PRO-WASH & SCALE Small Grants Program

Deadline Date: March 22, 2024

Donor Name: Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Network

Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

The Practice, Research, and Operations in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Strengthening Capacity in Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Environment (PRO-WASH & SCALE) Award is pleased to share this request for applications (RFA).

This RFA is to solicit applications and identify partner(s) to co-create and carry out activities that explore one or more approaches or tools aimed at centering community voices within PRO-WASH & SCALE’s focus sectors in support of food and nutrition security objectives: agriculture, natural resource management (NRM), livelihoods, markets, water resource management (WRM), and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Through this exploration, the selected partner(s) will surface important insights around the tools or approaches (including how they are applied) in centering community voice and decision making in the adoption of new practices or behaviors.

Objective

• This list is not exhaustive and provides illustrative examples to help applicants think through their design and approach to this work. Applicants are encouraged to propose other areas of focus. Overall, applications should consider what question(s) and scope is feasible within their proposed timeframes and budget. Applicants should frame their focus question(s) to include specific details on what evidence and data they will leverage, what populations will be targeted, and from which USAID-funded projects.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose their own line of inquiry or choose a question(s) from the below list. Either approach is acceptable, and no preference will be given whether an applicant chooses their own line of inquiry or one from the list below.
  • When developing SBC approaches for nutrition, food security, agriculture, or WASH, how and to what effect does the understanding of social and/or cultural norms factor in? For example, who decides what norm(s) to target and who decides the solution(s) to the problem?
  • What are programs doing to learn from examples of failures, unintended or unexpected consequences in SBC programming?
  • To what extent do approaches emphasizing individual behaviors align or conflict with communal, social, cultural, or spiritual norms and behaviors, and to what effect?
  • How can programs set, maintain, and interrogate the intentionality of their community-centered processes? This includes protecting communities’ time and attention, as well as the inclusion of a diversity of voices (such as women, youth, people with disabilities, LBGTQI+, etc.)
  • When using specific methodologies or approaches (e.g., barrier analyses, Wash’Em, design thinking, behavioral insights, market systems analysis, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis Toolkit (EMMA)  ), how do pre-conceived ideas of household or community vulnerability, constraints, aspirations, and/or preference influence the interpretation of results, particularly by team members from outside the community? How does this interpretation then inform the process of intervention prioritization by programs, and ultimately, outcomes?

Funding Information

• Final funding levels for this award will depend on content, relevance, quality, and needs with a ceiling of USD $100,000 (subject to availability of funds). Acceptance of an application under this RFA does not constitute an award nor does it guarantee that the application (if awarded) will be funded at the full dollar amount requested.

Timeline

• The duration of the Award under this RFA is a maximum of 16 months from the date of the award. This 16-month award timeline includes the phases below:
  • Activity design finalization and preparation, up to 4 months
  • Activity implementation, up to 8 months
  • Finalization and Dissemination of outputs, up to 4 months

Anticipated Deliverables

• The type, number, content, etc. of milestones submitted and the timeline for submission shall be based on the successful applicant’s proposed deliverables outlined in the application. At a minimum, every recipient will be required to submit or participate in:
• Final certifications (template to be provided): final one-page form certifying completion of the activity and associated deliverables as outlined in the agreement, including confirmation that all data sets have been shared with Save the Children.
• All the deliverables as outlined in the signed sub-award agreement which will include but not be limited to:
  • Bi-weekly call notes or email summary which describes progress and plans for the next two weeks during inception phase. Frequency of these calls may decrease to monthly during activity implementation.
  • Inception report detailing the proposed strategy, roles and responsibilities, updated work plan, and background review.

Eligibility Criteria

• PRO-WASH & SCALE will not accept applications from individuals. All applicants must be legally recognized organizational entities under applicable law. Applicants must comply with all applicable Unique Entity Identification Number (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements. Applicants are not required to have a UEI at the time of application but must have a UEI number at the time of the award and will need to provide PRO-WASH & SCALE with proof that they have started the application process, as the process can be lengthy. Applicants must have completed all required steps (if any) with the host government to legally operate their program.
• Applicants must have an organizational presence in the country and meet the definition of local partner as laid out in USAID ADS 303. Organizations are welcome to propose collaborative efforts, but each application must identify one organization that will be the lead/prime recipient of funding and be responsible for program requirements. The lead/prime organization will be responsible for coordinating efforts with other partners. All collaborative efforts must be clearly identified and described in the application. Lead Applicants or collaborating organization(s) must be legally recognized organizational entities under applicable laws of the implementing country. Applicants are permitted to submit only one application in response to this RFA.

Ineligible

• The following are not eligible to apply for grants under this RFA:
  • Members of the PRO-WASH & SCALE consortium: Save the Children and Mercy Corps
  • Individuals and/or sole proprietorships
  • Government entities, including ministries
  • Multilateral organizations
  • Firms operating as commercial companies or other organizations (including non-profit and nongovernmental organizations) that are wholly or partially owned by foreign governments or agencies

For more information, visit FSN Network