Public Affairs

Department of State- US Mission to Turkey

Program Office:   US Consulate General Istanbul
Funding Opportunity Title:   Youth Filmmaking Project
Announcement Type:  Grant
Funding Opportunity Number:         
Deadline for Applications:   May 15, 2008
CFDA  00.000

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to Turkish and American universities, non-governmental organizations and commercial entities.  All applicants must have a demonstrated expertise in filmmaking and/or youth projects.  Proposals must include at least one partner from the United States and one partner from Turkey. 

Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing is encouraged, but not required.

Other Special Eligibility Criteria
Not Applicable.

Contact Information

A)    For questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726.

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact either Craig Kuehl, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Istanbul, at:
Email: kuehlcl@state.gov (Preferred method of communication)
Phone: 011-90-212-335-9000;

or, Craig Dicker, Acting Cultural Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Ankara
Email:  DickerCL@state.gov (Preferred method of communication)
Phone:  011-90-312-455-5555

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Youth Filmmaking Project CONTENTS I.   Executive Summary II.  Background III. Eligibility Requirements IV. Application and Submission Information V.  Award Selection Criteria I. Executive Summary The United States Mission to Turkey, through its Consulate General in Istanbul, invites Turkish and American universities, non-governmental organizations and commercial entities to submit funding proposals for a nationwide youth film project.  The goal of this program is to promote greater understanding and awareness among young people in Turkey of issues related to democracy, human rights, tolerance and diversity, women’s issues, and economic empowerment through youth-created films and videos.  The grantee will work with young people in cities and regions throughout Turkey to make short films or videos – fiction or documentary - that address one or more of these five areas. Requested funding for the program will last for 18 months and may not exceed $525,000.  Applicants are encouraged to seek co-funding from non-U.S. Government sources. Proposals must include partnerships between Turkish and American entities. The deadline for submissions of proposals is May 15, 2008.  Programs should commence 30 days following the signing of the grant agreement.  The U.S. Mission in Turkey, through a number of unique public diplomacy projects and programs, aims to heighten awareness among Turkish youth of issues concerning democracy, human rights, tolerance and diversity, women’s issues and economic empowerment.   Through the Youth Filmmaking Project, young people in Turkey (defined as students working toward a secondary school or university degree) will make short videos and/or films (under 20 minutes in length) that focus on one or more of these aforementioned themes.   Turkey and the United States both share a vibrant tradition of filmmaking.  Turkey has the largest percentage in Europe of indigenous films in Turkish commercial theatres; numerous Turkish filmmakers have received international acclaim; many universities across the country offer film-related programs; and several cities host internationally-recognized film festivals.  Likewise, the United States has a world-renowned filmmaking culture.  Commercial and independent filmmakers alike bring America’s story to the world and numerous American academic institutions, associations, commercial entities, and other organizations have proven expertise in all aspects of filmmaking.  Further, institutions and individuals around the United States have long used film as means to raise social and civic awareness and to give a voice to diverse communities around the world.  The rich filmmaking tradition and experience in both countries will serve as a vehicle to increase understanding of social, democratic, and economic issues affecting the lives of young people in Turkey. III. Eligibility Requirements In order to be considered for the Youth Filmmaking Grant, applicants must meet ALL of the following eligibility criteria: All entities must be officially registered or accredited in the United States or Turkey. The lead organization must have been registered or accredited for a minimum of 4 years.  The lead organization must have at least 1 employee, fully employed for the past year. At least one employee of one of the partner organizations must be functionally bilingual in Turkish and English. The proposed project must reach out to/include youth living in diverse communities throughout Turkey. Applications received from entities not meeting the above-listed criteria will be deemed technically ineligible. Applications received from entities not meeting the above-listed criteria will be deemed technically ineligible. A single entity must be defined as the lead organization.  However, given the size and scope of the project, the proposal must include at least one partner from the United States and one partner from Turkey.  The proposal must include a description of each partner’s responsibilities and how they will contribute toward meeting the project’s goals and requirements. Applicants are not required to include funding from other donors.  However, applications that include additional in-kind and/or cash contributions from non-U.S. Government sources will be more competitive, since cost-sharing demonstrates a strong commitment to the planned activities and will be considered to show great cost effectiveness. IV.  Application and Submission Information Award Period: 18 months Award Amount: $525,000  Application Submission Process:  Applicants must submit concept papers electronically using Grants.gov.  Thorough instructions on the Grants.gov application process are available at http://www.grants.gov .  For questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726.  For questions about this solicitation, contact either Craig Kuehl, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Istanbul, at: Email: kuehlcl@state.gov (Preferred method of communication) Phone: 011-90-212-335-9000; or, Craig Dicker, Acting Cultural Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Ankara Email:  DickerCL@state.gov (Preferred method of communication) Phone:  011-90-312-455-5555 Application Deadline: All applications must be submitted on or before May 15, 2008, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  Applications submitted after 11:59 p.m. will be ineligible for consideration.  Begin the application process early, as this will allow time to address any technical difficulties that may arise in advance of the deadline.  There will be no exceptions to this application deadline. All applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application.  Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, it could take as long as two weeks to have the registration validated and confirmed.  Please begin the registration process immediately to ensure that the process is completed well in advance of the deadline for applications.  Until that process is complete, you will not be issued a user password for Grants.gov, which is required for application submission.  There are four steps that you must complete before you are able to register: (1) Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet (if your organization does not have one already) by calling 1-866-705-5711; (2) Register with Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (3) Register yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (4) Be authorized as an AOR by your organization.  For more information, go to www.grants.gov .  Please note that your CCR registration must be annually renewed.  Failure to renew your CCR registration may prohibit submission of a grant application through Grants.gov. Applications are confidential and will be treated as such to the extent permitted by law. Application Content:  Applicants must follow the RFP instructions and conditions contained herein and supply all information required.  Failure to furnish all information or comply with stated requirements will result in disqualification from the competition.  Applicants must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by this RFP.  The penalty for making false statements in proposals to the USG is prescribed on 18 U.S.C.1001. The concept papers may not exceed 10 double-spaced pages in 12-point, Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins.  This requirement excludes the allowable appendices, which are identified in Section 5 below.  The proposal must consist of the following: Section 1 - Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424): This form can be found on-line at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/forms.html Section 2 - Abstract:  The abstract is limited to 300 words in length.  It must provide a summary of the proposed activities and expected results. Section 3 - Project Goals/Implementation Plan:  The applicant must specify in sufficient detail how the proposed activities meet the goals of the project.  Further, Section 3 must address how the grantee intends to implement the following program requirements: take participants through all stages of the film/video making process; ensure that the majority of the participants and program events are located outside of Turkey’s three largest cities:  Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir: Program events in these cities should be focused on marginalized youth, especially those from families who have migrated from  underserved areas of Turkey; give preference to participants with little or no access to filmmaking or video expertise; involve Turkish municipalities, NGOs or community centers, and/or student volunteers, at various project sites; create a website dedicated to the project that will include project updates, highlights, and a forum for viewing the films; organize a festival or other capstone event in one or more cities where selected films/videos would be screened to the public; design a media plan that outlines how the project will receive wide public exposure; and organize an exchange of participants, expertise, experiences and/or ideas between Turkey and the United States. This section should also describe how success will be measured via performance indicators.  Finally, the section must include a time-task plan that clearly identifies the objectives and major activities. Section 4 - Organizational Capability:  Applications must include a clear description of the applicant’s management structure, previous experience with youth and/or filmmaking, and organizational experience and background in Turkey.  This section must also include a description on how each partner entity will contribute to meeting the goals and requirements of the project.  Besides information about the partner organizations as a whole, this section must also identify the proposed management structure and staffing plan for the proposed project.  Section 5 – Budget The budget must identify the total amount of funding requested, with a breakdown of amounts to be spent in the following budget categories: personnel; fringe benefits; travel; equipment; supplies; consultants/contracts; other direct costs; and indirect costs.  The budget may not exceed 1 page in length. Section 6 - Appendices:  The concept paper submission must include one appendix, with a second, optional appendix to be submitted at the discretion of the applicant.  Only the appendices listed below may be included as part of the application:  (a) Resume (Required) – a resume, not to exceed 1 page in length, must be included for the proposed key staff person, such as the Project Director.  If an individual for this type of position has not been identified, the applicant may submit a 1-page position description, identifying the qualifications and skills required for that position, in lieu of a resume. (b)  Letters of Intent (Optional) –letters of intent of all partner organizations should be included with the concept paper.  The letters must identify the type of relationship to be entered into (formal or informal), the roles and responsibilities of each partner in relation to the proposed project activities, and the expected result of the partnership.  Please note that these are not letters of support, and should only be included for those organizations that will play an active role in the project, including those that receive financial support through the project budget.  The individual letters cannot exceed 1 page in length. V.  Award Selection Criteria Evaluation Criteria:  Applicants should note that the following criteria (1) serve as a standard against which all proposals will be evaluated, and (2) serve to identify the significant matters that should be addressed in all proposals.  The USG will award grants to the applicants whose offers represent the best value to the USG on the basis of technical merit and cost. Each application will be evaluated by a peer review committee of the U.S. Mission to Turkey and other experts, as deemed appropriate.  The evaluation criteria have been tailored to the requirements of this RFP.  Project Goals/Implementation Plan (60 points): Applicants should describe what they propose to do and how they will do it.  The proposed activities must directly relate to meeting the goals and objectives, and applicants should include information on how they will measure activities’ effectiveness.   The review panel will be viewing the implementation plan in terms of how well it addresses the goals and requirements of the project as listed in Section II, feasibility of the proposed activities and their timeline for completion, and the extent to which the impact of the project will continue beyond the conclusion of the funding period. Organizational Capability (20 points): Proposals should demonstrate the ability to develop and implement youth filmmaking programs.  Applicants must demonstrate how their resources, capabilities, and experience will enable them to achieve the stated goals and objectives.  In addition, applicants should describe how and with whom they will collaborate to meet project goals.  The application must distinguish all key partners and organizations that will be involved in the project. Budget (20 points):  Costs shall be evaluated for realism, control practices, and efficiency.  The Department of State must determine that the costs paid for this award are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the proposed project activities.  This will consist of a review of the Budget to determine if the overall costs are realistic for the work to be performed, if the costs reflect the applicant’s understanding of the allowable cost principles established by OMB Circular A-122 and, OMB Circular A-87 (for U.S. universities only), and if the costs are consistent with the program narrative. Appendices Resume: The review panel will consider the appropriateness of the selected project director, in view of the role and responsibility that person will play in guiding the project through implementation to completion.  Position descriptions submitted in lieu of the resume will be reviewed for the appropriateness of the qualifications and skills identified.   Items submitted in this section of the appendix will be considered part of the organizational capability score. Letters of Intent: While submission of Letters of Intent is optional, and applications without will not be penalized, the review panel will favorably view their inclusion.  The review panel will consider the types and depth of relationships that the applicant has with local organizations.  The panel will also review the letters to determine the willingness of local organizations to participate in the effort, and that all parties have an understanding of their unique roles and responsibilities in terms of the proposed project.    VI. Award Administration Information Award Notices:  The grant award shall be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer.  The Grants Officer is the Government official delegated the authority by the U.S. Department of State Procurement Executive to write, award, and administer grants and cooperative agreements.  The assistance award agreement is the authorizing document and it will be provided to the Recipient through either mail or facsimile transmission.  Organizations whose applications will not be funded will also be notified in writing. Anticipated Time to Award:  Applicants should expect to be notified of the review committee’s decision within 30 days after the submission deadline.  The U.S. Mission to Turkey reserves the right to make revisions and modifications to the selected proposal.  The project should begin within 30 days following the signing of the grant agreement.  Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals.  Further, the Government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received. Reporting Requirements:  Grantees are required to submit quarterly program progress and financial reports throughout the project period.  Progress and financial reports are due 30 days after the reporting period.  Final programmatic and financial reports are due 90 days after the close of the project period.  Progress reports at a minimum should be submitted via electronic mail to an address to be provided in the award.   VII. Disclaimer If a proposal is selected for funding, the Department of State has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with the award.