OpportunityTitle: Strategic Activities Fund (SAF) of the Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West African Regional  Development (Steward) Program, Phase III
CategoryExplanation: N/A
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: 3.4 Partnership Eligibility Criteria    Potential applicants, which are eligible to submit applications individually or in partnership with other institutions, may be local or international organizations including universities, non-governmental organizations (non-profit), and other educational institutions. Local organizations must be registered in Liberia or Ivory Coast. To be considered a local organization, the applicant must meet the relevant test for its type of organization below:     Not-for-profit entity:  1) Must be legally organized and recognized under the laws of, and have its principal place of business in Liberia or Ivory Coast;  2) Must be at least 51% beneficially controlled by individuals who are citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of Liberia or Ivory Coast, or by entities that are local partners under this paragraph or paragraph 3.4 (a); and   3) At least 51% of the entity&#146;s senior staff (i.e. managerial and professional personnel) must be citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of Liberia or Ivory Coast.    In addition, international organizations must be legally registered under the laws of Liberia or Ivory Coast in order to hire local staff, manage a local office (if applicable), and implement activities on the ground. Partnerships are encouraged, especially those that draw upon various sources of expertise. Applicants must demonstrate an initial track record of success; must be open to not just replicating an existing model,but to refining the model so that it can be effectively adopted; and must be open to rigorous performance and impact evaluation.
Description: The United States Government, as represented by a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa and the United States Forest Service, International Programs (USFS/IP), seeks to expand the regional Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West African Regional Development Phase III (STEWARD III) Program. STEWARD III is a forest conservation and sustainable livelihoods program focusing on trans-boundary priority zones (PZs) in the Upper Guinean Forest ecosystem in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. One of these &#150; &#147;PZ3&#148; - is the area that includes the Grebo National Forest (Liberia), the Tai National Park (Ivory Coast) and adjacent community lands where your institution has been identified as a potential partner. The STEWARD program invites your organization to submit an application based on the attached Terms of Reference (ToR), should you wish to be considered as a partner working in PZ3.USFS/IP has granted cooperative agreements and contracts to six different organizations to implement the STEWARD program in PZ1 (Sierra Leone &#150; Guinea) and PZ2 (Liberia and Guinea). Clarifying questions concerning the attached ToR for the application must be submitted in writing via email to Stephanie Otis at srotis@fs.fed.us on or before April 30, 2012; 1700 hrs [EDT].Issuance of this invitation does not constitute an award or commitment on the part of the United States Government, nor does it commit the United States Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. In addition, final award(s) of any resultant cooperative agreement cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated and committed through internal USFS/IP procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant and should circumstances prevent award, all preparation and submission costs are at the applicant&apos;s expense.Thank you for your interest and we look forward to receiving your application.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: African Program Manager Email
GrantorContactText: Stephanie Otis &lt;br/&gt;Africa Program Specialist &lt;br/&gt;USDA Forest Service International Programs &lt;br/&gt;
CloseDateExplanation: N/A