Public Notice

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Statements of Interest: CHINA PROGRAMS

I. Requested Statements of Interest Objectives

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) outlining project concepts and capacity to manage projects that will support the bureau’s policy priorities of fostering democracy and human rights in China.

PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly encourages applicants to access immediately www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov in order to obtain a username and password. GrantSolutions.gov is highly recommended for all submissions and is DRLs preferred choice of receiving applications. To register with GrantSolutions.gov for the first time, click “Login to GrantSolutions” and follow the “First Time Users” link to the “New Organization Registration Page.” On the next page, click on “Continue the GrantSolutions registration process without a DUNS number” if you do not have a DUNS number and sam.gov registration. Otherwise, select the option that best fits. For more information, please see DRL’s Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for Statements of Interest, as updated in July 2015, available at: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

The submission of a SOI is the first step in a two-part process. Prospective applicants must first submit a SOI, which are concise, 3-page concept notes designed to clearly communicate a project idea and objectives without requiring development of a complete application. Upon review of eligible SOIs, selected prospective applicants will be invited to expand their ideas into an application. The intention of requesting SOIs first is to provide prospective applicants the time to develop new and innovative ideas to address current challenges to rule of law, civil society, religious freedom, labor rights, public participation, and freedom of information/expression in China.

Projects should have a direct and lasting impact by promoting reforms and structural changes that take advantage of changing social and political dynamics in China in the areas of rule of law, civil society, religious freedom, labor rights, public participation, and freedom of information/expression as outlined below. High preference will be given to cutting edge, innovative, creative, entrepreneurial program concepts that are responsive to emerging trends in Chinese society, and that leverage existing and emerging social media platforms to maximize project effectiveness. DRL is also interested in projects that provide a proportion of funds for low-cost, high-impact small grants programs. Projects may engage on non-traditional human rights issues that are of broad concern to Chinese citizens, such as environmental protection, food safety, domestic violence, disability rights, and government transparency.

DRL invites organizations to submit statements of interest outlining program concepts and organizational capacity to manage projects that will advance DRL policy priorities in the following areas:

• Rule of Law ($500,000 to $1,500,000 per proposal): Encourage legal reform, support implementation of existing laws consistent with international human rights norms and/or laws that address issues of concern to citizens; support input into new draft laws or draft revised laws under review, especially on issues of broad concern (e.g. Domestic Violence Law, Food Safety Law); support measures to help China implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly with regard to inclusive education and employment issues; promote public interest law and the legal profession; establish better support systems for public interest and criminal defense lawyers; support pro-bono attorneys, legal aid, and/or targeted legal defense micro-grants; provide lawyers and legal activists with the resources to hold authorities accountable for the implementation of new laws, such as the amended Criminal Procedure Law and the Environmental Protection Law; improve legal rights awareness and access to justice for Chinese citizens, particularly underserved and vulnerable populations.

• Civil Society ($500,000 to $1,500,000 per proposal): Build the capacity of non-governmental actors or entities to improve organizational, fundraising, collaboration, and/or advocacy skills; provide micro- or small grants to support grassroots civil society organizations and activists engaging in innovative advocacy campaigns; enhance cross-sector collaboration and support the development of domestic funding systems for NGOs; professionalize the charitable sector to align with international best practices; reform or establish underlying systems and institutions in the nonprofit sector that support civil society development; promote the human rights of LGBT people, persons with disabilities, rural citizens who have lost their land, ethnic minorities, and other marginalized groups.

• Religious Freedom ($500,000 to $1,500,000 per proposal): Engage relevant stakeholders to encourage legal and policy reform expanding religious freedom, including investments in key academics connected to policymakers to better understand the positive role of religion; promote advocacy for the rights of religious minorities and unofficial religious groups, including minority women and female members of religious groups; bolster the ability of lawyers to take on religious freedom cases; support inter-faith collaboration in promoting religious freedom, including efforts to foster dialogue among multiple stakeholders on religious pluralism; and encourage space for religious organizations to provide social services and conduct advocacy as a means of demonstrating the value of religious pluralism in protection of social harmony, such as pilot projects that showcase the positive contributions of religious organizations to social service provision.

• Labor Rights ($500,000 to $1,500,000 per proposal): Strengthen the ability of workers and workers’ organizations to advocate for improved working conditions, respect for fundamental labor rights, and election of worker representatives at the factory level, including by providing legal aid and labor rights trainings for workers and worker activists; improve access to justice for migrant workers, with particular emphasis on supporting grassroots migrant worker activists and labor organizations; promote implementation and enforcement of worker-friendly provisions of existing labor laws, including through reform-centered legal advocacy and outreach; promote representative, interests-based bargaining at the enterprise or industrial sector level, through for example, trainings on collective bargaining and other collective agreement and dispute resolution processes; encourage existing unions to improve representation of workers’ interests, in particular by increasing the role and voice of women, youth and other under-represented workers’ groups in leadership roles within the union; broaden the space for workplace democracy, including by taking advantage of provincial and sub-provincial government regulations and policies with regard to 1) the free election of trade union leaders at the enterprise level, and/or 2) participation by elected worker representatives in enterprise-level collective bargaining.

• Public Participation, Freedom of Information, and Freedom of Expression ($500,000 to $1,500,000 per proposal): Improve the quality and scope of citizen input into government decision-making; develop online and/or other platforms to enhance accountability and public participation in government decision-making at local levels; promote government information transparency and accountability on a range of issues of importance to wide sectors of Chinese society, including through implementation and use of the Open Government Information Regulations; strengthen and institutionalize public participation methods; encourage freedom of information; develop and implement best practices for ethical and financial standards in support of transparency and accountability; support press freedom and the professionalization of journalists, including use of advanced journalism tools; promote freedom of expression and information, including through new media platforms and other creative and/or innovative tools.

Approximately $10,000,000 in HRDF funds from the FY 2015 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act will be available for China programs. To support direct and indirect costs required for implementation, the Bureau anticipates making awards in amounts of $500,000 to $1,500,000 for one to three year programs for human rights, rule of law, labor rights, religious freedom, civil society, and other programs in the priority areas listed above. SOIs that request less than the award floor or more than the award ceiling will be deemed technically ineligible.

Projects should have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms, and should have potential for continued funding beyond DRL resources. DRL prefers innovative and creative approaches rather than projects that simply duplicate or add to efforts by other entities. This does not exclude projects that clearly build off existing successful projects in a new and innovative way from consideration. DRL also strives to ensure its projects advance the rights and uphold the dignity of the most vulnerable or at-risk populations, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. To the extent possible, applicants should identify and address considerations to support these populations in all proposed program activities and objectives, as appropriate.

Activities that typically are not considered competitive include:

• The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance;

• English language instruction;

• Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;

• Purely academic exchanges or fellowships;

• External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;

• Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or that do not relate to security concerns;

• Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;

• Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives;

• Activities that go beyond an organization’s demonstrated competence, or fail to provide clear evidence of the ability of the applicant to achieve the stated impact.

II. Eligibility Information:

Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:

• Be a U.S.-based or foreign-based non-profit organization/non-government organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or

• Be a private, public, or state institutions of higher education; or

• Be a for-profit organization or business, although there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30 (“Cost Accounting Standards Administration”), 48 CFR 31 (“Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”); and

• Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including industry and NGOs; and

• Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar projects. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.

Organizations may form consortia and submit a combined SOI. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant.

DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited. For-profit entities should be aware that its application may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process.

DRL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its projects and activities. DRL welcomes SOI submissions irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status. DRL welcomes SOIs from organizations working with the most at risk and vulnerable communities, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, members of ethnic or religious minority groups, and LGBTI persons.

No entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM) is eligible for any assistance or can participate in any activities under an award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.”

Organizations are not required to have a valid Unique Entity Identified (UEI) number, formerly referred to as a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number, and an active SAM.gov registration to apply for this solicitation through GrantSolutions.gov. However, if a SOI is approved, these will need to be obtained before an organization is able to submit a full application.

III. Application Requirements, Deadline, and Technical Eligibility

All SOIs must conform to DRL’s posted Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for Statements of Interest, as updated in July 2015, available at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

Complete SOI submissions must include the following:

1. Completed and signed SF-424 and SF424B, as directed on GrantSolutions.gov or Grants.gov (please refer to DRL’s PSI for SOIs for guidance on completing the SF-424); and,

2. Executive Summary (not to exceed three [3] pages in Microsoft Word) that includes:

a) A table listing:

i. The target country/countries;

ii. The total amount of funding requested from DRL, total amount of cost-share (if any), and total program amount (DRL funds + cost-share); and,

iii. Program length;

b) A synopsis of the project, including a brief statement on how the project will have a demonstrated impact, engage relevant stakeholders, and it should identify local partners as appropriate;

c) A concise breakdown explicitly identifying the project’s objectives and the activities and expected results that contribute to each objective; and,

d) A brief description of the applicant(s) that demonstrates applicant(s) expertise and capacity to implement the program and manage a U.S. government award.

An organization may submit no more than two [2] SOIs. SOIs that request less than $500,000 or more than $1,500,000 may be deemed technically ineligible.

Technically eligible SOIs are those which:

1) Arrive electronically via GrantSolutions.gov or Grants.gov by 11:30 p.m. EDT on September 11, 2015 under the announcement title “DRL China FY15 RSOI”;

2) Are in English;

3) Heed all instructions and do not violate any of the guidelines stated in this solicitation and the PSI for Statements of Interest.

For all SOI documents please ensure:

1) All pages are numbered;

2) All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,

3) All documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Times New Roman font. Font sizes in charts and tables can be reformatted to fit within one page width.

Grants.gov and Grantsolutions.gov automatically logs the date and time a submission is made, and the Department of State will use this information to determine whether it has been submitted on time. Late submissions are neither reviewed nor considered unless the DRL point of contact listed in section VI is contacted prior to the deadline and is provided with evidence of system errors caused by www.grants.gov or www.grantsolutions.gov that is outside of the prospective applicants’ control and is the sole reason for a late submission. Prospective applicants should not expect a notification upon DRL receiving their SOI. It is the sole responsibility of the prospective applicant to ensure that all of the material submitted in the SOI submission package is complete, accurate, and current. DRL will not accept SOIs submitted via email, fax, the postal system, or delivery companies or couriers. DRL strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit SOIs before September 11, 2015 to ensure that the SOI has been received and is complete.

IV. Review and Selection Process

The Department’s Office of Acquisitions Management (AQM) will determine technical eligibility for all SOI submissions. All technically eligible SOIs will then be reviewed against the same four criteria by a DRL Review Panel, which includes quality of project idea, project planning, ability to achieve objectives/institutional capacity, and inclusive programming. Additionally, the Panel will evaluate how the SOI meets the solicitation request, U.S. foreign policy goals, and the priority needs of DRL overall. Panelists review each SOI individually against the evaluation criteria, not against competing SOIs. To ensure all SOIs receive a balanced evaluation, the DRL Review Panel will review the first page of the SOI up to the page limit and no further. DRL encourages organizations to use the given space effectively.

In most cases, the DRL Review Panel includes representatives from DRL and the appropriate Department of State regional bureau, which may request feedback on SOIs from the appropriate U.S. embassies. In some cases, additional panelists may participate, including from other Department of State bureaus or offices, U.S. government departments, agencies, or boards, representatives from partner governments, or representatives from entities that are in a public-private partnership with DRL. Once a SOI is approved, organizations of successful SOIs will be invited to submit an application based on their SOI. Unless directed otherwise by the organization, DRL may also refer SOIs for possible consideration in other U.S. government related funding opportunities. The Grants Officer Representative (GOR) for the eventual award does not vote on the panel. All Panelists must sign non-disclosure agreements and conflict of interest agreements.

The Panel may provide conditions and recommendations on SOIs to enhance the proposed project, which must be addressed by the organization when submitting an application. To ensure effective use of limited DRL funds, conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and project activities.

Review Criteria

Quality of Project Idea

SOIs should be responsive to the solicitation, appropriate in the country/regional context, and should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to DRL’s mission of promoting human rights and democracy. DRL prioritizes innovative and creative approaches rather than projects that simply duplicate or add to efforts by other entities. This does not exclude projects that clearly build off existing successful projects in a new and innovate way from consideration. In countries where similar activities are already taking place, an explanation should be provided as to how new activities will not duplicate or merely add to existing activities and how these efforts will be coordinated.

Project Planning

A strong SOI will include a clear articulation of how the proposed project activities and expected results (both outputs and outcomes) contribute to specific project objectives and the overall project goal. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measurable, results‑focused, and achievable in a reasonable time frame.

Ability to Achieve Objectives/Institutional Capacity

SOIs should address how the project will engage relevant stakeholders and should identify local partners as appropriate. If local partners are identified, prospective applicants should describe the division of labor among the prospective applicant and any local partners. SOIs should demonstrate the organizations’ expertise and previous experience in administering successful projects, preferably similar projects targeting the requested project area or similarly challenging project environments.

Inclusive Programming

DRL strives to ensure its projects advance the rights and uphold the dignity of the most at risk and vulnerable populations, including women, youth, people with disabilities, members of racial and ethnic or religious minority groups, and LGBTI persons. To the extent possible, organizations should identify and address considerations to support these populations in all proposed project activities and objectives. Strong justifications should be provided if unable to incorporate the most at risk and vulnerable populations within proposed project activities and objectives. SOIs that do not include this will not be considered highly competitive in this category.

For additional guidance, please see DRL’s posted Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for Statements of Interest, as updated in July 2015, available at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

V. Additional Information

DRL will not consider SOIs that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization. No entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM is eligible for any assistance.

Project activities that provide training or other assistance to foreign militaries or paramilitary groups or individuals will not be considered for DRL funding given purpose limitations on funding.

Restrictions may apply to any proposed assistance to police or other law enforcement. Among these, pursuant to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), no assistance provided may be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country when there is credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. In accordance with the requirements of section 620M of the FAA, also known as the Leahy law, project beneficiaries or participants from a foreign government’s security forces may need to be vetted by the Department before the provision of any assistance.

Organizations should be aware that DRL understands that some information contained in SOIs may be considered sensitive or proprietary and will make appropriate efforts to protect such information. However, organizations are advised that DRL cannot guarantee that such information will not be disclosed, including pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other similar statutes.

Organizations should also be aware that if ultimately selected for an award, the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards set forth in 2 CFR Chapter 200 (Sub-Chapters A through F) shall apply to all non-Federal entities, except for assistance awards to Individuals and Foreign Public Entities. Please note that as of December 26, 2014, 2 CFR 200 (Sub-Chapters A through E) now applies to foreign organizations, and Sub-Chapters A through D shall apply to all for-profit entities. The applicant/recipient of the award and any sub-recipient under the award must comply with all applicable terms and conditions, in addition to the assurance and certifications made part of the Notice of Award. The Department’s Standard Terms and Conditions can be viewed at https://www.statebuy.state.gov/fa/Documents/2015DeptTermsAndConditionsForUSandForeignOrg.pdf.

The information in this solicitation and DRL’s PSI for SOIs, as updated in July 2015, is binding and may not be modified by any DRL representative. Explanatory information provided by DRL that contradicts this language will not be binding. Issuance of the solicitation and negotiation of SOIs or applications does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government. DRL reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the project evaluation requirements.

This solicitation will appear on www.grants.gov, www.grantsolutions.gov, and DRL’s website http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

Background Information on DRL and general DRL funding

DRL is the foreign policy lead within the U.S. government on promoting democracy and protecting human rights globally. DRL supports projects that uphold democratic principles, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, prevent atrocities, combat and prevent violent extremism, and build civil society around the world. DRL typically focuses its work in countries with egregious human rights violations, where democracy and human rights advocates are under pressure, and where governments are undemocratic or in transition.

Additional background information on DRL and its efforts can be found on www.state.gov/j/drl and www.humanrights.gov.

VI. Contact Information

GrantSolutions.gov Help Desk:

For assistance with GrantSolutions.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please contact Customer Support at help@grantsolutions.gov or call 1-866-577-0771 (toll charges for international callers) or 1-202-401-5282. Customer Support is available 8 AM – 6 PM EST, Monday – Friday, except federal holidays.

Grants.gov Helpdesk:

For assistance with Grants.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays.

See http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/#url=2014 for a list of federal holidays.

For technical submission questions related to this solicitation, please contact Veronica Hernandez at Hernandezv2@state.gov.

With the exception of technical submission questions, during the solicitation period U.S. Department of State staff in Washington and overseas shall not discuss this competition until the entire review process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been transmitted.