USAID E-WASH Program “Urban WASH CSO Capacity Building Grant” – Nigeria

Deadline: 15 June 2020

The USAID E-WASH Program aims to build the capacity of core partner civil society organizations (CSOs) that are receiving and managing grants from the Program in line with the USAID Forward initiative. Toward this, E-WASH is seeking to partner with eligible civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Nigerian institutions of higher learning, and/or for-profit entities to build the capacity of its partner CSOs in the intervention states.

As part of the U.S. Government’s (USG) efforts to address gaps in urban WASH services in Nigeria, USAID Nigeria will improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance and financial and technical viability of six SWBs in Nigeria. These efforts align with the USAID Water and Development Strategy 2013/2018 Strategic “Objective: Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).”

They also align with the USAID/Nigeria Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) which seeks to:

• Strengthen good governance
• Improve responsiveness of selected government institutions
• Increase capacity for civic advocacy, monitoring and engagement

The overall objective of the USAID E-WASH Program is to assist the GON to expand and improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of selected SWBs in Nigeria. The USAID E-WASH Program will concentrate on solidifying state, municipal and utility-level governance gain which will manifest in improved water supply services, and improve the ability to regulate, manage, and expand sanitation services.

Urban WASH CSO Capacity Building Grant Program Objectives

The overall objective of the CSO Capacity Building Grant is:

• To enhance the organizational and technical capacity of E-WASH core partner CSOs to bolster their role in the areas of social accountability, monitoring, service provision, and sanitation and hygiene promotion.
• To provide capacity building on COVID-19 Risk Communication and Social and Behavioral Change Communications to promote best hygiene behaviors in at-risk urban communities
• Through this award, E-WASH targets an overall 75 percent net change in core partner CSO organizational and technical performance over the life of the E-WASH project (ends February 2022). Hence, the goal is core partner CSO net capacity performance increase of 32.8 percent by 2022.

Outcomes

Grantee performance will be evaluated using E-WASH program indicators:

• DO3-20: (outcome): Net change in advocacy technical capacity of core partner civil society organizations (standard from DO PMP indicators)
• DO3-21: (output): Number of CSOs receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions (standard from DO PMP indicators)
• DO3-18: (outcome): Number of reforms introduced, adopted, repealed, changed or implemented consistent with citizen input (standard from DO PMP indicators)
• EWA2.1.1.2.2: (outcome): Number of WASH sector reforms introduced, adopted, repealed, changed or implemented consistent with knowledge, best practices, lessons learned and evidence from CLA events & MERLA data (custom)

Grant Information

• Funding amount for each award (estimated maximum): Up to 200,000 USD
• Duration of award: One (1) year

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements to qualify for funding under this RFA:

• Be legally registered as a civil society organization, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Nigerian institutions of higher learning, and/or for-profit entities and have capacity to operate in Nigeria.
• Have a physical office in Nigeria.
• Have a proven track record of successful implementation of WASH-related capacity building interventions in Nigeria.
• Have been active for at least 3 years operating within their sector and respective state.
• Have three or more full- or part-time staff.
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, not acting as an intermediary/consultant.
• Be willing to comply with all technical and financial requirements for participation in the program, including reporting and documentation of project activities, communication strategy and capacity development opportunities.
• Be willing to participate in assessments, trainings, workshops, or other activities considered important for achieving project goals and strengthening organizational capacity
• Be eligible to receive funded awards from the United States government

Expected Results

Recipients under this funding opportunity will support E-WASH to improve the capacity of its partnership grantees in the below areas:

• Governance
• Urban WASH Experience, Knowledge and Skills
• Advocacy and Strategic Communications
• Resource Mobilization
• Gender Mainstreaming Systems
• Knowledge Management and Communications/Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

For more information, visit https://www.rti.org/sites/default/files/e-wash_rfa_capacity_building_grant_final.pdf