OpportunityTitle: New Alliance ICT Extension Challenge Fund
CategoryExplanation: Food Security
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: PLEASE REVIEW ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS BELOW:    For Awards for Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Senegal, eligible applicants must be an NGO (not-for-profit organization); a private business, services or consulting firm; or a college, university or foundation.  For profit businesses must waive profits and/or fees to be eligible to submit a Concept Note or Application.    USAID strongly encourages applications from applicants that lead a group organizations, to the extent a group is needed, that combines experience across types of ICT modes, such as mobile phone based services, Internet-based information portals, television, content delivery services, video, radio and GPS as well as those that have experience in ICT-enabled agriculture extension services as well as marketing (i.e., using mass and other marketing techniques to convince target users to change behavior similar to what has been used in the health sector to convince targeted audiences to change their health related habits).  Sub-grantees have the same eligibility requirements as an Applicant but they can also be government entities such as public agriculture extension or advisory service units or entities owned by a government (at least 50% of ownership is held by government).      For Tanzania, not-for-profit agencies such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Universities, and government entities are encouraged to submit concept papers and applications.  A government entity may be the proposed lead Awardee or proposed sub-grantee. If the applicant is a for-profit agency or include a for-profit agency as a proposed sub-grantee, the applicants are strongly encouraged to review the IFAD procedures for financing from the grant programme accessible at: http://www.ifad.org/gbdocs/eb/102/e/EB-2011-102-R-28.pdf to ensure proposed costs are eligible for IFAD grant financing. IFAD reserves the right to require additional time before awarding the grant if required.
Description: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) with its partners is considering an award of several Cooperative Agreements or Grants to provide ICT (information and communications technology) enabled services to contribute to the success of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. These Awards collectively are referred to as Awards from the New Alliance ICT Extension Challenge Fund, funded by New Alliance partners, including USAID and the UK&#146;s Department of International Development (DfID). IFAD will fund the award for Tanzania, subject to the proposal being approved by IFAD&#146;s internal review process. These organizations serve on the Fund Steering Committee. In the future, additional donors may provide related funding and a Fund Advisory Group may be formed by the Steering Committee. The six New Alliance Countries are: (1) Ethiopia; (2) Ghana; (3) Malawi; (4) Mozambique; (5) Senegal; and (6) Tanzania (IFAD grant).A maximum of one three-year Cooperative Agreement is intended to be awarded by USAID for each of the five New Alliance countries (other than Tanzania) listed below. IFAD intends to Award one applicant through its Grant Program for the sixth New Alliance country, Tanzania, subject to approval in accordance with IFAD&#146;s Grant Policy
GrantorContactEmailDescription: ICT General Email
GrantorContactText: Agreement Officer &lt;br/&gt;
CloseDateExplanation: Competition under this RFA has two phases, Phase I - Concept Note and Phase II - Full Application (PLEASE NOTE:  full application to be submitted upon invitation only).    RFA Phase I - Concept Note Questions deadline:  FOR COUNTRIES OF MOZAMBIQUE AND SENEGAL ONLY:  The deadline for Questions has been extended from April 10, 2014 to June 9, 2014 by 5:00pm ET (Washington, DC local time).  Please send questions to ict@usaid.gov.      RFA Phase I - Concept Note Submission Deadline):  FOR COUNTRIES OF MOZAMBIQUE AND SENEGAL ONLY: The deadline for concept note submissions has been extended from April 24, 2014 to June 30, 2014 by 5:00pm ET (Washington, DC local time).      RFA PHASE II (Full Application submission deadline) - FOR COUNTRIES OF ETHIOPIA, GHANA, MALAWI AND TANZANIA:  Full Applications are due on or about June 27, 2014. FOR COUNTRIES OF MOZAMBIQUE AND SENEGAL:  Full Applications are due on or about August 22, 2014.  The exact time and date for receipt of full applications will be communicated to Phase I Successful Applicants by the Agreement Officer.     PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW AMENDMENTS #03 AND #04 FOUND ON GRANTS.GOV IN THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT SECTION.