U.S. Department of State
U.S. Embassy Angola
Public Affairs Section

Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Angola is pleased to request proposals for funding under the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Grants program. Please read and follow all instructions carefully.

Funding Opportunity Title: Health TechCamp Angola

Funding Opportunity Number:

CFDA Number: 19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs for Angola

Date Opened: June 22, 2017

Submission Deadline: July 21, 2017 (23:59, WAT – West African Time)

Federal Agency Contact: Naomi Mattos

Email: PASInboxLuanda@state.gov

• Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Grant: The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Luanda, Angola seeks proposals to provide logistical support to plan and host the “Health TechCamp Angola” in September 2017 in Luanda, Angola.  This TechCamp aims to improve and expand sharing of public health information about vector-borne diseases, including Zika and Yellow Fever, through strengthening existing networks and connections of public health officials and communicators across Angola.  The program will facilitate the co-creation of software solutions that enable interoperability (i.e. automated health information exchange) between Health Information System (HIS) platforms currently deployed in Angola for more effective integrated disease surveillance and response.  This three-day program will bring together key Angolan Ministry of Health officers, key members of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, public health experts, and tech entrepreneurs familiar with the existing systems.  The TechCamp will also kick start the process of developing a national HIS strategy and enterprise architecture as roadmaps for scaling these platforms.

The grantee will work closely with PAS Luanda who will serve as liaison to other USG partners including the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science and the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) in Washington and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Angola.  The TechCamp will invite around 40-50 participants from the Angolan government, non-governmental organizations, donor agencies, international health informatics expert networks (OpenHIE and the Health Data Collaborative’s Interoperability Working Group), and the private sector.

In line with the International Principles for Digital Development, the main objectives of the Tech Camp are to explore the use of digital tools to optimize Angola’s response to vector-borne diseases and to inspire behavior change by:

1. Mapping existing digital tools currently used in Angola;
2. Building consensus on HIS enterprise architecture and strategic actions for achieving scale and integration;
3. Developing prioritization matrix for the development and integration of HIS subsystems; and,
4. Creating mechanisms for HIS coordination and governance.

In coordination with PAS Luanda, the grantee will organize and manage all logistics, which includes securing and booking an appropriate venue; ensuring adequate WiFi connectivity and other equipment requirements at the venue; arranging all travel for participants and facilitators – both local and international; arranging lodging and transportation for all participants and facilitators; providing guidance to all participants and facilitators on any documents and visa requirements necessary to facilitate their travel to the TechCamp location; and securing volunteers as needed. The grantee will also provide support onsite during the three-day event.  The grantee will collaborate with and provide inputs to PAS Luanda, USAID/Angola, and CDC in selecting local and international participants and resource persons with PAS Luanda approving the final selection of the participants.  The grantee will also work with IIP, PAS Luanda, USAID/Angola, and CDC to draft an agenda including breakout sessions for the TechCamp for the final approval of PAS Luanda.

As part of the Health TechCamp Angola, the grantee will organize a small grants competition that will be open to teams formed from within the participants of the TechCamp.  All selected proposals must receive final approval by PAS Luanda before being awarded.  The grantee will be responsible for managing the small grants competition, including transferring any funds to the selected teams, as a follow-on activity for a period of 3-5 months after the conclusion of the TechCamp.  It is required that a minimum of $20,000 of the submitted budget be dedicated to follow-on activities.

Interested grantees should submit a detailed budget that includes all expenses related to the organization and management of a three-day workshop followed by a small grants competition.  Interested grantees should have familiarity in organizing and managing international workshops, and previous experience in organizing and managing TechCamps or hackathons will be looked upon favorably.  While not required, preference will be given to interested grantees that are familiar to the existing health information systems in Angola.

Background Information: Angola’s 2016 yellow fever outbreak—one of the world’s largest in recent years—caused 965 confirmed cases of yellow fever across the two countries, with thousands more cases suspected. During the same period in 2016, Angola also suffered an alarming upsurge in malaria infections, which resulted in 4.3 million confirmed cases and 16,000 deaths.  If real-time information about disease transmission, case notification, infection control options, geographic spread and health service availability had been readily available at the beginning of these mosquito-borne outbreaks, human and economic losses could have been mitigated.

Governments, development partners, service providers, and communities need high quality health information to better target health interventions, allocate resources, and faster detect and respond to outbreaks. The Government of Angola’s Ministry of Health (MOH) is transitioning from paper-based to technology-enabled health information systems. The country’s National Health Development Plan 2012-2025 stresses that the national health information system “does not integrate the subsystems, causing a deficiency in the management of health services and timely response to disease control, and response to epidemics… [and] local gathering, processing, and transmission of data is not done adequately and in a timely manner” (Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento Sanitário, PNDS Projecto 51). Within the context of an MOH with limited financial resources and technical expertise to support the deployment, customization and maintenance of new digital tools, prioritizing the development of new technology-enabled tools can cause more harm than good. Instead, local and international partners need to help the MOH scale, integrate and expand the ecosystem of existing digital tools already deployed in Angola, including DHIS2 and the OpenDataKit-based KoBoToolbox.

By applying lessons learned from the duplicative mHealth “pilotitis” that has plagued many other African countries (including during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa), the TechCamp will reinforce the fact that strong coordination is needed in deployment and scaling of HIS platforms to avoid data fragmentation, and to reduce the information to action cycle.

• Award Information

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

Ceiling of Award Amount: $50,000 ($30,000 – three-day TechCamp; $20,000 follow-on activities)

Project and Budget Periods: One year or less

The U.S. Embassy Angola Public Affairs Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described in the absence of worthy proposals or under such other circumstances as it may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. government. All grants will be based on U.S. dollars.

III. Eligibility Information

Proposals are encouraged from non-government, non-profit sectors

Committed and organized civil-society organizations, associations, local representatives of civil society, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions, are welcome to apply.

• Proposal Submission and Deadline

Proposals should be submitted to: PASInboxLuanda@state.gov

Proposal Language: English or Portuguese. Final proposal and grant agreement must be in English.

Submission Deadline: July 21, 2017 (11:59PM, Washington DC time)

Complete proposal packages should include the following:

1. Contact details (name, address, e-mail, phone number) of point of contact
2. Description of organization or group/individual capacity
3. Past Grants (U.S. Embassy and other sources), if applicable
4. Project Justification/Needs Statement – why is this project necessary?
5. Project Objectives – what does this project intend to do?
6. Project Activities – what will be done in order to accomplish the objectives?
7. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan – how will you evaluate success?
8. Key Personnel – who will work on this project?
9. Calendar of proposed activities – what are the phases of the project?
10. Sustainability – how will the project’s impact continue after the project?
11. Financial budget in USD– how will funds realistically be spent to conduct the planned activities in order to accomplish the project objectives?

Proposals should be submitted via email to the U.S. Embassy in Angola Public Affairs Section at the following email address: PASInboxLuanda@state.gov.

Organizations requesting funding must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet. If your organization does not have one you may obtain one by visiting: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

Organizations must maintain an active SAM registration at www.SAM.gov with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or a proposal under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

The U.S. Embassy may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. There is no cost for these registrations.

Proposals are accepted in English and Portuguese; however, any final grant agreements will be concluded in English. Please note that we cannot guarantee the return of original documents; copies should be provided, if appropriate.

Proposals must include a detailed budget in U.S. dollars. Applicants are encouraged to provide cost-sharing from additional sources in support of proposed projects; proposals should explain clearly other likely sources of funding or in-kind participation. Please use the official currency exchange rate while developing your proposed budget.

Proposals should:

State the nature of the activity/project

1. Include the key audiences and the estimated total number of participants
2. Detail how the activity/project will include and/or reach intended audiences (i.e. women, youth, individuals with disabilities and other socio-economically disadvantaged participants)
3. State the location and duration of the project
4. Explain how the program will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant
5. Provide a traditional and/or social media plan for amplification and advertisement of the program activities and outcomes.
6. Identify specific outcomes to be achieved by the end of the grant period.
7. Review and Selection Process

Each proposal submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project and to determine the likelihood of its success. The criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of a proposal. Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of their completeness, coherence, clarity, and attention to detail.

Applicants must submit a full project description, including a detailed narrative that outlines the deficiency to be addressed, a plan of action, describing the scope of the proposed work and how it will be accomplished. The narrative should be accompanied by a detailed budget that includes all program costs and clearly indicates the proposing organization’s cost-share and/or in-kind participation.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

Goals and Objectives – The project is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results among the clearly identified target audience. The proposed project should be well developed and respond to a specific need in the community while addressing one or more of the U.S. Embassy Angola Public Affairs Section priorities outlined previously, specifically the prevention of and response to vector-borne diseases.

Strengths and Innovation – The proposal clearly describes the activities used to address the identified priority within the proposed time frame and articulates an innovative strategy or plan to reach the target audience.

Organizational Capacity – The organization has expertise in one or more of U.S. Embassy Angola Public Affairs Section priorities and demonstrates the ability to perform the proposed activities with appropriate personnel.

Sustainability – The proposed project addresses how the project benefits will continue to be realized on a long-term basis after the conclusion of the period of performance of the grant.

Budget and Budget Justification – The budget and narrative justification are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results and the plan for services is realistic.

Monitoring and Evaluation – The proposal realistically indicates how the project will be monitored and evaluated.

• Award Administration

Award Notices: The grant award shall be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer is the U.S. government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants. The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the recipient.

Anticipated Time to Award: Applicants should expect to be notified of the decision within 90 days after submission. Organizations whose proposals will not be funded will also be notified in writing.

Reporting Requirements: All awards issued under this announcement will require both program and financial reports on a frequency specified in the award agreement. The disbursement of funds may be tied to submission of these reports in a timely manner. All other details related to award administration will be specified in the award agreement.