FY 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Benefiting Malian and Nigerian Refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger or Refugee Returnees in Mali | PRM PRMOAPAF 16 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for PRM PRMOAPAF 16 011

The FY 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity (PRM PRMOAPAF 16 011) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), seeking proposals for NGO-led programs that assist Malian and Nigerian refugees in key host countries and, in certain cases, support refugee returnees inside Mali. Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, which generally means the agency expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant, including ongoing coordination and oversight during implementation. The opportunity is tied to CFDA 19.517 and is framed around PRM's core mission areas: protection, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable solutions for displaced populations affected by conflict.

Geographically, the opportunity is tightly structured. Proposed activities are expected to primarily benefit refugees located in Mauritania, Niger, and/or Burkina Faso, with an additional pathway for programming that supports refugee returnees in Mali. A key rule is that each proposal may cover only one country, with one major exception: Mali can be included only when the Mali component focuses on returnees and is directly linked to activities that benefit Malian refugees in either Burkina Faso or Niger. In other words, PRM is willing to consider cross-border or linked programming involving Mali, but only when it is connected to refugee assistance in Burkina Faso or Niger and not treated as a standalone Mali returnee project. If an organization proposes work that spans Mali and either Burkina Faso or Niger, it must be able to demonstrate an operational presence in both countries, signaling that PRM wants implementers who are already positioned to operate effectively on both sides of the border. For applicants that want to work in more than one of the refugee-hosting countries (Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mauritania), the notice makes clear that they must submit separate proposals for each country rather than bundling multiple host-country responses into a single submission.

PRM also sets clear beneficiary targeting requirements that function as eligibility filters for project design. Because PRM's mandate is centered on refugees and conflict-affected populations, projects in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, or Niger must be designed so that at least 50 percent of the intended beneficiaries are refugees. If a proposal includes programming in Mali, at least 50 percent of beneficiaries for that Mali component must be refugee returnees. This 50 percent threshold indicates PRM is open to projects that may include host community members or other vulnerable groups, but it will only fund programs where refugees (or returnees, in Mali) are the primary focus. The notice notes that there are additional country-specific provisions in the full funding opportunity, implying that operational realities and PRM priorities may vary by country and applicants would need to align their approach accordingly.

In terms of who can apply, the eligible applicant categories are primarily nonprofit organizations, including U.S.-based nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases excluding institutions of higher education), as well as an "Others" category as listed in the announcement. At the same time, the notice explicitly discourages international multilateral organizations, such as UN agencies, from applying through Grants.gov under this opportunity. Instead, multilateral organizations seeking funding for relevant activities are instructed to contact the PRM Program Officer identified in the notice on or before the closing date, reflecting that PRM handles UN and similar multilateral funding channels differently than NGO competitive awards.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on March 9, 2016, with an original closing date of April 13, 2016. The award ceiling listed is $1,400,000, which establishes the maximum amount PRM would provide per award under this notice. The announcement does not specify the expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, but the ceiling and the single-country-per-proposal rule suggest PRM anticipated funding multiple targeted projects rather than one large regional award. Overall, the funding opportunity is designed to support focused, country-specific humanitarian and protection programming for refugees in the main host states, while allowing limited, clearly connected work with returnees in Mali when it is part of a broader solutions-oriented approach linked to Malian refugees in neighboring countries.

• The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2016 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Benefiting Malian and Nigerian Refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger or Refugee Returnees in Mali" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-03-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-04-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

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