U.S. Embassy in Georgia

Georgian Regional and Online Media Support Program

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. EMBASSY TBILISI

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Funding Opportunity Title: Georgian Regional and Online Media Support Program

Funding Opportunity Number: DOSGEO-23-GR-015-GEO-07142023

Deadline for Applications: 08/18/2023

Assistance Listing Number: 19.900 — AEECA/ESF PD Programs

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs may start in October 2023. The grant period should not exceed 18 months. 

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy Tbilisi announces an open competition for investigative journalism support through a grants program. The goal of the Georgian Regional and Online Media Support Program is to empower regional and online media through content development and the production of a series of investigative stories. Media collaboration between national online and regional outlets is encouraged and will be given priority by the selection panel.  

Program Objectives: 

The Program aims to support investigative journalism to empower regional media organizations and nationwide digital multimedia outlets. Grants will be awarded to these organizations to produce a series of stories serving the high public interest. Media collaboration between national online and regional outlets is encouraged and will be given priority by the Selection Panel.  

The maximum amount of a grant award is $50,000 per project. In case of media collaborations between national online and regional outlets, the amount will increase up to $70,000.

The topics of stories may include, but are not limited to: 

• Disinformation/fake news jeopardizing democracy and human rights.
• Flaws in government-to-media relations. 
• Corruption and financial crime.
• Daily economic issues facing Georgians in the regions.
• Government’s progress in investigating violations of public safety and security, or the lack of such. 

B. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 

The following organizations are eligible to apply: 

• Regional media outlets registered in Georgia
• National online media outlets registered in Georgia 

Other Eligibility Requirements: 

In order to be eligible to receive an award, the applicant organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please note that process of registration on the SAM.gov portal can take a substantial amount of time, so we recommend starting the process as early as possible. 

Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing; however in-kind contributions will be favorably considered.  

C. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

Address to Request Application Package

Application forms required below are available at grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/forms/sf-424-family.html 

Completed application and required supporting documents must be submitted electronically to:   TbilisiGrants@state.gov  Please include the program name – Georgian Regional and Online Media Support Program in the subject line.  

Please, be advised that the application package must be archived only in the ZIP archive. Email attachments exceeding 6MB in size and RAR files will not be accepted. 

Content and Form of Application Submission: Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. 

Content of Application Package:

The following documents are required: 

Mandatory application forms:

SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) 

SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) 

SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) 

The application form see at the bottom of this document.

Copy of registration on SAM.gov 

Copy of organization registration certificate

Proposal: The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. See the grant application form on page 8. The formatted proposal should include the following:

• Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact.
• Introduction to the Organization applying: A description of past and present operations, showing an ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies.
• Problem Statement: Clear, concise, and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed.
• Program Goals and Objectives:  The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable.
• Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives. 
• Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal. Include a logic model as appropriate. 
• Proposed Program Schedule and Timeline:  The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.
• Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles, and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program?  
• Program Partners:  List the names and types of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees.
• Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant? 
• Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

Guidelines for Budget Justification 

After filling out the SF-424A Budget form, use a separate sheet of paper to describe each of the budget expenses in detail. The budget narrative should follow the actual budget presentation itself and describe in some detail the costs presented in the budget. In other words, the narrative explains, line by line, what the numbers mean and how they were determined. 

Personnel: Describe the wages, salaries, and benefits of temporary or permanent staff who will be working directly for the applicant on the program, and the percentage of their time that will be spent on the program. Fees are paid to the people who will spend the majority of their time on the project and have signed contracts. The fees should be calculated on the total number of hours worked for the duration of the project. Fee levels should be reasonable and no higher than other local salaries and should include all local taxes.

Travel: Estimate the costs of travel and per diem for this program, for program staff, consultants or speakers, and participants/beneficiaries. Funds may not be used to pay for travel to the United States or for travel grants.  

Equipment: Describe any piece of equipment that is required for the program, which has a useful life of more than one year (or a life longer than the duration of the program).

Supplies: List and describe all the items and materials, including any computer devices, that are needed for the program. If an item costs more than $5,000 per unit, then put it in the budget under Equipment. 

Contractual: Describe goods and services that the applicant plans to acquire through a contract with a vendor. Also, describe any sub-awards to a partnering organization that will help carry out the program activities in case of media collaboration.  

Other Direct Costs: Describe other costs directly associated with the program, which do not fit in the other categories. For example, shipping costs for materials and equipment or applicable taxes. All “Other” or “Miscellaneous” expenses must be itemized and explained. 

 “Cost Sharing” refers to contributions from the organization or other entities other than the U.S. Embassy. 

Alcoholic Beverages: Please note that award funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages. Funds may not be used to pay for travel to the United States.

Funds may not be used to provide direct social services to populations, such as health care, childcare, food subsidies, etc. 

D. SUBMISSION DATE:

Application submission dates: August 18, 2023.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:

Criteria:

Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below.

 

Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – 30 points:  The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.   

Organizational Capacity – 20 points: The organization has expertise in its stated field and has internal controls in place to manage federal funds. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives – 25 points: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and the program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.

Budget – 15 points: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities. 

Monitoring and risk assessment plan – 10 points: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured.

Federal Awardee Performance & Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)

For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold on any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity may include, over the period of performance (see §200.88 Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants:

i. That the Federal awarding agency, prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

ii. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

iii. That the Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 

Federal Award Notices 

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

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: 

Payments will be made in bank tranches. An initial segment will be authorized to initiate the project. 

Reporting Requirements: 

Recipients will be required to submit financial reports and program reports. The award document will specify how often these reports must be submitted. All recipients must submit a formal report to the Grants Officer upon completion of the project. The report should discuss what was done, whether the project was successful from the applicant’s perspective, and how it might be improved in the future. Copies of video materials, CDs, and other video and audio aids generated during the implementation of the project attesting to the success of the grant activities are welcome. 

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications that will apply to this award, to ensure that they will be able to comply.  

These include:

• 2 CFR 25 – UNIVERSAL IDENTIFIER AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT
• 2 CFR 170 – REPORTING SUBAWARD AND EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INFORMATION
• 2 CFR 175 – AWARD TERM FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
• 2 CFR 182 – GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE)
• 2 CFR 183 – NEVER CONTRACT WITH THE ENEMY
• 2 CFR 600 – DEPARTMENT OF STATE REQUIREMENTS
• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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 the use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR part 200.322), and
  • 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).

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: TbilisiGrants@state.gov