STRENGTHENING CIVIC ADVOCACY AND LOCAL ENGAGEMENT (SCALE)
NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)
NOFO REFERENCE NUMBER: 217787009
INTRODUCTION
The Nigeria Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Palladium through a cooperative agreement With USAID. The goal of the project is to improve public accountability, transparency, and sustainable service delivery in Nigeria. The strategic objective is to strengthen the financial, management, and advocacy capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) and business membership organizations (BMOs) in Nigeria to create a more accountable, transparent, peaceful, and democratic Nigeria with more effective and efficient public service delivery. The project emphasizes leadership and innovation and explicitly aims to engage marginalized populations, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other minorities in the process
The SCALE project has five main components:
1. Improve Organizational Capacity, Managerial, Financial, and Institutional Strengthening for Sustainability of targeted CSOBMO coalitions for a more effective and efficient public service delivery
2. Enhance Capacity for Improved CSOs/BMOs Advocacy, Collaboration, and Management
3. Improve the Policy and Regulatory Enabling Environment for Civil Society
4. Countering Trafficking in Persons (CTIP)
5. Sector (SGBV, Child and Early Forced Marriage) Strengthening and Advocacy
KEY SECTORS
Key priority sectors include health, educaton, economic growth, WASH, gender equality and social inclusion (GES), human rights, trafficking in persons, elections, sexual and gender-based violence, early child and forced marriage, enabling environment/civic space, agriculture, peace and justice, human rights, security, anti-corruption, extractive, religious tolerance, trade, and youth development
GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
SCALE works across all the States of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
PURPOSE
SCALE Project is seeking to issue grants under the SCALE Innovation Fund (SIF) for innovative approaches that will promote citizen and government engagement towards creating a more accountable, transparent peaceful, and democratic Nigeria with more effective and efficient service delivery across the project’s priority sectors. The motivation of the SIF is to identify organizations with innovative initiatives and solutions for tackling the different complex governance issues in Nigeria, ranging from citizen participation to effective governance.
AWARD INFORMATION
1. Expected number of awards-1
2. Financial range or individual awards Subject to the availability of funds, the value of each grant will depend on the activities proposed.
However, the Project anticipates awarding grants of 2,000,000 to 20,000,000
3. Anticipated Start Date and Performance Period. The anticipated award date will be dependent on successful review, completion, and approval of the proposed applications, with a performance period of three to twelve months.
4. Assistance sub-awards. Pursuant to Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200.400 it is USAID policy not to award profit under assistance instruments. However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the agreement program and are in accordance with applicable cost principles (2 CFR 200 Section E for non-profit organizations and 48 CFR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) Part 31 for for-profit organizations) will be considered in establishing the final amount or the subaward. Awards made to non-U.S. organizations will adhere to guidance provided under ADS Chapter 303 standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Non-governmental Recipients, “Grants and Cooperative Agreements to Non-Governmental Organizations” and will be within the terms of the USAID, as well as the project’s grants procedures. ADS 303 references three additional regulatory documents issued by the U.S. Governments Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Agency for International Development
- 22 CFR 226: Administration of Assistance Awards to U.S. Non-Governmental organizations
- OMB Circular A-122: Cost Principles for Non-profit Organization
- OMB Crcular A-1 333: Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-profit Organizations
Full text of the OMB circulars can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/. The project is required to ensure that all organizations receiving USAID grant funds comply with the guidance found in these circulars, as applicable to the respective terms and conditions of their grant awards. Under this grant program, USAID retains the right at all times to terminate, in whole or in part, the project’s grant-making authorities.
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be considered for this subaward, applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) including Business Members Organizations (BMOs), Local Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) and Private for- Profit Organizations. organizations new to USAID funding are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Must operate as an independent non-politically affiliated organization.
- Must be a registered legal entity in Nigeria, as applicable, at least one year prio to the submission.
- Must not be debarred, suspended, excluded or otherwise ineligible to receive US Federal Funding
REQUESTING THE FULL NOFO (REQUIRED FOR CONCEPT NOTE SUBMISSION)
For the full NOFO, interested and eligible organizations should go to: https://www.thepalladiumgroup.com/tenders or send a request to
NGSCALE.Grants@thepaladiumgroup.com
The project will hold two virtual pre-application conferences on March 3, 2022, and August 30, 2022. This conference will afford interested applicants the chance to ask questions about the NOFO.
Interested parties that would like to attend this workshop must confirm their attendance by sending the participants name and the organization’s name to
NGSCALE.Grants@thepaladiumgroup.com
