Applications Invited for Pro-Wash & Scale Small Grants Program

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About the Organization

Since 2012, the Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Network has been a global community where food security practitioners can access and share resources, events, and opportunities as they work to improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable.

Funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the FSN Network is designed for a variety of food security stakeholders. The FSN Network is not only for implementers of USAID-funded emergency and non-emergency programs but it is also for donors, researchers, governments, private sector actors, among others. We work to engage stakeholders on topics such as agriculture, alternative livelihoods, WASH, monitoring and evaluation, and much more.

The FSN Network was originally launched under the USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP)-funded Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) Program.

About the Grant

PRO-WASH & SCALE is soliciting applications for research to identify climate resilient approaches that can be adapted and used in emergency settings.

Climate change is a global crisis that affects people around the world. Extreme climate related events are increasing in frequency, severity, and duration throughout the world. The impacts of these events are not distributed equally, with larger impacts felt by the more marginalized communities, such as those living in poverty, and particularly those in emergency settings.

In response to this challenge, PRO-WASH & SCALE Award is pleased to share this request for applications (RFA) which seeks proposals to undertake research that will address priority evidence gaps in enhancing climate resilience in emergency settings within PRO-WASH & SCALE’s focus sectors of water, sanitation, hygiene, agriculture, markets, livelihoods, and/or natural/watershed resource management, with the overall goal of improving food security and nutrition programming.

Under this RFA, Save the Children Federation, Inc. will fund one award up to USD $125,000 for a study period of up to 16 months.

Research Background:

Climate change generally refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun's activity or large volcanic eruptions. Climate change is a global crisis that affects people around the world differently as some are increasingly seeing heat waves, droughts, foods, cyclones, and wildfires among other effects. These effects of climate change are not equal – they disproportionately impact the poorest and most marginalized communities, more so those in emergency settings. The ability to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to these impacts is called “climate resilience.” USAID defines climate resilience as the capacity of a system to maintain function in the face of stresses imposed by climate change and to adapt the system to be better prepared for future climate impacts.

This RFA focuses on identifying innovative, promising, or proven resources/practices for enhancing the climate resilience in emergency settings within the PRO-WASH & SCALE’s focus sectors. Specifically, the PRO-WASH & SCALE Award is interested in identifying climate resilience approaches that can be adapted and used in emergency and early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience (ER4) settings. The identified practices should be able to address priority evidence gaps in enhancing climate resilience within these contexts.

Objective:

The objective of the research to be funded under this RFA is to identify promising resources/practices for enhancing the climate resilience of select technical activities that are appropriate and effective (based on initial data and observed outcomes) in emergency contexts.

PRO-WASH & SCALE is seeking proposals to undertake research that will address priority evidence gaps in enhancing climate resilience in emergency settings within its focus areas especially under the subsectors of water, sanitation, hygiene, agriculture, markets,6 livelihoods, natural resource management, and/or water resource management, with the overall goal of improving food security and nutrition programming.

Applicants are encouraged to take a variety of approaches/angles in responding to the above objective. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Climate-resilient intervention designs and adaptations, including those based in local knowledge or expertise.
• Climate-resilient assessments, planning, capacity strengthening, and/or coordination.
• Approaches for monitoring and evaluating the impacts of climate-resilient interventions.
• Use of data/evidence related to climate resilience for adaptation and learning within a specific emergency context

Focus Areas:

Applicants must focus their research on the technical areas as per the table below. While applicants are not required to cover all technical areas within their proposed studies, preference will be given to research that cuts across at least two technical areas (e.g., hygiene and markets or agriculture and sanitation. (Proposed research activity must include at least two technical areas, at least one from Focus A and at least one from Focus B.

We seek proposals where a multi-sectoral approach enhances the research, offering deeper insights and practical value.

Table 1. Classification of Technical Areas

• Focus A - Water Agriculture Sanitation
• Focus B - Markets Hygiene Livelihoods Natural Resource/Watershed Management.

PRO-WASH & SCALE recognize that gender and social norms deeply impact and influence multi-sectoral interventions and behaviors. As such, gender and social inclusion are cross-cutting issues that should be integrated into each step of this activity, including the composition of the project team. Leveraging of local expertise in climate adaptation should also be incorporated, wherever possible, in the study design.

Applicants are encouraged to ensure that their research is centered around and informed by the needs of people affected in the emergency setting(s) in geographies where the study will be conducted. Applicants should demonstrate that they have engaged with relevant stakeholders to refine and contextualize the key research questions included in their proposal. Applicants must demonstrate in their proposals how the research findings will be used by identified stakeholders to improve food security and nutrition-related systems and outcomes at a local, national, and/or global level. Proposals that focus on vulnerable or marginalized groups are particularly encouraged. Proposals should also consider how upstream and downstream groups may be adversely affected by climate interventions. PRO-WASH & SCALE encourages applicants to have a plan in place for research translation to ensure study findings are utilized by targeted stakeholders.

Eligibility

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. 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 where they are proposing to undertake research and/or partner with an organization in that country. Preference will be given to researchers with research institutions and higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries as defined by USAID’s ADS Reference 310maa.

Applicants do not need to have an agreement or partnership with an existing BHA funded activity and the activity can take place outside of a BHA funded activity. 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.

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.

In their cost applications, organizations should indicate whether they have a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) with any U.S. government agency. Organizations or institutions that do not have a NICRA are eligible for subawards under this RFA either by using a de-minimis indirect cost rate (if requirements of 2 CFR 200.414(f) are met) or by direct charging all costs using a documented cost allocation methodology. All proposed costs must be reasonable, allocable, and allowable in accordance with applicable cost principles.

Applications by for-profit organizations cannot include profit in the proposed budget. Profit is prohibited per 2 CFR 700.13.

How to Apply

Application submissions due: May 10, 2024, at 5:00 PM ET

Download the RFA

Applications shall be submitted electronically and shall include the Narrative Research Application Template (Attachment 1), Research Schedule (Attachment 2), Budget Template (Attachment 3), Budget Narrative Template (Attachment 4), and Past Performance Information Request (Attachment 5), Applicant Eligibility Checklist (Attachment 6), and two writing samples.

Please send applications to PWS_Research@savechildren.org

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Tags Environment and Sustainability Sanitation Water Research Others