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Advancing Community Empowerment: Update on call for health, education and livelihoods services

February 22, 2019

Notice (Updated August 15, 2019)

The Advancing Community Empowerment (ACE) project is pleased to share that it has signed the following agreements with partners, who submitted applications under the Responsive Health, Education, and Livelihoods Services (RHELS) call for expressions of interest:

Grants

Burma Medical Association (BMA) to support health services in 40 schools in Kayin State
Civil Health and Development Network (CHDN) to support maternal and child health services in Kayah State
Mon National Education Committee (MNEC) to provide education in Mon schools, including school supplies and teachers’ salaries

Planning Grants

LAIN Technical Support Group to conduct an assessment on value chains and market linkages in Kayah State
MawDuKlarMae Social Development Association (MSDA) to refine proposed programming on health, education and livelihoods based on communities’ needs

Organizational Development Support

Pekon Farmer Network (PKFN)
Kayaw Women Association (KWA)
Fr. Fermo Social Development Association (FSDA)

Additional sub-grantees will be announced in the coming weeks via our social media platforms. All applicants have already been informed of their status.

As of August 9, 2019, the ACE project’s Annual Program Statement (APS) has closed. Under the APS, the call for expressions of interest in Responsive Health, Education, and Livelihoods Services was opened on August 9, 2018 and suspended on March 8, 2019, when the maximum value of funds under the call was committed (USD $5 million). This is formal notice that both the RHELS call for expressions of interest and the APS are closed.

ACE intends to release other award opportunities in the coming months. Please stay tuned for more information on these and other opportunities with the ACE project in Southeastern Myanmar. Any inquiries about this announcement can be directed to the ACE project at @email.

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Notice (Updated 22 February 2019)

Due to the large volume of applications received, the Advancing Community Empowerment project’s call for expressions of interest in Responsive Health, Education, and Livelihoods Services will be suspended as of Friday March 8, 11:59:59 PM (Myanmar time, GMT+6:30). All applications submitted before this deadline will be reviewed and considered for possible award. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be reviewed. EOIs are reviewed on a rolling basis. All applicants will receive notification of their status pending full review.

ACE intends to release new award opportunities in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information on these and other opportunities with the Advancing Community Empowerment project in Southeastern Myanmar. Please direct all inquiries about this announcement to the ACE project account @email.

Interested organizations may download the EOI form via the following link: ACE EOI (DOWNLOAD HERE)

Questions and Answers

(Updated 5 December 2018)

EOI#1 Question & Answer, 7 August - 30 November 2018

Q1) Could you please confirm that this is not open to International NGOs, who are registered in Myanmar but were not founded in Myanmar in the first place?

For this EOI, there is a strong preference for local organizations that have ties to communities in Southeast Myanmar and demonstrable experience serving these communities.

Q2) Could you please confirm that projects that do not include all components will be eligible for funding, although this is not ACE’s preference?

Yes, applicants may submit a proposal in only one primary technical area or may integrate two or three technical areas in one proposal.

Q3) Ethnic Health Organizations (EHOs) are not specifically mentioned in the APS. Are EHOs eligible to apply?

Yes, EHOs are eligible.

Q4) Can one organization jointly apply to this EOI with more than one consortia?

Yes consortia are welcome to apply.

Q5) We found out that the review process for this EOI is in rolling basis. Does it mean that if we apply EOI early, we can move up to next steps early and we can start the implementation early (if we are selected) even before 6 August 2019?

We are expecting to review applications on a rolling basis. If you apply to the EOI early, you will be reviewed earlier in the cycle. It is possible for projects to begin before 6 August 2019.

Q6) In Health sector, can we also add the Emergency preparedness and response services, Capacity Building/Organization Development and also secondary care services at hospital setting?

This APS is not designed to serve as a rapid response fund mechanism for immediate emergency response services. However, activities that prepare communities for emergencies and shocks, with linkages to the relevant sector(s) outlined in EOI #1, would be acceptable. There will be a preference for activities that are designed to support longer-term sustainability of those services.

Capacity Building/Organizational Development services are eligible if they concentrate on building the capacity of the organization in line with the strategic objectives of the EOI - improved service provision in health, livelihoods or education, better targeting of vulnerable populations, responsiveness to community demand, greater accountability, coordination with other service providers, improved governance, and continuity of services.

Q7) In the Funding section, we found that the awarding grant is between $50,000 - $500,000 USD for each applicant for two years. So, when we apply EOI, should we apply the budget only for a 2 year period? Or should we apply for total 5 year project period? If we have to apply for a total 5 year period, it means that the budget amount can be even more than $500,000 USD. Is that correct?

Under this particular EOI (#1 Responsive Health, Education and Livelihoods Services), each EOI proposal should have a maximum period of performance of 2 years. The maximum total budget for any EOI proposal, regardless of period of performance or number of partners, is $500,000.

Q8) One organization has two offices, which are based in both Thailand and Myanmar. Can this organization make one joint proposal, but the budget transfer for this organization will be into two offices in two different countries with both Thai Baht and Myanmar Kyat currencies?

It is acceptable to submit a joint proposal by an organization with two offices in different countries. The budget should be expressed in one currency in the EOI submission, and the award will be managed in one currency. Pact can transfer funds to both Thai and Myanmar bank accounts.

Q9) Are international non-government organizations (INGOs) eligible to apply for ACE funding under the APS?

Q10) If so, can INGO applications include sub-grant arrangements with local civil society organizations and/or service providers affiliated with ethnic armed organizations?

This EOI is limited to local non-governmental organizations that are either a non-profit, not-for-profit, or for-profit entity that is currently established in Myanmar or Thailand. Pact encourages eligible applicants to consider joint proposals for coordinated service delivery. Pact discourages pass through types of arrangements where the prime agreement holder does not perform a significant amount of the work. Whenever possible, Pact prefers to grant to each organization independently and avoid sub-granting arrangements.

Q11) When Pact talks about Southern Shan State and Eastern Bago Region, are there any specific townships determined?

The Advancing Community Empowerment project anticipates engaging directly with the following eight townships for implementation in the project’s second year:
1. Thandaunggyi, 2. Kyainseikgyi, 3. Hlaingbwe, 4. Thanbyuzayat, 5. Pekon, 6. Hpasawng, 7. Demoso, 8. Hpruso. The project welcomes cooperative activities in these areas, but applicants are not required to apply for activities only in these townships. ACE uses the boundaries for South Shan State and East Bago Region established by the Government of Myanmar and presented in the following map.

Q12) What types of activities ACE consortium partners are going to implement under the Disaster Risk Management under objective I in accordance with USAID rules and regulations. It will be helpful for potential applicants to think what types of emergency-related activities are eligible.

ACE’s Disaster Risk Management support will be determined in consultation with local communities. Indicative activities may include:

• Participatory assessments of natural resources, community risk and resilience.

• Improved planning around disaster risk, natural and community resources, sustainable water resource management, climate-smart development.

• Strengthening coordination mechanisms within and between communities, CSOs, private sector, and local authorities to reduce vulnerability and respond more effectively to disasters.

• Awareness raising, technical training, and technical assistance for community members, local authorities, and CSOs.

Q13) We would like to make a question on earliest RHELS - EOI review date. As we understood, Pact Myanmar will review RHELS - EOI on 2 monthly basis and the first time would be in October. Since we are planning to apply and to be involved in first round of EOI review, we would like to know " when would be the earliest RHELS - EOI review date/period?". For example - will it be in first week or last week or mid of October?"

The first round of EOI reviews of all EOIs submitted prior to October 1 has already commenced and will be completed by November 2. The next round of reviews will start in December.

Q14) We are a community based non-profit organization based in northern Shan State which has been implementing on sustainable forest and livelihood security issues. Although we are very interested to apply ACE project, northern Shan state isn’t included in its target area. We therefore would like to know that can we apply ACT project or when the northern Shan will be able to meet ACE?

ACE does not plan to implement in N. Shan. However, a sister program funded by USAID and led by Development Associates Inc (DAI) was recently awarded and will begin funding opportunities in N. Shan soon.

Q15) I read "improve in-school and out-of-school literacy programming" under Area-2; education of program description in your ACE APS. Can our organization apply for a project to implement a literacy promotion program including promoting an ethnic literacy?

Yes, activities relating to the implementation of literacy programming in ethnic languages are eligible for funding.

Q16) Demand / Needs-driven - How was the need for this project identified? Who identified these needs? And in the application form what does this paragraph mean: Include any assessment or analysis conducted as supporting documentation (supporting documentation will not be counted against the EOI page limit).

Needs-driven means that the project responds to the actual needs in the community. In this section, we would like you to explain how people from the communities/ groups your project will support involved in identifying problems and possible solutions? For example, you may have talked to different people in the community to determine their challenges and received their ideas about how your organization can help.

Q17) Conflict sensitivity / Do No Harm - In the application form it states- What is your organization’s approach to conflict sensitivity and how will you integrate this approach into your project?

"Conflict sensitivity" means to understand the context you operate in, especially issues that connect or divide people, and taking action to promote positive relationships. For example, if some people in a community receive project services and others do not, this can create divisions between groups. The question is – how does your project identify and address these issues?

Q18) I have seen the call for proposal: Responsive Health, Education and Livelihoods Services. I would like to request you to have an appointment with someone from grant session on this week or ASAP.

In an effort to keep the proposal process as fair as possible to all applicants, we kindly request you submit any questions to the ACE email account (@email). All questions will be answered within 2 weeks of receipt and updates posted on Pact Myanmar Facebook page.