USAID Liberia Civil Society Activity (CSA)

Expression of Interest (EOI) to Participate in a “Two-Day Grant Application Skills Training”

Issuance Date: August 26, 2022

Questions from Applicants Due By: August 29, 2022 via email to CSA_Grants@dai.com

Deadline for Registration: September 2, 2022 via email to CSA_GrantApplications@dai.com

Closing Time: 5:00 PM (GMT)

Subject: Expression of Interest and registration to participate in a “Two-Day Grant Application Skills Training”

Reference: Issued Under Civil Society Activity, USAID Contract No.

72066922C00003

Background

The Liberia Civil Society Activity (CSA) is a five-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented by DAI Global, LLC (DAI). The goal of the activity is to strengthen Liberians’ ability to advocate for policy reforms, policy implementation, and service delivery improvements through multi-stakeholder coalitions that build feedback loops among the GOL, CSOs, and citizens around reform priorities. The project provides opportunities CSOs to build linkages with their peers and constituencies at national and subnational levels. Through these linkages, CSOs can communicate reform achievements back to their constituencies and engage them in policy dialogue.

Furthermore, the program promotes greater collaboration with Liberian traditional leaders and media outlets to communicate reform priorities to citizens across the country. Better connections with constituencies will not only help the CSA devise best-fit solutions to local problems, but also facilitate behavior change leading to greater civic awareness and citizen participation.

The Civil Society Activity is designed to address these challenges and take advantage of the emerging opportunities described above. The civil society activity will build on significant investments—such as USAID LAVI, USAID Local Empowerment for Government Inclusion and Transparency (LEGIT) Activity, and USAID Media Development Activity—to transform how Liberian civil society advocates for sustainable policy reforms and effective policy implementation. The activity will support the formation of coalitions representing diverse constituencies around key policy priorities, including the implementation of reforms supported by LAVI.

In line with the new focus on fostering a citizen-state compact, CSA will help coalition members extend their reach beyond Monrovia to provide mechanisms for the collection of citizen feedback. Sustainable coalitions will elevate citizens’ aspirations and concerns through feedback loops, use this input to co-design adaptive advocacy strategies, and communicate policy achievements back to citizens to encourage continued engagement. The activity will also build financial resilience and adaptability of coalition members so they can replicate these approaches beyond the life of the activity.

The Liberia Civil Society Activity has four complementary objectives:

1. Linkages between CSOs with shared priorities strengthened to increase their impact
2. Civil society’s ability to serve as a conduit for information between constituents and officials enhanced
3. Supported CSOs’ financial and organizational sustainability enhanced
4. Ongoing capacity development services available on the local market

In execution of the objective # 1 and 2 above, CSA anticipates publishing Request for Applications (RFAs) and an Annual Program Statement (APS) in September 2022. Through RFAs, CSA will solicit applications from local registered Liberia based CSOs with expertise and background in working on advocacy related matters. Successful applicants from the RFAs will be organized into separate coalitions of 7 – 10 CSOs for the purpose of advocating for policy reforms and improvement in service delivery in the health and education sectors within Liberia.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Grant Application Skills training are as follows:

• To enhance the capacity of potential applicants to develop quality applications in response to any upcoming CSA request for applications (RFAs)
• To understand the application requirements and procedures for CSA RFA
• To discuss best practices for completing CSA application templates including budget, monitoring and evaluation, gender mainstreaming and workplan development
• To provide CSOs the opportunity to ask questions and receive clarifications regarding CSA upcoming RFAs and CSA’s grants program

POTENTIAL THEMES FOR CSA REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFAs)

Notwithstanding other potential themes, the following themes are under consideration for inclusion as part of CSA’s RFAs and APS. If so, selected coalition members may work on one of the following themes while giving high priority to gender equality and social inclusion:

Education Sector:

• Supporting greater accountability and transparency in allocation of CSDF funds – especially toward allocation of resources toward Education and Health facilities/services.

• Supporting implementation and broader Civic Awareness of the Local Governance Act, and specifically transparency and accountability in the formulation of County Councils.
• Assessment and Advocacy around implementation of key legislation, including but not limited to: 2018 Local Governance Act, 2010 Freedom of Information Act, 2018 Land-Rights Act, 2011 Education Reform Act, 2019 Revised Health Act, and potential practical implications of 2022 Revenue Sharing Bill.
• Establishing and strengthening County School Boards/County Education Boards.
• Supporting strengthening of county PTAs.
• Working with public and private schools to enhance mechanism that would ensure anti-sexual exploitation activities are mainstreamed in school curriculums.

Health Sector

• Monitoring quality of care and responsiveness by giving voice to marginalized groups, promoting equity, and representing patients’ rights. Channeling and negotiating patient complaints and claims.
• Conducting advocacy for policy setting and decentralization, promoting equality and pro-poor policies.
• Negotiating public health standards and approaches and building policy consensus, disseminating policy positions, and enhancing public support for policies.

TRAINING SCHEDULE AND LOCATIONS

To enhance and strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to develop and submit quality grant applications, CSA will administer a “Grant Application Skills Training” across the following six counties in Liberia:

Team 1:

Team 2:

Nature and Scope of the training

This activity is intended to train national and subnational CSOs about the CSA grant application template enabling them to develop a quality proposal to respond to any upcoming CSA RFA. The training will cover the following materials: Organizational Profile, Problem Statement, Project Objectives, Activities, & Results, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, Personnel, Past Performance, Supporting Materials, CSA grants evaluation process and CVs for key project team members. In addition, a separate training section will cover GESI integration into the project’s activities to ensure women and men have equal representation and participation during the project implementation. Furthermore, CSOs will be trained to understand common issues in the application, best practices for developing technical narratives, and drafting key components of those narratives. The CSA will facilitate the training, and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the grants program

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE TRAINING?

Interested registered Liberian local civil society organizations working on any of the themes mentioned may participate in the training by following the registration procedures below. Individuals are not allowed to participate. CSA does not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or background.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

All CSOs who are interested in participating in the “Two-day Grant Application Skills Training” are required to register by completing the questionnaire below and submitting it by September 2, 2022, 5 pm to USAID Civil Society Activity (CSA) Project via email at CSA_GrantApplications@dai.com

Please note that no fees are charged to register nor participate in the training.

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION & EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

The deadline for registration to participate in the two-day “Grant Application Skills Training” is Friday, September 2, 2022, at 5 pm. Interested applicants who do not duly register for the training within the deadline stipulated herein may not be allowed to participate. Upon full registration of your CSO, CSA will provide further information regarding the venue for the training. CSA reserves the right to streamline the number of participants/organizations who will attend the trainings based upon thematic sector and location.

Disclaimer: CSA is not obligated to provide a grant to any CSO who participates in the trainings. Grants will be provided only to qualified CSOs who duly apply in response to the upcoming RFAs and are selected by the CSA Grants Selection Committee per the selection criteria that will be outlined in the RFAs. Additionally, CSOs who are based and operate in adjacent counties where the trainings will be held may participate at their own expense.

Any questions concerning this EOI should be submitted in writing no later than August 29, 2022 via email to CSA Grants team at CSA_Grants@dai.com.

Thank you for your interest in the USAID Liberia Civil Society Activity. You can download the pdf version of this advert by clicking the apply button below.

Sincerely,

Steve Terravecchia

Chief of Party