U.S. Embassy Port au Prince, in collaboration with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), is accepting short-term proposals, via the Julia Taft Refugee Fund, from NGOs working with migrant-related communities.  This support meets low-cost gaps in refugee protection and assistance.  PRM first announced this initiative in October 2000, under the leadership of former PRM Assistant Secretary Julia Taft (named for her posthumously) with the intent of providing ambassadors with the means to respond to gaps that larger multilateral refugee programs have not addressed.

Date Open:   December 18, 2020

Date Closed: January 18, 2021

Minimum Award Amount: $5,000

Maximum Award Amount: $25,000

Please submit your applications by email to PortauPrinceTaftSubmissions@state.gov  by January 18, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to apply before the deadline.

 

Eligibility criteria and funding guidelines for the Taft Refugee Fund:

• PRM’s Taft Refugee Fund is intended to meet gaps in refugee assistance by issuing grants to local NGOs for quick impact projects of up to $25,000 that are not addressed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), other international organizations (IOs), or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receiving U.S. government funding.
• The Taft Refugee Fund is for projects targeting a beneficiary base of at least 50 percent refugees or returnees.
• Priority populations include at least 50 percent of refugees or returned migrants. However, exceptions can be made in some regions with “populations of concern” to PRM, such as internally displaced persons (IDPs), vulnerable migrants, and stateless persons.  To verify if your “populations of concern” is eligible, please contact PortauPrinceTaftSubmissions@state.gov.
• The U.S. Embassy will consider support to projects that benefit both populations of concern and their host communities.
• The fund is not meant as an emergency fund.
• Applicants must be a registered organization (e.g., NGO, community-based organization, faith-based organization).
• Local NGOs will be given priority before international non-government organizations.
• Proposals with an implementation timeline of less than six months are preferred.

 

Application package

Applications MUST be submitted in French or Haitian Creole with an English translation.  Projects that do not include ALL of the components below will automatically be rejected. 

1. Project Description: There is no specific form for the application, but each application must include the information in the document listed in the annex.

a. Problem statement:  Give a brief description of the primary problem that your application wishes to address.
b. Objectives:  The objectives should correspond directly to the problem stated in your Problem Statement and should be concise. Goals should be specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic, and time-bound (SMART).
c. Strategy:  Provide a relatively broad statement of your approach to solving the problem.
d. Activities:  Describe the major activities that will be carried out to reach the grant objectives.
e. Sustainability Plan:  Provide a brief outline stating how the organization proposes to sustain its activities beyond the grant’s completion and end.
f. Implementation Plan with a detailed timeline/calendar:  Provide concise time frames and sequencing for the implementation of each activity.
g. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:  Provide indicators and target number of beneficiaries you plan to achieve.  Describe how outputs and outcomes will be measured.
h. Institutional Capacity Statement:  Describe your organization’s capabilities and qualifications for implementing the grant.  Present evidence to prove how and why your organization is likely to succeed in implementing the grant
i. Detailed Budget: The cost/budget application should be provided as a separate document.  This should detail all direct costs associated with the implementation of grant activities with the equivalent in USD.  Please describe the expenses included in the budget and how each expenditure or procurement contributes to project results.
j. Please provide if available:

1. 1. 1. Organizational Chart
      2. Résumés of Key Personnel
      3. Copy of Proof of Registration
      4. Other attachments as deemed relevant by the applicant 
2. At least one reference/recommendation letter from other donors or stakeholders 
3. Proof of national registration of the organization
4. Copy of bank statement or other proof of existing bank account
5. A copy of the Signed Code of Conduct of the organization consistent with the six core principles from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) recommendations. 
   
   As one of the largest humanitarian assistance donors, PRM must ensure that all partners meet the highest standards of accountability and conduct.  Among PRM’s primary programming concerns is that beneficiaries are protected from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in any humanitarian program.  This includes funding provided to organizations through our Taft Refugee Fund.  Per the IASC Plan of Action to protect humanitarian assistance beneficiaries from sexual exploitation and abuse, applicants must submit their organization’s Code of Conduct (Note: This is not a country-specific code of conduct).  PRM requires that codes of conduct, consistent with the updated 2019 IASC’s six core principles, are shared widely, are signed by staff, and have an associated country or regional implementation plan.  For more information on preventing SEA, including the six core principles,please see the IASC website. The Code of Conduct document must be provided before award issuance.
6. Organizational DUNS Number and SAM.gov registration. 

 

Examples of Prior Activities Funded Under the Julia Taft Project  

Please make sure that there is a strong tie to the local context building on the competencies and capacity of the proposing organization.  Here examples of previous Taft projects throughout the world:

• Improve the mental health of the migrant community.
• Build a playground for refugee children.
• Start an income-generating cooperative for returnees.
• Support livelihoods training and sports programs.
• Support a transit center for unaccompanied minor refugees and asylum seekers.
• Provide a shelter for 150 women and girls from migrant communities who are survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
• Support a vocational training program for refugees.
• Support returnees with manufacturing of liquid soap.
• Train refugees in gardening and running small businesses.
• Support an income-generating project and provide health care to disabled residents.

To be considered for this funding opportunity, please submit your applications by email to PortauPrinceTaftSubmissions@state.gov the U.S. Embassy, Port au Prince by January 18, 2020.  All organizations are encouraged to submit their applications before the deadline.