, who will then deliver the results to PEPFAR (through the Special Projects Office), respective District Health Management Teams and MOH as appropriate, CSOs, and other relevant stakeholders semi-annually. Training and technical assistance will be provided to organizations selected for this award. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION U.S. Embassy Maseru issues ten or more awards resulting from this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to applicants whose applications are the most responsive to the objectives in this NOFO. The Special Projects Office may a) reject any or all applications; b) accept other than the lowest cost application; c) accept more than one application; d) accept alternate applications; and/or e) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received. The Special Projects Office may give awards after discussions and negotiations with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest modifications in the project description, budget, or other aspects of the application. Applicants should not request more than $20,000 USD and each applicant/organization will only receive one award. Please note that the PEPFAR Small Grants Program is subject to the availability of funds. Applicants should include an anticipated start date of March 01, 2021. The project period should be 12 months. C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION C.1 Eligible applicants The Special Projects Office welcomes applications from community-based organizations and other civil society groups; networks of key populations, people living with HIV and other affected groups; or other entities that gather data and observations about components of HIV services, with a focus on getting input from recipients of treatment services. ● All applicants must be legally registered and have been in operation for at least one year to be eligible for funding. ● Organizations must be able to demonstrate that they have adequate internal controls and financial monitoring procedures in place. ● Organizations should demonstrate strong ties and support in the local community and with local governmental authorities. Each project accepted for funding will submit financial and narrative progress reports on a routine basis. Grantees will be instructed on the inputs required for financial and programmatic progress reports by the PEPFAR Coordination Office. Please note that organizations currently funded by PEPFAR to deliver health services either in the community or at the health facility are prohibited from applying for this grant. C.2 Cost sharing or matching There is no requirement for cost sharing, matching or cost participation. C.3 Other Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 the 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 Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION Complete application MUST include the following: · Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A and SF-424B forms · Cover Page (not exceeding ONE page, word document) including a table with organization name, project title, target districts/location, name and contact information of the organization’s primary point of contact · Table of Contents (not exceeding ONE page) listing all documents and attachments with numbers · Proposal Narrative (not exceeding FIVE pages). Please note the ten pages DOES NOT include the Cover Page, Executive Summary, Table of Contents, Attachments, Detailed budget and Budget Narrative · A detailed history of your Organization and project stating when it started, what has been accomplished, what you have done for the community, and how the community supports you. · Budget amount of funding request; costs must be in U.S dollar and estimated in Maloti using exchange rate of $1=M15 and not exceeding $20,000 · Expected measurable results (not exceeding ONE page) · Budget Narrative (word document) that includes substantive explanations and justifications for each line item in the detailed budget (not exceeding ONE page) · 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program with their role description · Monitoring and evaluation narrative plan (not exceeding TWO pages, word document) · A copy of your organization’s constitution · A list of committee members with their names and addresses. The minimum number of project members required to apply for funding is eight. · A copy of project bank account details including the name of the bank, account name, account number and type of account (savings or checking). E. REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS All applicants must obtain the below registrations (all are free of charge). Below are links to each registration which must be completed. Duns Number -Please refer to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform NCAGE Code -Please refer to: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx SAM registration – Please refer tohttps://www.sam.gov NOTE: The process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration may take 4 weeks. Applications that do not include the elements listed above will not be considered. The PEPFAR Small Grants Community-Led Monitoring Program will accept applications from December 03, 2020 to January 29, 2021. Applications can be emailed to grantsmaseru@state.gov or mailed to/handed in to U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office 254 Kingsway P.O. Box 333 Maseru 100, Lesotho Any application that is received after the deadline, is incomplete, or is missing required documentation will be rejected. Please Note: The Special Projects Office retains the right to ask for additional documents not included in this NOFO. Additional information that successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal Award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, may include: Pre-award Meetings; Written responses and any revised application documents addressing any conditions or recommendations from the review panel; Bank account information; and Other requested information or documents discussed during negotiations prior to issuance of a Federal award. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION The Special Projects Office will determine eligibility for all applications and then each application will be evaluated and rated individually against the following criteria, listed below. The Special Projects Office strives to ensure each application receives a balanced evaluation by a review panel. The application should be responsive to the NOFO. Applicants should not request more than $20,000 USD and each applicant/organization will only receive one award. Competitive applications should clearly indicate the district or districts they want to work in by order of preference (e.g., first choice, second choice, etc.). Each applicant/organization will only be able to provide community monitoring in one district. The application should clearly indicate the number of health facilities it can monitor and detail how activities will be carried out. The objectives should be clear, measurable, and have a well-articulated timeline. The budget must be complete and reasonable in relation to the number of health facilities being monitored, proposed activities and anticipated results, and the plan for services and related cost estimates must also be realistic. After rating, shortlisted applicants will be contacted and may be asked for an interview to provide additional information or clarification on portions of their application and may be asked to accommodate a site visit. The final list of applicants will be presented to an internal review panel for final selection. Applicants not selected will receive notification that they will not receive a grant. F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION The grant award shall be written, signed, awarded and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient. All awards will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds will be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner. All other details related to award administration will be specified in the award agreement as well.