Call for Proposals: Mongolia Water Compact Public Outreach Program

Deadline: 20-Sep-20

The U.S. Embassy is accepting applications from local civil society organizations, coalitions/networks, and academic institutions to implement a small grant-funded program to design and conduct outreach activities publicizing the potential benefits of the MCC’s water compact in Mongolia.

The purpose of this program is to amplify the MCC and the Embassy’s communication strategies and activities regarding the Compact in order to achieve more positive exposure for the program and garner further support from the Mongolian public.

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government agency that assists developing countries committed to good governance, economic freedom, and investment in their people. The Mongolia Water Compact was signed between the United States of America, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Government of Mongolia, acting through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in July 2018. The Mongolia Water Compact will address one of the most binding constraints to economic growth of Ulaanbaatar city: costly access to water and sanitation. The Compact will assist the Government in alleviating an imminent water shortage and meeting the projected demand for water in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar for residential consumers and commercial and industrial users through three closely related investment activities.

As envisioned by the Embassy, the program will include the following:

A SPEAKER PROJECT: work with the Embassy and the MCC office in Mongolia to identify one to two U.S. expert speakers for a one-week visiting program on water issues to engage and build ties with water specialists, administrators, academics, policy makers, engineers, students, film makers, citizen’s organizations, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders for a series of meetings and public outreach activities. The selected organization will plan, organize, implement, and manage travel and outreach events targeting key stakeholders, program beneficiaries, and the general public.
SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILMS: Work with the MCC and the Embassy public affairs section to develop and produce a high production value short video for social media and a 35-45 second video for broadcast television highlighting the public benefits of the Mongolia Water Compact operations and the reasons why the United States is providing a grant to help provide access to clean water essential for Ulaanbaatar’s public health and economic growth. These videos are to be used on various media platforms and events throughout the duration of the Compact in Mongolia.
VIDEO COMPETITION: A short film competition for films focused on the importance of access to water for families, communities, and businesses in Ulaanbaatar. This project will be associated with the U.S. Embassy American Film Showcase (AFS) program in 2021. The AFS component will include moderated film screenings, discussions, and exchanges with U.S. film makers and subject matter experts on the theme of water management.

Funding Information

Anticipated award amount: $15,000 to $20,0000
Length of performance period: up to 12 months
Anticipated program start date: October 01, 2020

Participants and Audiences

All programs should be designed to engage with the Mongolian public. The participants should consist of MCC Mongolia, the U.S. Embassy, national and local government officials, administrators, policy makers, opinion leaders, water specialists, researchers, academics, scientists, students, film makers, media, social media influencers, civil society, and community organizations.

Eligibility Criteria

The Embassy encourages applications from U.S. and Mongolia:

Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society organizations
Non-governmental organizations with speaker and film programming experience
Non-profit or governmental educational institutions

Application and Submission Form

Application should be submitted via email to grants by 23:59 Sep 20, 2020.

Content of Application
Please ensure:

The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity

All documents are in English
All budgets are in U.S. dollars
All pages are numbered

Proposal (5 pages maximum)

The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, or the “Suggested Grant Application Form available that include all the items below.

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 ability to carry out the speaker specific and video content related program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and other entities.
Program Activities and Timeline: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the Program Objectives stated in Section A. For the proposed timeline, 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 type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees.
Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful application. Throughout the time-frame, 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 program?
Funding or Sustainability: Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the performance period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

Application Review Information

The proposal will be compared against limited number of other proposals. It will be reviewed to ensure that it is sufficiently strong in the following areas to merit funding: