Deadline: 31-Jul-23
The United States Department of State (DOS) and Bureau of African Affairs (AF) announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for organizations interested in submitting proposals to support the implementation of commitments in the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) peace agreement.
AF welcomes proposals for work focused on engaging key South Sudan-based stakeholders on peace and security issues as well as proposals to strengthen South Sudanese civil society actors seeking to promote greater inclusivity of the delayed constitutional drafting and electoral processes.
Program Goals and Objectives
- This program will support negotiations between the civilian elements of the government of South Sudan and sub-national civilian actors both within government and from civil society. The awardee will implement lessons learned from the failures of the National Dialogue process and previous peace process negotiations from other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa to advance widespread South Sudanese hopes for a more inclusive, de-centralized constitutional framework and associated electoral processes. The program will work to enrich the capacity of the local CSOs as a means of sustaining the long-term impact of South Sudanese civil society given ongoing threats to civic space in South Sudan.
- This program has the following objectives:
- Objective 1: Facilitate, empower, and provide a platform for discussion and negotiations among various groups in South Sudan, which may include signatories of the 2018 R-ARCSS peace agreement and sub-national actors and civil society organizations (CSOs) based in South Sudan to bolster dialogue between the various groups.
- Objective 2: Strengthen South Sudanese-based CSOs’ ability to engage their government and community leaders as a part of the peace process in South Sudan.
Funding Information
- Subject to the availability of funds, AF intends to issue one award not to exceed $500,000 for a project period of up to 18 months.
Main Activities
- All activities should be clearly developed and sufficiently detailed to explain the resource and time requirements and how they contribute to the objectives and goals.
- Please identify target areas for activities (noting particular areas where conflict is present and areas outside of Juba); target participant groups or selection criteria for participants; target civil society organizations; and how the project will engage relevant stakeholders across all factions of South Sudanese society and local partners, as appropriate. Project activities may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Providing training and workshops to build capacity of South Sudanese civil society leaders to improve their advocacy and social campaigning skill sets;
- Providing technical assistance to support organizing efforts among more vulnerable populations (women, youth, people with disabilities, etc.) and the professionalization of their networks;
- Developing and implementing South Sudanese civil society-led framework of recommendations for the peace process and accountability, and engaging key stakeholders and decision makers at the local, national, and international levels;
- Developing an inclusive network of civil society advocates to inform one another on different advocacy actions and lessons learned; and
- When applicable, improving human resource management, technical, and financial management skill sets for long-term organization strengthening, including providing financial and grants management support, writing accurate and timely progress reports, and developing monitoring and evaluation skills.
Performance Indicators
- The award Recipient will be required to monitor and report on performance indicators relevant to the scope, objectives, and expected results of the program as articulated in this NOFO. Details should be included on what sources of data will be used to document performance. Indicators should be relevant to the goals or objectives of the program.
- If/when an award is made, AF will work with the final selected Applicant to develop a holistic set of indicators that includes some provided by the USG and some suggested by the Applicant. These indicators should include output level analysis throughout. Illustrative indicators can include but are not limited to the following:
- Number of civil society organizations engaging in the South Sudanese Peace process;
- Number of meetings organized between government and community leaders and civil society organizations;
- Number of recommendations from civil society included in final peace process negotiation documentation;
- The number of civil society organizations receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions; and
- Percentage of activity participates who state that their knowledge of civil society led advocacy has been increased.
Expected Results
- Based on the goals and objectives of the program, the expected results may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Increased capacity of South Sudanese civil society to engage regularly with government and local community to express concerns about the peace process;
- Strengthened capacity of South Sudanese civil society to advocate for community-led priorities during the peace process implementation; and
- Stronger cross-sector collaboration among civil society organizations to advocate for community-based priorities during the peace agreement implementation discussions and to counter increasing threats to their work.
Eligibility Criteria
- In the submission of their proposal, applicants should:
- Demonstrate past performance, experience, and expertise in civil society capacity building in South Sudan;
- Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the political landscapes, sensitivities, history, and culture of communities in South Sudan;
- Emphasize the development of an institutional framework, training, and sustainability model that encourages transparency and collaboration; and
- Identify ways to engage with the array of civil society actors, international nongovernmental organizations, public international organizations, and other key stakeholders in the peace negotiation process in South Sudan.
- The Department of State will issue an award to the Applicant whose application represents the best value to the U.S. Government based on technical merit, efficient use of U.S. Government funds, and satisfactory organizational capacity. The Department of State reserves the right to make an award based on the initial application received, with or without discussion or negotiations. Therefore, applications should contain the Applicants’ best terms from both cost and technical standpoints. Applicants should also demonstrate in-depth understanding of a wide range of governance structures.
- Eligibility Category:
- Public International Organizations (PIOs).
- U.S.- based non-profit/non-governmental organizations having a 501 (c)(3) status with the IRS.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.