Deadline: 4 May 2020
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Nigeria) is seeking applications for a Cooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement the “Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement” (SCALE) program.
The United States Agency for International Development’s Mission to Nigeria (USAID/Nigeria) intends to award a Cooperative Agreement to implement a “Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement” (“SCALE”) Activity to strengthen the financial, managerial, technical and advocacy capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) and business membership organizations (BMOs) in Nigeria. This activity will be carried out over a five-year period from the effective date of award.
The objective of the SCALE Activity is to support CSOs and BMOs across all of USAID/Nigeria’s programmatic sectors with a basket of managerial, business strengthening, and advocacy capacity-building interventions aimed at advancing Nigerian CSO sustainability combined with targeted grants to advance mutually agreed upon priorities. The activity is designed to enhance local civil society organizations’ ability to be positive and responsible change agents in Nigeria. Applicants are encouraged to form partnerships or consortiums, including with non-traditional USAID partners to implement the proposed activity.
The new civil society strengthening activity will build on the achievements of the Mission’s previous civil society activity entitled, “Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (SACE)” which ended on January 1, 2019.
To achieve this purpose, SCALE will strengthen CSOs and BMOs managerial, technical and advocacy capacities through the following activity components:
- Component One – Improve CSO organizational capacity
- Component Two – Enhance capacity for CSO advocacy, collaboration and management
- Component Three – Improve the policy and regulatory environment for civil society
- Component Four – Countering Trafficking in Persons (CTIP)
- Component Five – Sector strengthening and advocacy
This activity will provide a basket of capacity strengthening interventions for five years, to CSOs working on health (population, nutrition, HIV/AIDS/TB), education, economic growth, inclusion, gender equality/women’s empowerment, sexual and gender-based violence, child early and forced marriage, Countering Trafficking-in-Persons (CTIP), transparency and accountability and other key sectors to improve the managerial and advocacy technical capacity of CSOs to drive policy change and greater public accountability. These interventions may include managerial and financial training for CSOs internal capacity strengthening, accountability and process strengthening, advocacy technical capacity to be able to design and implement activities, strong modalities to engage government and other stakeholders with evidence and solutions to key policy challenges.
Geographic Focus
This civil society activity will include targeted activities at the national and sub-national levels nationwide with particular focus on states with active USAID programs. Decisions concerning the level of intervention will be determined based on the reforms that are being addressed, CSO sectoral and participating technical office needs, outcomes of assessments, and the current technical focus of other USAID technical teams. Priority will be given to states with current and planned USAID investments and where the Mission’s technical teams have program investments in health, education, good governance, and economic growth, respectively covering at least two thirds of states in Nigeria.
Funding Information
USAID intends to provide $30,000,000 to $33,000,000 in total USAID funding over a five (5) year period.
Eligibility Criteria
- Qualified U.S. and non-U.S. organizations (other than those from foreign policy restricted countries) are eligible to apply under this NOFO. Potential for-profit Applicants should note that, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.400(g), profit, which is any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs, is not an allowable cost for Recipients of USAID assistance awards and cannot be part of the activity budget. However, the prohibition against profit does not apply to procurement contracts made under the assistance instrument when the Recipient procures goods and services in accordance with the Procurement Standards found in 2 CFR 200.317 to 326.
- USAID welcomes applications from organizations which have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325994
