THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 012531 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM AID CDC COM TRSY SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES' SMALL GRANTS INITIATIVE - PROJECT PROPOSAL SOLICITATION - DEADLINE EXTENDED STATE 00012531 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Given the overwhelming request to extend the proposal deadline date for the small grants initiative the secretary's global women's issues office will extend the February 15 proposal deadline date to February 19, 2010. However, this date will not be extended past February ¶19. We will alert you to whether or not this will affect the award date. We hope this extension will be useful and we look forward to receiving your proposals. ¶2. The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues ..(S/GWI) is pleased to announce the launch of its first small grants initiative designed to fund worthy projects that promote women's political, economic and social advancement in developing countries. Project proposals should not exceed $100,000. The deadline for proposal submission via cable is February 15, 2010. Posts will be notified of S/GWI decisions by March 19, 2010. Please include "S/GWI Project Proposal" in the subject line of the cable. End Summary. ¶3. Background: S/GWI's mandate is to develop and coordinate U.S. foreign policy and programs with the goal of advancing women's political, economic and social rights worldwide. To that end, S/GWI works to increase women's and girls' access to education and health care, to combat violence against women and girls in all its forms, and to ensure that women's rights are fully integrated with human rights in the development of U.S. foreign policy. ¶4. Funding source: S/GWI is soliciting project proposals to be funded with FY 2009 Development Assistance (DA) funds. These funds were appropriated for the purpose of supporting "programs to improve women's leadership capacity in developing countries." Congressional report language further specifies that funds are intended "for programs which enhance leadership and economic opportunities for women in developing countries. Funds should also be used to provide technical assistance and capacity building for women's organizations." Funds must be obligated by September 30, 2010. ¶5. Potential initiatives: Within the general scope described above, posts are encouraged to think creatively to identify and address priority issues facing women in the host country. (Please note that the funding for this small grants initiative comes from foreign assistance, which can only be used for programs that promote women's political, economic and social advancement in developing countries.) Project initiatives through this fund could include, but are not limited to, the following themes: -- Education: women's literacy and innovative ways to keep girls in school and help ensure safety while attending school; also, health education initiatives; -- Food security: supporting small holder female farmers through women's leadership and property rights training and land tenure reform advocacy initiatives; -- Climate change: support to women's community groups for training in adaptation and mitigation, and enhanced participation of women in climate change problem solving; -- Gender-based violence (GBV): support to NGOs or community-based resource centers in combating GBV manifesting in practices ranging from honor killings to indentured servitude; support for victims of domestic violence as well as rape as a tool of war, particularly in light of the Secretary's recent visit to the DRC and her focus on this issue; -- Economic opportunity: programs to provide training in business and management through mentoring, and support for women's artisan groups for product design, marketing, and related needs; -- Democracy and political empowerment: political and policy reform and leadership training initiatives; -- Legal reform: judicial and law enforcement training initiatives; promoting women's property rights; and equal access to justice. ¶6. Proposals: Proposals should not exceed six pages in length and must include the following: a statement STATE 00012531 002.2 OF 002 SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES' SMALL GRANTS INITIATIVE - PROJECT PROPOSAL SOLICITATION - DEADLINE EXTEND clearly identifying the problem to be addressed; a summary of the proposed program; a project description, including specific activities, desired outcomes and performance measures; a detailed budget of no more than $100,000; and a description of the recipient organization, including their technical and management capacity. The project should not exceed eighteen months in duration. S/GWI strongly prefers to support grants to local organizations. Local organizations may also need to comply with any applicable pre-award financial management control standards for organizations receiving development assistance funds. Proposals should indicate the agency or office at post that will manage the grant and should address how the proposed project relates to and will be coordinated with other USG foreign assistance efforts in the country. ¶7. Post will be responsible for project and financial oversight and for project monitoring and evaluation. Post will provide detailed reporting midway through the project period and again at the conclusion of the project. Reporting should include an assessment of whether the project is achieving/achieved the results identified in the organization's approved proposal. ¶8. Proposal Submission: Posts must submit proposals to S/GWI via cable by February 15, 2010. Posts requesting consideration of multiple projects should submit a consolidated and prioritized request. S/GWI will notify posts of funding decisions by March 19, 2010. Please include "S/GWI Project Proposal" in the subject line of the cable. ¶9. Proposal evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated based on how effectively the proposal addresses the issue(s) described in the problem statement, the sustainability of program accomplishments, the capacity of the recipient organization to account for the funds and ensure that funds are spent for the intended purposes, and the expected results. Priority will be given to proposals that describe a project that, if successful, would have the potential to be expanded to reach a broader community. However, no additional funding commitments can be made, so the proposals should be stand alone, discrete activities that can be fully funded and completed with the resources requested through this program. ¶10. Minimize considered. CLINTON