Call For Grant Applications

Summary

The purpose of this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to solicit viable concepts from interested parties, wishing to receive funding from the Resilience Transformation Fund (RTF) of the Inclusive Resilience in Somalia (IRiS) program. The program (IRiS) utilizes a market-based approach that leverages on the incentives and strength of the private and public sector actors to catalyze system-wide change in target market systems aimed at strengthening the resilience capacity of marginalized[1] groups so that they can better withstand shocks and stresses.

Applicants to this call should have the requisite experience and capacity to implement projects in the following areas: Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock, Financial Services, Renewable Energy, and Support to IDPs/migrants within the USAID designated Geographic Focal Zones (Refer to figure 1).

Applicants may include but not limited to:

• Crops - Seed companies/processors, agro-dealers/input suppliers, grain millers, commercial large-scale growers/exporters (sesame, bananas, rice & any other agricultural commodity), agricultural equipment and services suppliers (e.g., tractor, irrigation services providers, greenhouse installation), and related.
• Fisheries-Fish processing, fish export companies, fishing gear suppliers/repairs, etc.
• Livestock: Veterinary drug suppliers, livestock exporters, commercial fodder growers, feed manufacturers, milk and meat products processors, hides/skins processors, etc.
• Other value chains: Any other value chain/s that present more rewarding economic opportunities to marginalized groups in the GFZs e.g bee keeping & honey processing

• Cross cutting areas: MFIs/banks, solar/green energy equipment suppliers, cold storage installers, private sector water companies, business development service providers, technology companies, fuel efficient energy systems providers, institutions of learning and TVET/technical knowledge transfer, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), local associations working with IDPs/migrants on job creation and other support, relevant institutions /bodies charged with certifications and standards, and any other entities engaged in the provision of innovative approaches and technologies that enhance the integration of IDPs/migrants and marginalized groups into the market.

The Selection Process will employ a two-step phased evaluation that shall progressively reduce the number of offerors considered for the final funding opportunity/opportunities. The process will comprise of two stages:

Phase 1 - Concept Stage: Initial Review of Concept Papers to assess suitability of the applicant and relevance of the concept to the program’s objectives, approach, and thematic areas. Offerors must provide all required information in their application/concept. Applications that are submitted late, incomplete, or are non-responsive will not be considered. The concept must be submitted in English and may not be more than five (5) pages in adherence to the guideline provided in annex 1. The concept should fit within the following results areas (Details covered in the funding results areas section).

[1] Marginalized groups may include but not limited to: IDPs, youth, women, persons living with disability, smallholder crop farmers, artisanal fisherfolks, traders, aggregators, and pastoral communities with constrained access to services, information, economic opportunities etc which limit their effective participation in the core market systems.

Questions and applications on this APS should be addressed to [email protected] and will be reviewed and answered according to the schedule above and circulated via email to all offerors who submitted concepts papers before each review round. The deadlines for receipt of questions are listed above. Telephone calls regarding technical content will not be allowed.

Note: Applicants to submit one concept based on their core business area, capacity, and experience.

Phase 2 - Intervention Co-creation Stage: After review, successful offerors will be invited for a co-creation exercise with IRiS team to concretize the idea/concept, which if selected, and approved by USAID, may result in a grant. For the purposes of this APS, a funded grant is defined as an agreement by IRiS to fund the applicant on cost reimbursable, fixed price or milestone basis to carry out innovative concept or other work targeting marginalized groups, which may or may not produce desired outcome/s.

Grants shall not include any profit or fee when priced. Grantee cost share will be encouraged in the delivery of the intervention. Cost share can be either in-kind including personnel hours or capital or financial resources. Grants will be administered in accordance with terms and conditions in the IRiS Grants Manual to be provided to the applicants selected for Phase II evaluation.

Applicant Eligibility

• Applicants must be registered with the relevant Somali government authorities (attach a copy of the Applicant’s valid registration).
• Be compliant with government regulations (Tax Compliance certificate).
• Applicant must have access and ability to work in the program Geographic Focal Zone (GFZ).
• Not be identified in the System for Award Management (SAM) as ineligible to receive U.S. government funds.
• Not appear on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List maintained by the U.S. Treasury for the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or “OFAC List.”
• Not listed in the United Nations Security designation list.
• Be willing to sign and submit required certifications before awarding the grant.
• All applicants are required to obtain a unique entity identifier (UEI) number before an award is made. UEI numbers may be obtained online at gov | Home
• Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. IRiS will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant. Any falsification of proposal information may result in rejection/cancellation of the award.

DISCLAIMER:

Issuance of this APS does not constitute an award commitment on the part of IRiS or USAID, nor does it commit IRiS to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. Further, IRiS reserves the right to reject any or all applications received. Similarly, an invitation to clarify your application is not a commitment to fund that application or to reimburse any costs incurred during the application's preparation. The IRiS grant review and approval process eliminates the possibility of any unilateral decision on any given application.

IRiS will organize subsequent public discussion once every two months for the APS application lifetime, for two hours (9:30 – 11:30am) on the following dates – April 5th, June 5th, August 5th, and October 5th ,2023.

Therefore if an applicant is interested in attending such a session, they should send their intention to participate and questions that they would like addressed by e-mail to: [email protected] at least two days before the session date.

IRiS Annual Program Statement 2023 (Word Version)

 IRiS Annual Program Statement 2023 (PDF Version)

Submit Concept papers to [email protected] before 21th February 2023