Issue Date: Deadline For Questions: Application Due Date: Subject: Program Title

Issue Date: May 2, 2018
Deadline for Questions: May 15, 2018 09:00 a.m. Almaty time
Application Due Date: June 8, 2018 17:00 a.m. Almaty time
Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: 72011518RFA00004
Program Title: Central Asia Media Program (CAMP)
Dear Prospective Applicants:
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications from
qualified US and Non-U.S. organizations to fund a new Cooperative Agreement for Media in
Central Asia. Eligibility standards for this award are provided in Section C of this Notice of
Funding Opportunity (NFO).
USAID hereby requests applications, submitted in compliance with the instructions in Section D of
this NFO. USAID will review applications, and, subject to the availability of funds, an award will
be made to the responsible Applicant(s) whose application(s) best meets the objectives of this
funding opportunity and the selection criteria contained herein. While one award is anticipated as a
result of this NFO, USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.
For the purposes of this NFO the term "Grant" is synonymous with "Cooperative Agreement";
"Grantee" is synonymous with "Recipient"; and "Grant Officer" is synonymous with "Agreement
Officer". Eligible organizations interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this
funding opportunity thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, submission
requirements, and evaluation process.
This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, and may be amended. Potential Applicants
should regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice
of funding opportunity. Applicants will need to have available or download Adobe program to their
computers in order to view and save the Adobe forms properly. It is the responsibility of the
Applicant to ensure that the entire NFO has been received from the internet in its entirety and
USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion process. If
you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NFO, please contact the
Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical
assistance.
The successful Applicant will be responsible for ensuring the achievement of the program
objectives. Please read each section of the NFO thoroughly. Please send any questions to the
point(s) of contact identified in Section D. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses
to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential Applicants through an
amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov.
Issuance of this notice of funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part
of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in preparation
Central Asia Media Program (CAMP)
72011518RF A00004
or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of

the Applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the Applicant's expense.
Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.
Sincerely,
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................... 4

SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION .................................................................... 24
SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION .............................................................................. 27
SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION ........................................ 28
SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ........................................................... 41
SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION................................. 43
SECTION G: OTHER INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 53
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SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Background and Context:

Since the 1990s, USAID has played a critical role in supporting the development of independent
media in Central Asia through building basic technical and professional capacity and helping
media leaders obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to participate in their countries’
governance systems and policy development processes. Throughout the last two decades, USAID
made significant efforts to support the media sector as broadly as possible.
USAID’s work in the media sector has revolved around increasing the availability of credible,
trusted information on critical social, economic, and political issues throughout Central Asia, and
enhancing technical skills and institutional capacities of independent media outlets in the region.
This has been done through a mix of locally-driven media production, content distribution,
professional development for journalists, and media advocacy.
While Central Asian governments have pledged to support the development of free and
independent media, the political and operational environment remains volatile and challenging
with nuances from country to country. However, despite some improvements in the sector, it is
still difficult for media outlets in Central Asia to be self-sustaining. Government control and
struggling economies, together with an absence of healthy competition, make it nearly impossible
for media to run efficiently or profitably.
Populations’ disengagement from the civic sphere and a general loss of interest in public affairs, or
even just participation in community governance, plays a crucial role in hindering media’s ability
to ensure that citizens are well informed about the actions and performance of government
institutions and officials, and that citizens have the means to freely influence public policies.
Individuals and groups prefer not to question the authorities and employ self-censorship to avoid
harassment. The widespread narratives against “universal” concepts like democracy and human
rights on local and Russian TV also contribute to a sense of impotence. In addition to these
external factors, media as a tool to advance these concepts struggle to build popular support for
democracy and lack vital constituency engagement skills, rarely going beyond familiar circles and
oft-used methods. (This activity will include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The Kyrgyz
Republic and Turkmenistan will only participate in regional activities as appropriate.)
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan passed Freedom of Information legislation in 2015, which somewhat improved access
to information. Now a large volume of data may be obtained in electronic format on the e-
government portal. However, the law includes many exceptions in its application. For example, all
data marked as “Official Use” is within the category of limited access, along with sensitive and
secret government information. According to Freedom on the Net 2017, Internet freedom in
Kazakhstan improved slightly as internet penetration increased; though the overall environment
remains oppressive to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) users, with continued
online censorship and arrests of social media users.
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Kazakhstan’s low population density results in few incentives among large international
companies to place advertising in Kazakhstani media. The domestic media market is still
experiencing the effects of the 2015 devaluation of the Kazakhstani tenge and high inflation. These
factors make outlets less financially independent, with editorial policies being driven by political
and financial interests of owners, and thus limiting the creativity and independence of reporters.
Tajikistan
Journalists covering politically sensitive topics face mounting pressure with the majority of
independent media exercising a high level of self-censorship in Tajikistan. A number of highly-
skilled independent journalists have fled Tajikistan in the last several years to seek political asylum
in other countries. Coupled with plummeting revenues from ads and declining purchasing power of
the population as a result of the lasting economic crisis, this represents a serious blow to the
sustainability of independent media outlets, leaving more space to the Government and Russian
media-sponsored narratives. In Tajikistan, more than 95 percent of the media were seriously
affected by the financial crisis that started in 2008. This was further reinforced by sanctions against
Russia, which led to a drastic fall in remittances from migrant laborers. An analysis by NGO
Media Consulting found a 20–50 percent decline in advertising and 20–45 percent drop in
circulation revenues. In addition, Tajikistan’s media were hit by the de facto bankruptcy of the
nation’s two largest banks, Tajiksodirotbank and Argoinvestbank, which hold accounts for many
publications that have now been frozen.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is taking some rapid measures toward media reform, yet there is little to no
independent media outlets, and journalists remain untrained. The situation of political and human
rights seems to have recently improved. Several journalists and political activists have been
released from prison and the president is now encouraging journalists to address pressing issues
such as bureaucracy and extortion. However, live broadcasts of talk shows and panel discussions
with officials on state TV have occasionally been recalled. Media outlets in Uzbekistan continue to
struggle with covering operational costs, as revenue sources are limited. The media sphere remains
largely focused on reporting positive aspects of government work.
The internet freedom environment in Uzbekistan remains repressive, with slight improvement
following the introduction of an online government portal allowing citizens to voice their
grievances and concerns. VPNs are currently required to access any unbiased news source outside
of the country.
Problem Statement
Central Asia has entered a crossroads with respect to media development. In the context of this
planned activity, media is defined as print, television, radio, blogs, and social media. Despite the
diversification of traditional news outlets and the proliferation of “new” media platforms, the
variety of local news sources and the availability and creation of quality, publicly-relevant
programming in Central Asia remains low and greatly overshadowed by Russian-broadcast news
and entertainment programs, which play a critical role in molding public opinion in the region.
The 2017 Media Sustainability Index study found a mix of positive and negative developments in
the media industry in Central Asia. Several key challenges shared across the region include: weak
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journalistic professionalism; lack of economic self-sustainability; partial or inadequate legal-

regulatory reforms; and limited media service and coverage in local languages.
Local independent media find it hard to compete with the lavishly-financed content provided by
Russian channels that are widely available in the region. Although private and independent media
outlets produce news, they rarely have direct access to official information and often refer to state-
funded media as their sole source. Specialized and investigative reports remain limited with little
interest from top media managers and few journalists who are equipped with skills to provide
coverage on niche topics such as economic, education, health and environment or in-depth
reporting skills. There are gender-based differences in terms of men’s and women’s access to
different media sources, access to new technology, and the internet. Media in Central Asia also
tends to avoid covering gender equality, minorities, and ethnicity issues because of political
sensitivities. Recognizing that digital and mobile platforms favor a new kind of journalism and that
audience consumption habits and demands are evolving, journalists and newsrooms will also need
to understand the craftsmanship of structuring their journalism in ways that engage and retain
audiences while maintaining high-quality reporting standards.
In addition, increasing Internet penetration rates in the region and the growing participation of
people, especially youth, in social media constitute positive change for Central Asia. The number
of social media users, especially among youth, is increasing across the region, and more news
websites unaligned with traditional media outlets are coming online offering more diverse and less
state-centric news and information to citizens in Central Asia. Despite wide-ranging political
restrictions and bans, the flow of information through social media is unstoppable and gives an
unprecedented opportunity for critical thinking and discussion of the region’s challenging realities
to a wider audience than ever before.
Across Central Asia, literacy is not an obstacle for media consumers, but the population’s media
and information literacy is quite poor. In Kazakhstan, the population lacks the necessary skills to
critically analyze local and international news, which increases their potential to be manipulated by
false information. Media literacy as a discipline is taught in only one private university. In
Tajikistan, poor education and media literacy skills expose the population to propaganda coming
from different sources and make young people especially susceptible to influence by radical and
extremist groups. These factors hinder the population’s ability to access accurate and unbiased
media as well as synthesize and critically think about the information being presented. There is
little to no reflection as to the source of the information, the validity of it, or what the takeaway
message is meant to be. This environment enables propaganda to flourish without question and this
is particularly acute within the younger generations of Central Asia.
This activity also seeks to address challenges within the media landscape across Central Asia by
improving financial sustainability skills of media outlets, strengthening journalistic
professionalism, increasing media coverage in local languages, advocating for an improved legal-
regulatory environment, and improving media literacy of the population to become critical
consumers of information. It is envisioned that the focus of the activity will be on independent
media, but state media might be included to achieve project objectives, subject to USAID’s
advance, written approval.
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Theory of Change
The participant countries for this activity are Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. While
Turkmenistan and Kyrgyz Republic might participate in regional events, the majority of the
activities as part of this program will not be implemented in Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz
Republic.
If the media capacity and media supply to provide balanced, informed and unbiased reporting on
key policy and public interest issues is improved; and
If media and information literacy among youth and adults to become critical consumers and
producers of information is increased; and
If the legal enabling environment for media is improved;
Then there will be a more balanced information environment in Central Asia to increase openness
among youth and adults for differing ideas, opinions and perspectives.
This, in turn, will increase engagement of youth and adults across Central Asia in more
informed civic participation.
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Results Framework
Proposed Approach
The overall goal of the activity is: Developed a more balanced information environment in
Central Asia to increase openness among youth and adults for differing ideas, opinions and
perspectives and in turn increase their engagement in civic participation.
In Central Asia, Russian media continues to be the basic source of information on news and public
affairs for many audiences in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan through various Russia-based
television channels, radio stations and social networking sites. In Kazakhstan, 35 percent of
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Kazakhstanis prefer to get their information from Russian television channels. International news
and reports on international conflicts have extremely weak coverage by local media in Central
Asia. This results in misperceptions of international events and allows autocratic regimes to
control the narrative and shape public opinion, hinders democratic reforms, and undermines
universal values including freedom of expression, freedom of press, and transparency among
others.
Understanding that there are sensitivities to Russian influence across Central Asia, this activity
will not directly counter Russian influence but rather strengthen the ability of citizens of Central
Asia to be more discerning about their media consumption through media literacy and citizen
engagement, as well as improve media content to be more fact-based, balanced, and relevant to
audiences through capacity building of media outlets and the journalism profession. In addition,
the activity will work in partnership with government, local and regional media-related
organizations, civil society, and journalists to advocate for an improved legislative and policy
environment to promote freedom of speech and access to public information for each participating
country.
Thus, the activity’s key development aim is to focus on three main areas of the media sector, as
outlined in greater detail below: the supply side—providing technical and organizational assistance
to media outlets and journalists by giving support for the tools to improve professionalism, address
financial viability, and use market research to adapt to changing consumption habits, modes of
delivery and business models; the demand side—contributing to citizens’ understanding of the role
of media in a democracy, to learn how to think critically in order to identify information
manipulation, and to increase citizen engagement to monitor and produce news and information;
and the general enabling environment—preventing further backsliding, while outlining how to
improve protections through new legislation; and supporting local journalistic capacity to inform
policy/laws, serve as a watchdog, and provide information for civil society to advocate for change.
Given the similar challenges faced across Central Asia, USAID proposes a regional approach with
flexible components that can be adapted for each country, namely Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, to create opportunities, resources, linkages, and partnerships on a regional scale. Most
of the support may mainly focus on media outlets, media literacy campaigns, and the legal
environment for media at the national level. Additionally, it is expected that the proposed
interventions will include a regional approach to increase regional cooperation among independent
media outlets and professionals at the regional level to stimulate content sharing, partnerships and
co-productions and allow journalists, social media influencers, and citizen journalists from all five
Central Asia countries to participate and share their experiences. Interventions may support local
and regional networks of young media professionals and/or citizen journalists for peer-to-peer
support and exchange of ideas, increased professionalism and quality of reporting through access
to state-of-the-art media industry technologies, and/or generated innovative, high-quality,
civically-relevant content or thematic series reporting on regional issues such as gender, gender-
based violence, migration, civic participation, good governance, and public service delivery that
can be shared on multiple platforms in Central Asia countries.
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Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this program description, any planned or proposed
assistance or support to, or activity involving a Central Asian government, including any
government-owned or controlled organizations, requires the advance, written approval of
USAID.
The three objectives to build toward the activity goal are as follows:
Objective 1: Improve media capacity to provide balanced, informed and unbiased reporting on
key policy and public interest issues.
Expected Results:
 ER 1.1: Increase supply of fact-based, balanced information through local content
production
 ER 1.2: Strengthen professional development of media practitioners across traditional and
“new” media platforms
 ER 1.3: Strengthen management and financial viability skills of independent media
Although the region’s media outlets find it more difficult to compete with well-funded Russian
media, many national media outlets have started to produce their own program content in local
languages. In Kazakhstan, many television channels create their own local news and broadcast
foreign news by translation or in an edited or abbreviated form. The few private television
channels broadcast local, municipal, and regional news of interest to the local population. In
Tajikistan, some independent media and local television stations have begun to produce their own
news which tends to focus on cultural subjects. According to the Media Sustainability Index 2017
for Tajikistan, the news broadcast on independent channels differs from state channels in format,
form of transmission, and their balance and more professional approach to preparing their
materials. However, many media, especially outside the major cities, tend to lack up-to-date
equipment, appropriate technology and training to journalists to create high-quality, engaging
content across multiple platforms. The activity will support the development of financial
sustainability, innovation and partnerships with targeted media outlets.
Local language programming provides an opportunity for more diverse content, fulfilling a
growing need for coverage of local and community news, which is observable and more relevant
to citizens of Central Asia, and yet can often be eclipsed by national and international news.
Furthermore, in Kazakhstan, Kazakh language content is far less scrutinized by governments than
Russian-language media. In Tajikistan, Tajik language media outlets use literary and academic
language that decreases their popular appeal.
With the rising number of Internet users in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, new media is
becoming the alternative source of information. New media consists of the internet, mobile
phones, social media networks such as blogs and microblogs, social networking websites, video-
sharing sites, and others. They are usually interactive, real-time, borderless and audience-created.
Convergence creates a window of opportunity for traditional media to align itself with digital
technologies and become more diverse in reaching consumers through various forms of
communication. Past USAID interventions with nineteen traditional media outlets created online
editions or transformed them into full multi-media outlets, which started using new tools for
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revenue generation and social network monetization. All of them showed growth in their audiences
(with an average of 50 percent) but with mixed success in terms of revenue generation. Regardless
of which platform is leveraged, news media outlets appear to be increasing their use of social
networking. Many journalists and news organizations have begun to use social network sites for
professional interaction or as a tool for doing their work. Some organizations are also promoting
their news offerings across various social networking platforms, as well as engaging with
audiences. It is now critical to continue working on the financial sustainability skills of media
across Central Asia by increasing their professionalism in convergence, production of new digital
formats, audience analysis and engagement, storytelling, sales and marketing, native advertising,
new financial models, digital advertising, etc.
Media, and civil society organizations that work with and through media, can serve to lift the
voices of historically excluded groups, such as women and disabled populations, as opposed to
covering them in a sensational manner. For example, ethnic, religious, and other minorities and
people living with HIV/AIDs are rarely covered by media in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan. When these subjects are covered, reporting may include the use of discriminatory
language or be openly intolerant, specifically with respect to gender minorities. This activity will
support media initiatives that address inclusion of systematically marginalized and minority groups
and reduce health-related stigma and discrimination and find creative solutions for enabling media
outlets to produce media content that lessens the divide between different ethnicities, religions and
genders.
Training to integrate citizen-generated multimedia content and increase revenue through online
tools are vital if professional non-state media is to survive. Further, more in-depth training,
particularly in local languages, such as Kazakh, Uzbek and Tajik, on topics related to economic,
social and domestic issues such as law, health, economics, gender-based violence, and national and
international affairs would strengthen media’s capacity to create more relevant, specialized news
and information content that is reflective of their media audiences.
Moreover, the activity will support the development of financial sustainability, innovation and
partnerships with targeted media outlets. This may include tailor-made technical assistance to
independent media outlets to develop more sustainable and innovative business plans and
approaches, which will enable them to operate more effectively and efficiently. For example,
media partnerships and resource sharing, including joint revenue-generation activities; common
mobile-platform development; developing market research skills and strategies for joint data
harvesting, analysis and reporting metrics; delivery of joint advertising services; and creating
marketing strategies and advocating with social media platforms and advertising actors. The
development of media outlets’ ability to generate and/or find and use market research data would
not only be an indicator of sustainable business practices but can also serve as monitoring data for
other aspects of this objective.
Illustrative Interventions (may include but are not limited to):

 Activities to improve outlets’ capacity to provide balanced, fact-based, and unbiased
reporting
 Interventions aimed at increasing media production of citizen-oriented content in local
languages
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 Activities designed to increase outlets’ use of market research and consumer analytics data
to improve content and make stronger appeals to advertisers
 Support initiatives and projects that extend the reach of media to new and more diverse
users and creators of content such as women, ethnic groups and underserved communities
 Strengthen institutional capacity of non-state media outlets to adopt new, innovative and
profitable business models to improve financial viability
Illustrative Indicators:
These and other indicators used throughout the document are illustrative examples. Final output
and outcome indicators will be determined in collaboration with USAID as part of the Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning Plan (MELP).
 Number of supported media outlets using ICTs and digital platforms for greater citizen
engagement and outreach
 Increased capacity to conduct and use market research
 Indicators measuring the demand for the content that participating media outlets produce
 Number of supported media outlets with improved levels of sustainability (scored and
disaggregated by editorial independence, newsroom technical capacity, and financial
viability)
 Indicators showing changes in media capacity to provide improved reporting
 Number of increased opportunities for pro-social involvement in media outlets at the
conclusion of training/programming
 Indicators measuring the “influence” of media on various target populations
 Percentage of time or space and prominence (in respect to prime time or peak hours, front
page or feature story), as compared to other stories, given to stories highlighting women
and girls as well as other vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, racial and
ethnic minorities, and the elderly
 Percentage of stories focusing on issue of gender equality/inequality (stories about
legislative issues, program designed to protect and promote human rights, women’s rights
and gender equality)
 Percentage of time or space and prominence (in respect to prime time or peak hours, front
page or feature story) as compared to other stories, given to stories highlighting women and
girls as well as other vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, racial and
ethnic minorities and the elderly.
Objective 2: Increase media and information literacy among youth and adults to become critical
consumers and producers of information
Expected Results:
 ER 2.1: Strengthen media literacy skills to improve citizen’s ability to evaluate information
critically and competently
 ER 2.2: Increase citizens’ ability to engage with and produce news and information
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media. USAID’s ongoing media
project, Access to Information, is currently working with selected universities and media experts in
Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on media literacy education for young journalists and has provided
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trainings in Tajikistan on verification and fact-checking. Outside of this, there have been few
interventions by other donor organizations to improve media literacy in Central Asia. Given the
importance of media literacy in Central Asia and elsewhere that USAID works, activities
undertaken under this objective may be subject to external research and evaluation, commissioned
separately by USAID/Central Asia. Such research is intended to contribute to the success of the
project activities by providing detailed information about how the intervention is working and
what its effects are at an early stage of the program. More details are discussed in the section on
collaboration, learning and adapting below.
Consumers of media should have the ability to understand, translate, and use the information they
receive. NGO MPI recently presented results of the research they conducted on media literacy of
the population. The main conclusions in the research can be applied to the whole of Central Asia:
 the consumption of news content from social networks and messenger apps is growing
dynamically, and it's increasingly difficult for people to determine if information is being
fact checked or not. This results in many unintentionally consuming and disseminating
false or biased information even further; and,
 the population has a low awareness of the need for responsible consumption of information
and behavior in the Internet space as there is little to no knowledge of information literacy.
Media and information literacy among the population in Central Asia remains low. This hinders
the population’s ability to access accurate and unbiased media as well as synthesize and critically
think about the information being presented. Media literacy education promotes the development
of critical thinking, problem solving, personal autonomy and social and communications skills,
which are crucial for the development of an active and participatory citizenry. Through media
literacy initiatives, citizens will be equipped with skills to identify fake or biased news and
critically analyze and evaluate media messaging. Media literacy programs that teach consumers
how to analyze the validity of information they receive through the media can be particularly
valuable in neutralizing the effect of disinformation campaigns such as Kremlin-backed media
influence or can increase resilience to violent extremism. Media literacy can be a mix of formal
and informal learning opportunities in settings such as homes, schools, libraries, museums, local,
cable-access centers, education institutions, and nonprofit organizations, to reach diverse learners
in different participating countries and target all age groups. Where possible, the activity may
establish partnerships and linkages, or leverage existing opportunities, with established institutes,
universities, other USG-funded projects and projects supported by other donors, to improve media
literacy skills among different targeted groups. Interventions may help targeted media consumers
to understand the value of balanced news, analyze the accuracy of information, and demand better
access to independent, objective information across all media platforms. These efforts should focus
to the maximum extent possible on working with or building on existing mechanisms or structures
to ensure sustainability of efforts. To inform media literacy interventions, Applicants are
encouraged to assess audience behavior, media and news/information consumption habits, and the
level of media literacy among the general public throughout the activity to demonstrate results that
show increased understanding, changing consumption, and/or different behavioral outcomes.
In recent years, a large number of citizens in Central Asia have gained access to the Internet.
Young people are the most active Internet users. In Kazakhstan, social media is popular among
Young Kazakhstanis, aged 15-24, as 71.9% of them use these sources at least once a week while
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42.6% of adults (aged above 24), access social media on a weekly basis for news, as opposed to
34.6% who use radio for news at least once a week. As a result, Internet and social media continue
to influence the young generation who grew up in the post-Soviet period and have the potential to
act as agents of social change and bring about political and social transformations in the region.
Any media literacy campaigns/ initiatives will need to reach out to youth, ensuring that appropriate
structures, choices, and incentives for meaningful and inclusive youth participation are integrated
throughout the programming.
In addition, the growing popularity of new media platforms is changing how citizens can connect
to each other and to their governments and other institutions. This access to new digital tools and
technologies empowers citizens to produce their own news reports as well as to retrieve
information they can act upon in ways that they think will improve their lives. Citizen journalism
would build more engaged and robust communities by providing accurate news and information
they need while encouraging their participation in the system. Citizen journalists help their
communities hear a plurality of independent voices and empower members of those communities
to monitor, evaluate and contribute to political, economic, and social life. The interventions may
include an innovative information literacy program that aims to give the public the tools to be
active citizens so they can better understand the role of information in a democracy and pressure
their government to be more transparent and accountable.
Although citizen journalists are on the front lines of the digital media transformation, their
knowledge of journalism standards and values, as well as of the rights and responsibilities of the
news media, is usually minimal. Citizen journalists need to know how to manage technology and
understand the needs and demands of audiences, as well as have journalistic training to explain
reliability, fact-checking and learning the standards and values of professional journalism.
Illustrative Interventions (may include but not limited to):

 Create fact-checking platforms and media analysis chart/ tools that would increase media
literacy among the population
 Support innovative, informal media literacy programs, such as debate clubs, games, and
satirical news shows
 Support initiatives and projects that extend the reach of community media to new and more
diverse users and creators of content
 Activities that improve people’s ability to identify misinformation and disinformation
efforts and increase understanding of media messaging analysis / smart reading
 Provide Media Youth Camps particularly for journalism students (including young women
journalists), to improve their media literacy, writing skills, fact-checking skills and use of
multimedia tools
Illustrative Indicators (disaggregated when appropriate by sex, age and geography)

 Number of citizens reached by media literacy activities; percentage of participants of media
literacy training who improve on post-event skills test
 Indicators tracking improvements in media literacy rates
 Number of trainings on Internet literacy for citizen journalists
 Number of voluntary subscribers/viewers/readers of platforms providing critical analysis
 Number of project-supported platforms facilitating citizen engagement
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 Ways that trained participants use their skills
Objective 3: Improved legal enabling environment for media
Expected Results:
 ER 3.1: Support efforts to improve legal and regulatory environment for media.
 ER 3.2: Support independent broadcasters to advocate for and ensure their equities in the
digital switchover process.
 ER 3.3: Access to public information is increased for all media and journalists.
Numerous challenges inhibit the environment for media development within each of the three
participating countries (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), but there are significant variations
among their respective legislative and political systems. In Kazakhstan, although the government
passed a long-awaited freedom of information law, it remains to be seen how the legislation will be
implemented in practice. The new Ministry of Information and Communications, established in
2016, initiated amendments to media legislation and among the positive changes are easing of
administrative penalties for interfering with publishing output data and the right to information that
is accessible to persons with disabilities. Negative measures include the requirement to publish a
retraction of information in the media even without a court order and the requirement for
journalists to obtain permission before publishing any financial or business-related information
about an individual or group. Libel and defamation are still criminalized.
In Tajikistan, although freedom of speech is guaranteed by the constitution, authorities regularly

curtail this freedom in practice. Laws prohibit comments about the president or government
representatives, libel remains a criminal offense, and journalists are subjected to prosecutions,
lawsuits, surveillance, and physical and online-harassment. In Uzbekistan, libel and insult are not
decriminalized and criminal responsibility for these acts still poses a potential threat to journalists.
In addition, amendments to the Law on Information extended media content restrictions to blogs
and other online information sources.
While Uzbekistan is rapidly initiating reforms across many sectors, it is taking cautious steps
towards media. The key laws regulating media - the Law on Mass Media, the Law on Protection of
Professional Activities of Journalists, and the Law on Principles and Guarantees of Freedom of
Information - were adopted over a decade ago and require substantial revisions. Currently, there
are two draft laws “on media” and “on protection of professional activities of journalists” being
shared on parliament.gov.uz for public discussion.
The country’s leadership calls for reforms across Uzbek government agencies to ensure their
transparency as well as journalists’ and citizens’ access to information on their activities. For
instance, the Law on Transparency of Government Bodies and follow-up decrees require opening
of press units at each government agency at the national and provincial levels. In September 2016,
the President’s Office set up the first “virtual office,” a new, online-portal system allowing citizens
to air their grievances and make suggestions directly to government representatives. Hundreds of
thousands of complaints have been registered through the portal, many of which have been
addressed by authorities, according to news reports. Observers have noted that the virtual offices in
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Uzbekistan are helping create a more permissive environment with respect to criticism of
authorities, with some news outlets even publishing select complaints submitted through the portal.
The Government of Uzbekistan, in response to the many reforms underway in the country, plans to
open media centers across government agencies to inform citizens in a timely manner about
political and legal events taking place. This initiative aims to increase the civic education and
legal literacy of the population and ensure that citizens have access to accurate information.
Across Central Asia, the legal and policy space is limited at best and in many instances heavily
restricted. Media professionals regularly face legal harassment, information clampdowns, and
numerous other obstacles. Improvements in the legal enabling environment are crucial in relation
to digitalization, freedom of information, and state resources for non-state media development.
This component will support reforms in the overall media environment and will address key
challenges for this sector, including legislation, institutional arrangements and digitalization. The
program seeks to support robust advocacy for independent media freedom that promotes freedom
of the press and engages in emerging discussions on the legal frameworks for how media in the
online space is regulated. This component will work with a range of media support institutions and
other organizations to help identify common issues, strengthen advocacy skills, and build
sustainable capacity to form effective coalitions that address shared concerns at the regional and/or
national level. The activity may also help to identify potential partners outside the media field to
build alliances on particular issues such as citizen or consumer groups, Internet associations,
chambers of commerce and start-up groups to address new, emerging areas subject to law and
regulation. When possible, the activity should identify reform-minded government officials,
parliamentarians and public regulation bodies to form effective partnerships to improve the legal
enabling environment for media.
Illustrative Interventions (may include but not limited to):

 Strengthen the capacity of local actors to monitor relevant draft or newly adopted
legislation and regulation to provide timely, relevant, high-quality analyses of the enabling
environment
 Support media associations and civil society groups’ engagement on relevant media laws
and regulations to improve laws and regulations protect the rights of journalists, freedom of
the press and freedom online
 Strengthen capacity building of relevant government agencies, legislatures and the NGO
communities who are committed to a legal framework for free media or media-related
laws. Note that any proposed support for a Central Asian government, including
government-owned or controlled organizations, requires USAID’s advance, written
approval.
 Build/ strengthen local and regional linkages and networks of potential new partners
outside the media field to address issues of common concern
 Support efforts to ensure that the legal and financial interests of private TV/radio
broadcasters are respected as countries transition to digital broadcasting
Illustrative Indicators
 Number of USG-assisted media-sector civil society organizations (CSO) and/or institutions
that serve to strengthen independent media or journalists
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 Number of media rights campaigns

 Number of policy changes and/or government and/or civil society actions consistent with
input from USG-assisted media support organizations
 Percentage of level of knowledge of journalists and news outlets about laws relevant
media
Targeted Stakeholders
The capacity of both state and independent media are uneven across and within Central Asian
countries. While some institutions are heavily reliant on non-locally produced material and lack
significant skills in journalism and media production, others show signs of increasing expertise and
progressiveness. USAID support under this activity is expected to demonstrate measurable
improvement in the ability of media to provide a more balanced information environment that is
responsive to citizens’ needs and increases citizens’ openness to different ideas and perspectives.
The program’s target audiences include, but are not limited to, people who influence public
opinion, including: government officials at local and central levels, civil society (in the broad
sense), state and non-state media outlets (print, radio, television, and digital), bloggers, social
media, academia, the private sector, youth, and community organizations and leaders, including
faith-based organizations and religious leaders. Targeted media outlets may include but are not
limited to those that are committed to providing fair and more balanced information, meet a need
to address gaps in diversity/ pluralism in the information landscape, and/or are committed to
editorial independence.
Examples of some of the target audience could include the following:

 University / college students and Youth groups; USAID programs are likely to engage
individuals aged youth, 10-29 as a broader youth cohort (including adolescents and young
adults) for participation in civil society, work, and family life; and enable them to
participate in addressing the development challenges of their communities and nations.
 Public opinion leaders
 Journalists / news media bloggers
 State and non-state media outlets including TV, radio, print and Internet-based publications
that are committed to providing fair and balanced information
 Celebrities / sports figures Selected groups bases on age and geographical locales (rural vs
urban, for example)
 Government and policy leaders
 Community organizations and leaders, including faith-based organizations and religious
leaders
Geographic Focus
The focus of this activity is country-wide in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. All activities
should be sensitive to the language needs within each country and provide training and seminar
activities in the respective languages where appropriate – including Kazakh, Tajik, and Uzbek -
while utilizing Russian as a common language for regional events or when appropriate. In all
three countries, geographic focus will be determined in consultation with and final approval from
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USAID. Regional interventions may include the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan when
appropriate.
Strategic Context
USAID Strategy
The proposed activity is closely aligned with USAID/Central Asia’s Regional Development
Cooperation Strategy (RDCS) and, in particular, with its Development Objective 3: “More
effective and inclusive governance institutions that serve the public good.” The intermediate
results (IRs) under this strategic objective pertaining to this program are IR 3.3: “More accountable
and transparent state bodies,” and IR 3.2: “More constructive engagement between representative
civil society and governments.”
Across the region, the program supports the Foreign Assistance Framework, Objective: Governing
Justly and Democratically in Program Area: Civil Society. Specifically, the program addresses
Program Element 2.4.2: Media Freedom and Freedom of Information. Additionally, the activity
also supports the Administration's new National Security Strategy (December 2017), "Pillar IV:
Advance American Influence" through supporting basic freedoms such as information, speech, and
press.
Host Government Priorities

Uzbekistan
The Government of Uzbekistan identified five priority areas for 2017-2021 under its first Country
Development Strategy which include (1) improvement of state and social construction to
strengthen role of Parliament and political parties, improve quality and efficiency of government
services and strengthen the role of civil society and media; (2) strengthening rule of law and
further reformation of justice system to guarantees for protections of rights and freedoms of
citizen; (3) development and liberalization of economy to increase competitiveness; (4) social
sphere development to improve the social protection system and increase social and political
engagement of women and youths; (5) ensuring safety, inter-ethnic harmony and religious
tolerance.
While the activity could contribute directly to the first area, it will also have an impact on other
priority areas as well-developed and free media is a key factor in any country’s development.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan the proposed activity should align with the following state programs: Digital
Kazakhstan 2020, Kazakhstan’s 100 Concrete Steps program, and/or Plan of the Nation, and the
newly signed Kazakhstan Strategic Development Plan 2025, which is part of the "Kazakhstan-
2050" strategy and is intended to become the key to state planning. The new development plan sets
the main goals through 2025 to achieve a qualitative and sustainable economic recovery leading to
an increase in people's well-being at the level of the countries of the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
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Tajikistan
This activity is consistent with the objectives stated in the National Development Strategy of
Tajikistan for the period up to 2030 aiming to (1) raise public awareness and improve access to
information, including information about public services; and (2) increase transparency and
accountability through making information available for public, including through the
incorporation of quasi-fiscal operations in the financial statements, improvement of parliamentary
oversight and civil society involvement in the budget process. This activity will also support the
Government of Tajikistan’s Action Plan to Transition to Digital Broadcasting that is currently
being finalized and is expected by be approved by the Government in 2018.
Other Programmatic Connections & Collaboration
Other USAID Activities
Access to Information (A2I)

USAID’s current media programming represented by the Access to Information (A2I) activity,
covering Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and ending in September 2019, works to increase citizen
access to objective, quality and publicly-relevant information in order to improve governance
outcomes in both countries. The A2I program has made great effort to strengthen the program
quality of partnering media outlets, enabling them to compete in the media market alongside
lavishly financed state-owned broadcasters; helped local media throughout Central Asia make the
transition from traditional print or broadcast formats to online formats and convergent newsrooms;
trained private independent media master new forms of storytelling in order to expand the
audiences and increase their revenues; and played a key role in advocating for the Access to
Information Law, which was obtained in Kazakhstan in 2015.
Cultivating Media Independence Initiative Activity (Media-K)

Media-K, implemented by FHI360 and Internews, is a three-year project launched in October of
2017 to build the capacity and professionalism of media in Kyrgyzstan to increase access to
diverse and balanced information. The project aims to strengthen the professionalism and
independence of media in Kyrgyzstan through supporting to media organizations to better identify
and exploit opportunities to increase advertising revenues, stimulating the market for domestic
production and engaging content responds to the preferences of viewers, widen audiences and
increase advertising revenues.
Interagency
This activity will build upon and complement interagency activities focused on support for media
development in participating countries. It is expected that the implementer will closely coordinate
its activities with the US Embassy’s Democracy Commission Small Grants Program, and with
other media development projects administered by the Public Affairs Section in the U.S. embassies
in Astana, Tashkent and Dushanbe, and the U.S. Consulate General in Almaty. These small grants
are often provided to private media outlets and media CSOs for advocacy and training purposes.
In addition, American Corners/Spaces are partnerships between the Public Affairs sections of
United States Embassies and host institutions. They provide access to current and reliable
information from and about the United States via book collections, the Internet, and through local
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programming to the general public overseas or abroad. Where possible, associated reading or
meeting rooms can be available to host program events and activities (i.e. author readings, speaker
programs, films, workshops, meetings, and exhibits). The fundamental function of American
Corners/Spaces is to make information about the United States available to foreign publics at large
and they could be used to stimulate dialogue with individual citizens, organizations, institutions
and the media by providing information and cultural activities.
Other Donors and Development Partners

The activity would seek to complement activities of other donors and development partners
working with media in Central Asia. The list below highlights a small sample of other activities
which share similar or complementary goals.
 Internews will launch Preventing Violence Extremism (PVE) program for all Central Asia
countries in early 2018 with support from the EU to work with media to support national
and regional efforts to prevent radicalization through media literacy, professional conflict
sensitive reporting and improving regional collaboration between journalists, activists and
policy makers in Central Asia.
 The Albany Associates in partnership with IREX/Europe and Media Net in Kazakhstan
completed their small-scale media literacy project in late October 2017. Over one year,
they conducted several trainings, a summer media literacy camp and some other activities.
No more funding is expected for an extension or any new media literacy projects.
 The UNESCO office in Almaty provides support for community centers in the Kyzylorda
region. This includes educating library employees on media literacy skills in the Kazakh
language. Funding ended in 2018.
 NGO NANSMIT translated a manual for journalists in which some sections are devoted to
fact checking in Tajikistan.
 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is actively engaged in media
development and supporting the Government of Tajikistan and independent broadcasters
during the process of transitioning to digital broadcasting.
Implementation Principles and Guidance
Evidence-based interventions
Activities supported by USAID must be based on evidence about the efficiency and effectiveness
of the intervention. The Applicant’s approach should be backed up with evidence, as available,
from past evaluations of similar interventions and/or on a broader scientific literature.
Gender and Social Inclusion

Gender issues are central to the achievement of USAID’s strategic plans and Development
Objectives, and the Agency strives to promote gender equality, in which both men and women
have equal opportunity to benefit from and contribute to economic, social, cultural and political
development; enjoy socially valued resources and rewards; and realize their human rights. Media
is part of the social sphere where notions of gender, including traditional and new, are solidified in
modern society. Unfortunately in the post-Soviet era in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as religious
traditions and social roles are being re-evaluated, younger women are finding themselves
marginalized in society. The meaningful role of younger women in civil society is not always
taken seriously, and their attempts to hold public officials accountable are often dismissed. These
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attitudes can prohibit serious attempts at journalism by women, and this is important to consider in
the design of any media program.
At the same time media can play an important role in breaking those gender stereotypes,
understanding the need for equality of men and women in modern society, and cultivating new
gender values in Central Asia. It may not be possible to dramatically change the point of view of
media managers and journalists (who are the key messengers), but it is valuable to change
women’s attitudes towards themselves. For that reason it is necessary to improve gender sensitivity
among media professionals.
It is also important to keep gender balance at both technical support and management levels in
media outlets, which later will affect other social fields. Thus, the majority of journalists who
cover issues perceived as more serious are mostly males, while females typically cover social
issues and entertainment programs. In regards to media management, females are less likely to be
appointed to top-level positions, despite their representation at mid-level. In this challenging
environment, more positive female role models in media are needed in Central Asia.
Broader social inclusion principles to consider include the disparate levels of access to
information, media and technology literacy, and access to technology for women and girls as well
as other vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, youth,
and the elderly. The manner and frequency with which the media address issues related to gender
and the way in which women are portrayed in the media can have serious implications for how
women and gender issues are viewed within society, and how people view themselves in relation
to power, equality, and gender roles.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a core part of the U.S. global development policy and USAID’s reform agenda.
The Applicant’s approach to sustainability of the proposed interventions is, therefore, a key
consideration for USAID. The activity is expected to build the institutional capacity of
independent media and media support organizations, to foster partnerships and to introduce tools
and mechanisms in a manner that these will continue to develop beyond the timeframes and scope
of this activity.
Sustainability of the media sector itself is based on the belief that greater citizen interest and
engagement in good governance decision-making depends on accurate and balanced public
interest-oriented media. To increase sustainable government transparency and accountability at all
levels, USAID will support increased professionalism within the journalism community and build
more financially sustainable, multi-media outlets and production facilities as well as media’s
ability to adapt and change to new technological developments and consumer preferences USAID
will also support improvements in legal and regulatory frameworks to promote a more sustainable
operating environment for media practitioners. Selecting those media which are most capable and
transforming them into multi-media outlets is an opportunity to achieve sustainability.
In addition, media organizations are no longer primarily enterprises that deliver content. They are
rapidly developing into communities based in online platforms with strong participation by
citizens. The new online-based media platforms may take the form of user-generated content. They
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may also appear as a means for global, multimedia communication among citizens without
dedicated editorial content. The expanded intervention to help the transition from traditional media
to “new” media platforms such as online and social media, would enable them to compete in the
media market.
Furthermore, partnership with local media partners/ outlets through sub-grant agreements in each
participating country is part of a sustainability strategy to promote local participation and
ownership in a way to increase sustainability of their results. Sustainability of interventions is a
critical component of the activity and should be incorporated throughout the activity, including but
not limited to, building institutional, organizational and individual capacity to improve
performance of target stakeholders, including media outlets, media personnel, civil society and
youth networks.
Youth
It is critical that the Activity is designed to pay special attention to youth as drivers of change,
future leaders within society, and entrepreneurs within the workforce. In recent years, young
activists have been at the forefront of civic activism, often using social media to advocate for and
advance civic initiatives. It is important to address and cultivate this growing potential within the
context of the proposed interventions. Media development activities will need to consider and
actively include youth, ensuring that appropriate structures, choices, and incentives for meaningful
and inclusive youth participation are integrated throughout programming. USAID’s policies on
Youth in Development must be mainstreamed throughout the activity.
Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

The inclusion of ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and the elderly remains a challenge for
Central Asia media coverage. Certain minorities and vulnerable groups are either absent from
media coverage or are portrayed in a biased and stereotypical manner. USAID’s policies on
Persons with Disabilities, as well as international best practices on inclusive development, must be
mainstreamed throughout the activity. Applicants should address their approach to increasing the
awareness, outreach, inclusion and representation of minorities, people with disabilities and other
disenfranchised groups in activity interventions.
Conflict Sensitive Programming

Overall, the programming should take into account diverse ethnic cultures in multi-ethnic and
multi-religious communities in Central Asia. It is essential that interventions are both context
sensitive and conflict sensitive to contextual dynamics and potential conflict triggers in different
operating environments. The Applicant must also ensure that activities integrate conflict mitigation
principles such as “do no harm” by not disproportionately benefiting one demographic group at the
expense of another, or creating additional barriers to participation.
Partnerships
The Applicant is expected to maximize the use of local partners to conduct proposed regional and
country-specific activities. Recipients of programmatic sub-grants should be pre-identified
wherever possible. Selection of such sub-grantees should be done both to strengthen
organizations’ capacity and to provide future sustainability to the activity.
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Flexible and Adaptive

USAID recognizes the importance thinking critically and shifting strategic decisions to respond to
emerging development challenges. This activity will maintain the flexibility and adaptability to
ensure responsiveness to evolving local dynamics and to take advantage of opportunities and
mitigate challenges. This requires a management approach that regularly reassesses and re-
evaluates the operating environment and adjusts program planning and implementation as
necessary. The activity will be flexible enough to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and
respond with different approaches as well as different types of funding or unanticipated shifts in
levels of funding, as appropriate. USAID can request work plan adjustments throughout the life of
the activity. The work plan serves several purposes, including as a guide to program
implementation; a demonstration of links between activities, strategic direction, outcomes and
intended results; and a basis for budget estimates. Work plans should be organized to clearly link
activities to the objectives and outcomes in the Program Description. The Applicant must ensure a
collaborative process in work plan development consulting with all relevant local partners,
USAID, and other stakeholders in preparing the annual work plan to ensure complementarity and
share ownership.
[END OF SECTION A]
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SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
1. Estimate of Funds Available and Number of Awards Contemplated
Subject to funding availability, USAID intends to provide up to $15,000,000 in total USAID

funding over a five year period. The ceiling for this program is $15,000,000. Actual funding
amounts are subject to availability of funds.
USAID intends to award one Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this notice of funding
opportunity.
USAID reserves the right to fund any one or none of the applications submitted.
2. Start Date and Period of Performance for Federal Awards
The period of performance anticipated herein is five years. The estimated start date will be
determined at the time of the award.
3. Substantial Involvement
a. Approval of the Recipient's Annual Work Plans:
The initial draft Work Plan and subsequent work plans must be submitted to and approved by
the Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) per the section F.3(b)(i), “Annual Work Plans”
with the application. The draft Work Plan must be finalized no later than 45 days after the award is
made.
b. Approval of Specified Key Personnel:
Applicants must propose how they will staff CAMP, identifying and describing key personnel
positions. It is USAID’s expectation that key personnel will include a media literacy expert.
However, USAID is open to alternate proposals for the structure of key personnel.
Within 5 days of making the award, the Recipient will propose a combination of key personnel (up
to 5) that corresponds to the proposed technical approach of the Program Description and proposed
staffing plan. Applicants must clearly describe the professional qualifications, education, and
relevant experience of its proposed Key Personnel.
The Key Personnel, as a team, must possess fluency in Russian and English, and the team must
possess the following skill sets:
 Demonstrated experience in managing international development programs including

experience in media sector development, media management, journalism, and/or media
literacy;
 Advanced educational background and knowledge relevant for similar projects in
developing countries;
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 Strong leadership, administrative, management, presentation, reporting, and

communication skills and the ability to implement projects with diverse subject matter;
 Demonstrated ability to research and analyze state policies and legislation and make
recommendations for improvement to relevant stakeholders;
 Ability to coordinate with USG and other donor programs on media and seek synergies and
complementarities to maximize results; and
 Ability to perform at a high level and apply diplomacy skills with a wide range of
stakeholders (i.e., national, provincial, district and local government officials, private
sector, NGOs, and beneficiaries).
Preferred:
 Preferred candidates would have experience integrating gender equality and women’s
empowerment issues within media development activities;
 Experience working on media issues in Central Asia or the former Soviet Union is strongly
preferred;
 Ability to speak regional/local languages (e.g. Tajik and/or Uzbek) is a strongly preferred.
 In addition, the Applicant must provide a staffing plan that has the collective experience
and knowledge to implement the proposed activity. This includes a staffing plan that
provides clear roles and responsibilities and ensures efficient operations both for technical
implementation and project management (e.g. finance, accounting, contract/grant
management). The Applicant must highlight in its staffing plan the chain of command
among staff for the activity and the location of positions for key personnel.
c. Approval of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan:
The initial draft MEL Plan and subsequent updates to the MEL Plan must be submitted to and
approved by the Agreement Officer’s Representative. A description of the MEL Plan is found in
section F.7 of the application, “Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) & Collaboration, Learning, and
Adapting (CLA)”. The draft MEL Plan must be finalized no later than 45 days after the award is
made. As necessary, the MEL Plan may be updated each year of this award as part of the work
plan approval process.
d. Agency and Recipient Collaboration as follows:
i. Approval of subawards. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6), prior approval from the

Agreement Officer is required for the sub-award, transfer, or contracting-out of any
work hereunder, (other than the purchase of supplies, material, equipment, or
general support services), unless, it was described in the Recipient’s application and
funded in the approved budget of the award. In seeking approval, the Recipient
must, at a minimum, identify the subrecipient, the amount, and the purpose of the
award in accordance with 2 CFR 200. In addition, please note the additional
requirements of ADS 303.3.21.a “Subawards to PIOs and Partner Government
Entities” will apply to this award.
ii. USAID monitoring to permit direction and redirection because of interrelationships
with other projects;
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iii. USAID authority to immediately halt a construction activity, if applicable.
e. No construction is anticipated under this award.
4. Title to Property
Property title under the resultant agreement vest with the Recipient in accordance with the
Requirements of the Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Nongovernmental Organizations.
5. Authorized Geographic Code
The geographic code for this program is Code 937 (the United States, the recipient country, and
developing countries other than advanced developing countries, but excluding any country that is a
prohibited source) and 110 (the United States, the independent states of the former Soviet Union,
or a developing country, but excluding any country that is a prohibited source).
6. Purpose of the Award
The principal purpose of the relationship with the Recipient and under the subject program is to
transfer funds to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation of the “Central Asia Media
Program” which is authorized by Federal statute.
The successful Recipient will be responsible for ensuring the achievement of the program
objectives and the efficient and effective administration of the award through the application of
sound management practices. The Recipient will assume responsibility for administering Federal
funds in a manner consistent with underlying agreements, program objectives, and the terms and
conditions of the Federal award. The Recipient using its own unique combination of staff,
facilities, and experience, has the primary responsibility for employing whatever form of sound
organization and management techniques may be necessary in order to assure proper and efficient
administration of the resulting award.
[END OF SECTION B]
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SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
1. Eligible Applicants
U.S. and non-US organizations may participate under this NFO.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing is not anticipated under this award.
[END OF SECTION C]
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SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
1. Agency Point of Contact
Primary: Ms. Jannat Koksalova

Acquisition and Assistance Specialist
Secondary: Ms. Maychin Ho

Agreement Officer
Address: USAID/Central Asia

41 Kazibek Bi Street
050010 Almaty, Kazakhstan
Email: AlmatyAASolicitations@usaid.gov
Questions and Answers:
All questions regarding this NFO should be submitted in writing to

AlmatyAASolicitations@usaid.gov no later than the date and time specified on the cover letter of
this NFO, to provide sufficient time to address the questions and incorporate the questions and
answers as an amendment to this notice of funding opportunity.
Any information given to a prospective Applicant concerning this NFO will be furnished promptly
to all other prospective Applicants as an amendment to this NFO, if that information is necessary
in submitting applications or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective
Applicant.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
Applicants are expected to review, understand and comply with all aspects of the NFO.
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions below.
Electronic. Application and modifications thereof must be submitted in two separate volumes
(electronically): (a) technical and (b) cost applications. Email submission must include the
following in the subject line:
a. “Technical application under #72011518RFA00004, submitted by: [name of

Applicant organization]. Part X of X”
b. “Cost application under #72011518RFA00004, submitted by: [name of Applicant
organization]. Part X of X”
If your technical or cost application is being sent in more than one email, please highlight the
desired sequence of multiple emails. For example, if an Applicant is sending three emails with cost
information, include “Part 1 of 3” on the first cost application email submitted.
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Each submission must be emailed to AlmatyAASolicitations@usaid.gov.
Fax: Faxed applications will not be accepted.
An application received by the deadline will be reviewed for responsiveness to the specifications
outlined in these guidelines and the application format. Late or incomplete applications will not be
considered. Applicants are expected to review, understand, and comply with all aspects of the
NFO.
3. Preparation of Applications:
Each Applicant must furnish the information required by this NFO.
Any erasures or other changes to the application must be initiated by the person signing the
application. Applications signed by an agent on behalf of the Applicant must be accompanied by
evidence of that agent’s authority, unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing
office.
Applicants who include data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose or used
by the U.S. Government except for evaluation purposes, should mark the title page with the
following legend:
“This application includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the U.S. Government and shall
not be duplicated, used, or disclosed – in whole or in part – for any purpose other than to evaluate
this application. If, however, a grant is awarded to this Applicant as a result of – or in connection
with – the submission of this data, the U.S. Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or
disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting grant. This restriction does not limit the
U.S. Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another
source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets {insert sheet
numbers} and, mark each sheet of data it wished to restrict with the following legend:
“Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of
this application.”
Applicants should retain for their records one (1) copy of the application and all enclosures which
accompany it.
4. Application Submission Procedures
It is the Applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all necessary documentation is complete and
received on time.
Our preference is that the technical application and the cost application be submitted as single
email attachments, e.g. that you consolidate the various parts of a technical application into a
single document before sending them. If this is not possible, please provide instructions on how to
collate the attachments. USAID will not be responsible for errors in compiling electronic
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applications if no instructions are provided or are unclear. All applications received by the
submission deadline will be reviewed for responsiveness to the NFO and the application format.
No additions or modifications will be accepted after the submission date.
After you have sent your applications electronically, immediately check your own email to
confirm that the attachments you intended to send were indeed sent. If you discover an error in
your transmission, please send the material again and note in the subject line of the email or
indicate in the file name if submitted via grants.gov that it is a "corrected" submission. Do not send
the same email more than once unless there has been a change, and if so, please note that it is a
"corrected" email.
5. Technical Application Format
The technical application will be the most important factor for consideration in selection for award
of the proposed Cooperative Agreement. The technical application should be specific, complete
and presented concisely. The application should demonstrate the Applicant's capabilities and
expertise with respect to achieving the goals of this program. The application should take into
account the requirements of the program and evaluation criteria found in this NFO.
The Technical Application should be in English and submitted in a Microsoft work (.docx) format.
Technical application must not exceed 20 pages, utilizing Times New Roman 12-font size,
single spaced, typed in standard 8 ½” x11” on letter size paper with one-inch margins both right
and left, and each page numbered consecutively. Cover letter, dividers, table of contents, and
annexes will not count toward the page limit. Any pages that exceed the page limitation will not be
furnished to the Selection Committee.
The technical application should demonstrate the Applicant's capabilities and expertise with
respect to achieving the goals of this activity. Therefore it should be specific, complete and
presented concisely.
The technical application must include the following sections:
a. Cover Page (not included in 20-page limit)
The Cover Page should include the following:

A. Program title;
B. Request for Applications reference number;
C. Name of organization (s) applying for the agreement;
D. Any partnerships;
E. Contact person, telephone number, email address, address, and types name(s) and title(s) of
person(s) who prepared the application, and corresponding signatures; and
F. DUNS number of the Applicant.
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b. Table of contents (not included in 20-page limit)
The table of contents must list all parts of the technical application, with page numbers and
attachments.
c. Executive Summary (included in 20 page limit; not to exceed 2 pages)
Provide a concise summary of the Applicant’s program description, program methodology and
expected results.
d. Technical Approach (included in 20-page limit)
In this section, Applicants are not to merely repeat what is already described in this NOFO.
Applicant must focus on describing the program that the Applicant will implement and how they
propose to achieve the objectives, expected results, and make a significant contribution toward
achieving the strategic purpose and priorities identified in USAID’s activity Funding Opportunity
Description (FOD). Applicants are expected to demonstrate an approach reflecting the guiding
principles outlined in the activity FOD, which are central to achieving the objectives, and should
be well described throughout the application. The Applicant must discuss the specific challenges to
be addressed, the general strategy and plan to achieve activity objectives, and results to be
achieved. Results and the associated impact should be concrete and measurable.
The program description set forth in this NFO describes a range of issues that should be addressed
in the technical approach. It is not meant to describe all of the issues related to media development
in Central Asia nor how those issues should be addressed, as Applicants should describe in their
technical applications the key challenges related to media sector as they understand them and how
they propose to address such challenges. Therefore, the program description of this NFO should
not be interpreted as restrictive. Applicants are encouraged to raise and justify other technical
issues that may not appear in the program description but are, nevertheless, related.
The approach must include a clear vision and comprehensive strategy, as well as feasibility and
sustainability in achieving all the project objectives and results identified in this NFO, including an
understanding of effective strategies in the operational context. This must exhibit Applicants’
familiarity with the operational context. Applicants are required to ensure sustainability of
interventions are incorporated throughout the Activity, including but not limited to, building
organizational capacity of local and regional partners to pursue self-sustaining operational capacity
and to mobilize non-USAID resources.
Applicants will be expected to articulate how programming interventions will adapt to dynamic
and rapidly evolving environments and which learning processes are appropriate to adapt activities
to ensure the most effective approach over time and ensure continued progress toward anticipated
results. Proposed approaches must reflect a systematic strategy and continuous processes for
institutional learning and change, which incorporate lessons learned and best practices throughout
the program. This includes analysis, planning, implementation, assessment, and measurement that
are reflected in organizational practices of adaptive learning and innovation to ensure they are
sustained beyond the life of the project cycle.
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The approach must:

 Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the programming context.
 Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key local,
national, and regional stakeholders, including government entities and non-profit
associations, the private sector, and academic actors. This should include how the
Applicant will engage these actors and foster partnerships.
 Articulate the proposed approach to achieving results under each of the program’s three
components, including how the Applicant will maintain flexibility and adapt to evolving
conditions.
 Demonstrate clarity and soundness of approach and the ability to test, document, and
disseminate “best practices” and “lessons learned”, including through the establishment
and/or strengthening of existing knowledge management platforms.
In addition, the Applicant is expected to incorporate gender and sustainability throughout its
technical approach.
Gender Equality and Female Empowerment:

Ensuring opportunities for women’s participation and leadership in decision-making at all levels of
society has not been fully realized. The Recipient must promote women’s participation and work
to empower women in decision-making processes to ensure maximum opportunities to gain access
to information, benefits, and reforms that can bring strategic changes to their status, and to gender
relations. Interventions implemented by the Recipient must be responsive to gender considerations,
and seek to ensure that the assistance provided and the results achieved are beneficial to both
genders. As appropriate, impact and indicators must be disaggregated by gender. None of the
interventions must inhibit the active participation of either men or women. Men and women must
be treated as equal partners in their role as clients, and as partners of USAID.
Sustainability:
A clear description of how the Applicant will ensure the sustainability of the approaches that are
developed and the results that are achieved via the alliance. For example, describe specific steps
and actions that the Applicant will take to ensure sustainable results and impacts beyond the term
of USAID’s financial support and the prospects for the activities and results to continue after
completion of the agreement.
e. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) (included in 20-page limit):
The Applicant will provide an overview of the M&E approach in the technical application This
narrative must include the following: a planned staffing structure and resource allocation for M&E;
how data collection, analysis and reporting of performance data will be managed under the project;
how data quality assessments will be undertaken; how gender analysis will be incorporated into the
M&E methodology; and how data will be shared and used to inform programming. In addition,
given the dynamic nature of this activity, the Applicant should explain how it will utilize an
adaptive learning approach to ensure lessons gleaned from M&E are incorporated into the activity.
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The Applicant will directly report performance information (e.g. activities, indicators, quarterly
and annual reports, etc.) into USAID/CA’s management information system for the entirety of the
performance period. Appropriate training will be provided by USAID to ensure compliance.
f. Management Structure and Staffing Plan (included in 20-page limit):
The Applicant should propose a staffing/teaming structure that will provide a wide range of
strategic and technical assistance to increase access to information and media sector development
in the three countries of implementation. This section should describe an organizational
arrangement that clearly demonstrates effective means for managing program resources and
working with local partners and organizations.
This section must address at a minimum the following:

a. Composition and organizational structure of the proposed team (including an
organizational diagram for the program as an annex) and a description of each
long/short-term key or non-key team member‘s role, technical expertise, and estimated
amount of time to be devoted to the activity. This should include any proposed
institutional partners (sub-awardees or other arrangements) along with their expertise,
roles, and responsibilities;
b. Identify the positions (up to 5) that will be filled by key personnel. For each key
personnel position, briefly highlight why the roles and responsibilities justify the
position being designated as “key.”
c. Effective management systems and procedures for personnel, sub-contractors,
commodities, training, and information technology solutions. If sub-awardees are
proposed, a demonstrated ability to issue, manage, and monitor sub-awards and sub-
awardee activities;
d. A proposed plan for an effective start-up and timely launch of activities, minimally
including a demonstrated ability or understanding of: organizational and project
registration procedures in each of the three participating countries; recruitment and
hiring of non-key personnel;
e. Ways in which the structure will ensure effectiveness and efficiency in order to achieve
maximum benefits and results at minimum cost; and
f. Any home office support that will be included and at what level.
USAID neither requests nor desires exclusivity agreements between the Applicant and any
proposed sub awardee.
g. Annexes
Annex 1: Gender Action Agenda (up to 2 pages; not included in 20-page limit)
The Applicant is expected to incorporate gender considerations throughout its technical

approach. In addition, the Applicant must also develop and implement a gender and
development action agenda (narrative, graphic, or both) that describes its objectives, gender
parity entry points, and interventions to ensure sustainable access to resources and equal access
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to participation by both men and women. This agenda should clearly highlight and expand
upon how gender is incorporated into the technical approach.
Annex 2: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (up to 5 pages; not included in 20-page
limit)
The Applicant must include an illustrative (draft) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)
Plan that will describe how the project’s performance will be monitored in an annex that
should not exceed 5 pages. The MEL Plan should include an appropriate set of indicators to
accurately measure project outputs and outcomes. The Applicant may draw upon relevant
USAID standard indicators (http://f.state.sbu/Pages/Indicators.aspx) and develop custom
indicators, as required. For each indicator, the MEL Plan should clearly identify data sources,
frequency of data collection, collection methods, the party responsible for data collection,
when baseline information will be collected, and expected annual targets for each country. The
MEL Plan should describe how routine assessments and internal evaluations will be used to
receive feedback to inform programmatic decision-making. The planned calendar of M&E
activities should be presented in a GANTT chart for the life of project.
Annex 3: Organigram (up to 2 pages; not included in the 20 page limit)
An organigram should be provided as an annex to support the manage structure and staffing
plan narrative.
Annex 4: Job Descriptions for Key Personnel (up to 10 pages; not included in the 20 page
limit)
Job descriptions for key personnel positions must be submitted as an annex to demonstrate how
the Applicant intends to meet Key Personnel requirements and illustrate the experience and
expertise each identified Key Personnel position should hold. The job descriptions should
highlight the duties, responsibilities and required qualifications each key personnel position
will have.
Annex 5: Draft Year One Annual Work Plan (up to 3 pages; not included in the 20 page limit)
The Draft Year One Annual Work Plan should follow the guidelines in section F.3.b.i, “Annual
Work Plans” and illustrate how the Applicant will ensure a rapid and effective launch of
project activities in Year 1 and a realistic approach to implement the program Description to
achieve the results. Each activity should be clearly linked to an outcome or impact.
The plan must provide a detailed explanation (narrative, graphic, or both) of proposed activities
and their sequencing, with an illustrative work plan for Year 1.
Annex 6: Past Performance (up to 5 pages; not included in the 20 page limit)
This section must address the following:

 Institutional strength as represented by breadth and depth of experienced personnel in program
relevant disciplines and areas;
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 Examples of accomplishments and results in developing and implementing similar programs -

this should not be a list of previous programs or activities; and
 Relevant experience with proposed approaches.
The applicant should describe a maximum of five relevant contracts, grants, and/or cooperative
agreements that the organization, both the primary Applicant as well as substantive sub-
partners, if any, has implemented involving similar or related programs over the past five
years. Please include the following information in an annex under past performance
information:
 Name, address, current telephone number, and email address of responsible representative(s)
from the organization for which the work was performed;
 Contract/grant name and number, if any, annual amount received for each of the last three
years, and beginning and end dates; and
 Brief description of the project/assistance activity.
h. Key Personnel
Key personnel will not be evaluated as part of this RFA, and Applicants must not submit
CV/resumes and other similar documentation related to key personnel. Instead, as noted in section
D.5(g), job descriptions highlighting the roles, responsibilities and required qualifications for key
personnel must be included as an annex to the Application.
Within 5 days of signing the award, the Recipient will be asked to submit a key personnel team
that meets the requirements set forth in section B.3.b for approval. As such, USAID encourages
Applicants to begin recruiting for key personnel during the application process.
6. Cost Application Format
Cost application must be prepared in Excel which detail the breakdown of each line item
captured in the SF-424A. The Excel worksheets must not contain passwords, locked cells, hidden
spreadsheets or references to calculations not provided elsewhere in the application and all calculations
and formulas must be visible. It must contain:
 The breakdown of all costs associated with the activity according to costs of, if applicable,
headquarters, regional and/or country offices.
 The breakdown of all costs according to each partner organization involved in the activity.
 A breakdown of all costs according to each sub-awardee involved in the.
 The budget must provide a breakdown of the financial and in-kind leverage, converted to dollar
value, of all organizations involved in implementing this activity. Please indicate clearly if the
resource contributions will be in-kind or cash in the budget and budget narrative, as
appropriate.
The Budget must include the following worksheets or tabs, and contents, at a minimum:
 Summary Budget, inclusive of all program costs (federal and non-federal), broken out by major
budget categories and by year for activities implemented by the Applicant and any potential
sub-applicants for the entire period of the activity.
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 Detailed Budget, including a breakdown by year, sufficient to allow the Agency to determine
that the costs represent a realistic and efficient use of funding to implement the Applicant’s
activity and are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart
E.
 Detailed Budgets for each sub-award, for all federal funding and cost share, broken out by
budget categories and by year, for the entire implementation period of the activity.
The budget must have an accompanying detailed budget narrative and justification that provides
detailed explanation regarding each proposed cost. The budget narrative should provide information
regarding the basis of estimate for each line item, including reference to sources used to substantiate
the cost estimate (e.g. organization's policy, payroll document, and vendor quotes, etc.). Detail must be
adequate for USAID to evaluate the necessity, reasonableness and allocability of each cost element in
accordance with applicable cost principles. Detailed explanation must be provided regarding proposed
leverage, including how the contribution from the resource partners proposed in the Applicant’s
submitted concept paper and subsequent updates will be valued, monitored, and reported. Cost sharing
is not anticipated under this award. However, cost-share resources should be distinguished from other
resource contributions, including private sector resource contributions, if applicable.
The Detailed Budget must contain the following budget categories as shown on the SF-424A and
information, at a minimum:
a. Salary and Allowances
Direct salaries and wages must be proposed in accordance with the Applicant's personnel policies and
must include position title, salary rate, level of effort, and salary escalation factors. Allowances, when
proposed, should be broken down by specific type and by person. Allowances should be in accordance
with the Applicant’s policies and the applicable regulations and policies. Explain assumptions in the
Budget Narrative. If the organization has standing policies across all projects for annual salary
escalations that exceed current inflation rates, those policies and the effective date of those policies
must be provided with the application. The Applicant must also confirm that the policy applies to all
staff across all projects.
b. Fringe Benefits (if applicable)
If the Applicant has a fringe benefit rate approved by an agency of the U.S. Government, the Applicant
must use such rate and provide evidence of its approval. If an Applicant does not have a fringe benefit
rate approved, the Applicant must propose a rate and explain how the Applicant determined the rate. In
this case, the Budget Narrative must include a detailed breakdown comprised of all items of fringe
benefits (e.g., superannuation, gratuity, etc.) and the costs of each, expressed in U.S. dollars and as a
percentage of salaries.
c. Travel and Transportation
The Applicant must provide details to explain the purpose of the trips, the number of trips, the origin
and destination, the number of individuals traveling, and the duration of the trips. Per Diem and
associated travel costs must be based on the Applicant’s normal travel policies. When appropriate
please provide supporting documentation as an attachment, such as company travel policy, and explain
assumptions in the Budget Narrative.
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d. Procurement or Rental of Goods (Equipment & Supplies), Services, and Real Property
The Applicant must include information on estimated types of equipment, models, supplies and the
cost per unit and quantity. The Budget Narrative must include the purpose of the equipment and
supplies and the basis for the estimates. The Budget Narrative must support the necessity of any rental
costs and reasonableness in light of such factors as: rental costs of comparable property, if any; market
conditions in the area; alternatives available; and the type, life expectancy, condition, and value of the
property leased.
e. Contract / Sub-awards
Specify the budget for the portion of the activity to be passed through to any contractors or sub-
awardees. See 2 CFR 200.330 for assistance in determining whether the sub-tier entity is a sub-
recipient or contractor. The sub-award budgets must align with the same requirements as the
Applicant’s budget, including those related to fringe and indirect costs.
Pursuant to 2 CFR 200 Contract means a legal instrument by which the Applicant purchases property
or services needed to carry out the project or program under a resulting award. The term does not
include a legal instrument when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal
award or sub-award (see § 200.92 Sub-award), even if the Applicant considers it a contract. The
Applicant must describe the work to be performed, the risk borne by the contractor, the contractor's
investment, the amount of subcontracting proposed by the contractor, and the quality of its record of
past performance for similar work. For-profit contract organizations that work under the award and do
not meet the above definition of a sub-awardee are eligible for profit/fee.
f. Other Direct Costs
This may include other costs not elsewhere specified, such as report preparation costs, passports and
visas fees, medical exams and inoculations, as well as any other miscellaneous costs which directly
benefit the activity proposed by the Applicant. The Applicant should indicate the subject, venue and
duration of any proposed conferences and seminars, and their relationship to the objectives of the
activity, along with estimates of costs. Otherwise, the narrative should be minimal.
g. Indirect Costs
Applicant and/or major Sub-Applicant that have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or the
equivalent with USAID or another federal agency should include indirect costs per the terms of their
agreement. The Applicant must indicate whether they are proposing indirect costs or will charge all
costs directly. The application must identify which approach they are requesting and provide the
applicable supporting information.
The Applicant and/or Major Sub-Applicant must submit a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate
Agreement NICRA if the organization has such an agreement with an agency or department of the
U.S. Government. If no NICRA the Applicant should submit the following:
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Reviewed Financial Statements Report: a report issued by a Certified Public Account (CPA)
documenting the review of the financial statements was performed in accordance with Statements
on Standards for Accounting and Review Services; that management is responsible for the
preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable
financial reporting framework and for designing, implementing and maintaining internal control
relevant to the preparation. The account must also state the he or she is not aware of any material
modifications that should be made to the financial statements; or
Audited Financial Statements Report: An auditor issues a report documenting the audit was
conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), the financial
statements are the responsibility of management, provides an opinion that the financial statements
present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the company and the results of
operations are in conformity with the applicable financial reporting framework (or issues a
qualified opinion if the financial statements are not in conformity with the applicable financial
reporting framework.
h. Other Information.
Certain documents are required to be submitted by an Applicant in order for the Agreement Officer
to make a determination of responsibility. However, it is USAID policy not to burden Applicants
with undue reporting requirements if that information is readily available through other sources.
i. Representations and Certifications.
Representations and certifications should be included with the cost application. Complete copies of
these Certifications, Assurances, and Other Statements may be found at
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/303mav.pdf.
Please include information on the organization's financial status and management, including:
(a) Audited financial statements for the past three years,

(b) Organization chart, by laws, constitution, and articles of incorporation, if
applicable,
(c) Copy of its personnel (especially regarding salary and wage scales, merit increases,
promotions, leave, differentials, etc.), travel accounting management and
procurement policies.
The application should include information that substantiates that the Applicant:
(a) Has adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain such resources as required during the
performance of the Agreement.
(b) Has the ability to comply with the Agreement conditions, taking into account all existing and
currently prospective commitments of the Applicant, non-governmental and governmental.
(c) Has a satisfactory record of performance. In the absence of evidence to the contrary or
circumstances properly beyond the control of the Applicant, Applicants who are or have been
deficient in current or recent performance (when the number of grants, contracts, and
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Cooperative agreements, and the extent of any deficiency of each, are considered) must be
presumed to be unable to meet this requirement. Past unsatisfactory performance will
ordinarily be sufficient to justify a determination of non-responsibility, unless there is clear
evidence of subsequent satisfactory performance. The Agreement Officer will collect and
evaluate data on past performance of Applicants using information from sources provided in
accordance with Paragraph 6 above.
(d) Has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.
(e) Is otherwise qualified and eligible to receive a Cooperative Agreement under applicable laws
and regulations (e.g., EEO).
Applicants may submit any additional evidence of responsibility considered necessary in order for
the Agreement Officer to make a determination of responsibility. Please note that a positive
responsibility determination is a requirement for award, and all organization must be subject to a
pre-award survey to verify the information provided and substantiate the determination.
j. Dun and Bradstreet and SAM.gov Requirements
All Applicants [unless the Applicant is exempted under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an
exception approved by USAID under 2 CFR 25.110(d)] is required to:
(i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application. SAM is streamlining processes,
eliminating the need to enter the same data multiple times, and consolidating hosting to
make the process of doing business with the government more efficient;
(ii) Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application;
(iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times
during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration
by a Federal awarding agency; and
(iv) Provide Affirmation of Certifications (please refer to ADS 303mad, Affirmation of
Certifications).
USAID may not make a Federal award to an Applicant until the Applicant has complied with all
applicable DUNS and SAM requirements and, if an Applicant has not fully complied with the
requirements by the time USAID is ready to make an award, USAID may determine that the
Applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an
award to another Applicant.
It is the Applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all necessary documentation is complete and
received on time.
k. Funding Restrictions
1. USAID policy is not to award profit under assistance instruments. However, all reasonable,
allocable and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the
agreement program and are in accordance with applicable cost principle under 2 CFR 200
Subpart E. of the Uniform Administrative Requirements may be paid under the anticipated
award.
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2. Construction under this award is not eligible for reimbursement.
3. Sub-awards to government organizations are not eligible for reimbursement.
[END OF SECTION D]
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SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
1. Criteria
The criteria presented below have been tailored to the requirements of the award. The Applicant
should note that these criteria serve to: (a) identify the significant matters which Applicant should
address in the application and (b) set the standard against which the application will be evaluated.
Recognizing that various approaches may have merit, the award seeks a Recipient that, on the
basis of its experience, can propose cost-effective ways of implementing this program. USAID
may reject the application if the response is not deemed sufficiently responsive.
An award will be made according to the evaluation criteria below. The application will be
evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth below in descending order of
importance:
 Technical Approach
 Management Structure and Staffing
 Implementation and Monitoring
 Past Performance
2. Review and Selection Process
a. Technical Evaluation
USAID will conduct a merit-based review of all applications received that comply with the
instructions in this NFO. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the
following criteria shown in descending order of importance:
Criterion Description
Technical The Technical Approach will be evaluated on the degree to which the
Approach Applicant’s narrative describes an approach that achieves all the project
objectives and results identified in this RFA.
Management Management Structure and Staffing will be evaluated with regards to the
Structure and extent to which the application’s management structure, staffing plan
Staffing narrative and organigram convincingly demonstrates the ability for
effective implementation of the activities proposed and achievement of
activity objectives.
Implementation Implementation and Monitoring will be evaluated with regards to the
and Monitoring extent to which the Monitoring and evaluation narrative, the draft
monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan, and the draft annual work plan
demonstrate the ability to implement, monitor, and evaluate activities.
Past Performance The extent to which the Applicant and its teaming partners, if any,
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demonstrate successful Past Performance in achieving results on similar

programs.
b. Cost Evaluation
Cost is less important than technical and is not weighted; however, the cost applications of the
apparently successful technical application will be evaluated for cost effectiveness including the
level of proposed cost share. Other considerations are the completeness of the application,
adequacy of budget detail and consistency with elements of the technical application. In addition,
the organization must demonstrate adequate financial management capability, to be measured for a
responsibility determination.
The application with the lowest estimated cost may not be selected if award to a higher priced
technical application offers a greater overall benefit for the program. All evaluation factors other
than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost. However, estimated
cost is an important factor and the estimated cost to the Government increases in importance as
competing applications approach equivalence and may become the deciding factor when technical
applications are approximately equivalent in merit.
Cost estimates will be analyzed as part of the application evaluation process. Proposed costs may
be adjusted, for purposes of evaluation, based on results of the cost analysis and its assessment of
reasonableness, completeness, and credibility.
[END OF SECTION E]
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SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
1. Federal Award Notices
A notice of award signed by the AO is the authorizing document for the award resulting from this
NFO. USAID will provide it electronically to the authorized individual identified by the Recipient
in the application.
Award of the agreement contemplated by this NFO cannot be made until funds have been
appropriated, allocated and committed through internal USAID procedures. While USAID
anticipates that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential Applicants are hereby
notified of these requirements and conditions for the award. The Agreement Officer is the only
individual who may legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds. No costs
chargeable to the proposed Agreement may be incurred before receipt of either a fully executed
Agreement or a specific, written authorization from the Agreement Officer.
2. Administrative & National Policy Requirements
The award will be administered as follows:
Agreement Office:
Acquisition and Assistance Office
USAID/Central Asia
41, Kazibek Bi Street
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Technical Office:
Office of Democracy and Governance
USAID/Central Asia
41, Kazibek Bi Street
Almaty, Kazakhstan
For U.S. organizations, 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 700 will apply, and ADS 303maa, Standard Provisions
for U.S. Non-governmental Organizations are applicable.
For non-U.S. organizations, ADS 303mab, and Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Non-
governmental Organizations will apply.
Full copies of the 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 700 are incorporated hereby by reference. Please refer to
ADS 303.4 and 303.5 for guidance. However, the applicable standard provisions will be attached
to the final award document.
3. Reporting Requirements.
The Recipient must provide the following reports to the Agreement Officer’s Representative
(AOR) and to the Agreement Officer at AlmatyAAReporting@usaid.gov, as specified below, in
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accordance with 2 CFR 200.328 and 200.327 and the Substantial Involvement provisions.
a. Financial Reporting:
The Recipient must submit the Federal Financial Form (SF-425) on a quarterly basis within 30
calendar days after the end of each USG fiscal quarter (i.e. October 30, January 30, April 30, July
30) via electronic format to the USAID/CA Office of Financial Management at
CARInvoices@usaid.gov, and to the Agreement Officer at AlmatyAAReporting@usaid.gov and
the Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR).
The Recipient must submit the original and two copies of all final financial reports to
USAID/CA/FMO, the Agreement Officer, and the AOR. The Recipient must submit the final
financial report no later than 90 calendar days from the end of the agreement.
Electronic copies of the SF-425 can be found at: www.grants.gov
b. Performance Reporting:
i. Annual Work Plans (AWP):
Within forty five days (45) of the award of the Cooperative Agreement, the Recipient must
develop and submit the first annual work plan to the AOR. Work plans may be submitted
electronically. Upon acceptance of the work plan by the AOR, any substantial revisions to the plan
must require the written approval of the AOR. Annual work plans for subsequent years are due to
the AOR 30 days prior to the end of the USG’s fiscal year or approximately August 31st.
Regardless of the start date of this award, work plans will be adjusted to the fiscal calendar of
October 1-September 30.
The Recipient must ensure that the AWP appropriately reflects activity objectives and the program
description. The AWP should detail the work to be accomplished during the upcoming year. All
work plan activities must be within the scope of the award. The AWP will serve as a guide for
activity implementation–a demonstration of links between interventions and objectives in
accordance with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan. The AWP must outline key
activities and the expected results to be accomplished for that year and will be negotiated and
shared with key stakeholders for comments as appropriate. The AWP will also serve as a basis for
budget estimates for that year of program implementation. A budget with sufficient detail to allow
the AOR to judge the efficiency of the implementation plan should be included. The AWP should
delineate an overall budget by line item and a budget per objective and activity. The AWP may be
revised on an occasional basis in the course of implementation, as needed, to reflect changes on the
ground with the concurrence of the AOR.
ii. Quarterly/Annual Performance Reports:
The Recipient will use the standard form Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR) to report
performance progress for the program under the award. Reports may be submitted electronically.
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Regardless of the start date of the cooperative agreement all reporting will be adjusted to the USG
fiscal year calendar.
Quarterly Reports: The Recipient must submit quarterly reports that include narratives of
quarterly achievements, and progress against the work plan and agreed-upon performance
indicators. A format for the quarterly report must be approved by the AOR on an annual basis. The
Recipient must submit quarterly reports within thirty (30) calendar days of the end of each quarter.
The following quarter end dates must be used to determine the date of submission off the quarterly
reports: 3/31, 6/30, 9/30, or 12/31. The fourth quarter report must be drafted as an annual report
and must cover activities of the quarter as well as overall assessment of performance and progress
for the prior 12 months of the program (See Annual Reports below).
The quarterly report must describe and assess the overall progress to date based upon agreed
performance indicators. The reports must also describe the accomplishments of the Recipient and
the progress made during the past quarter and will include information on key activities, both
ongoing and completed during the quarter (e.g. meetings, trainings, workshops, significant events,
subcontracts, and grants). The quarterly report should include targets and results for each indicator
agreed upon in the MEL Plan. The quarterly report provides the opportunity to discuss impacts of
learning on the program; for example, how has implementation evolved as the result of
information gathered over the course of the quarter? Also, notification must be given in the case of
problems, delays, or adverse conditions which materially impair the ability to meet the objectives
of the award or which may have an impact on the development hypothesis or theory of change for
the activity, and/or other activities (USG-funded or not) which might be informed by such
learning. This notification must include a statement of the action taken or contemplated, and any
assistance needed to resolve the situation. Lastly, the quarterly report will outline how the project
has collaborated with host country governments and other USG and other-donor funded projects
and efforts. The quarterly reports must utilize photos, maps, tables and other graphical elements
useful in communicating performance data and activity implementation and include at least one
success story. Any outreach or press reporting about the activity must also be included.
Annual Reports: The Recipient must submit annual reports that include narratives of
achievements, and progress against the work plan and agreed-upon performance indicators. A
format for the annual report must be approved by the AOR on an annual basis. The Recipient must
submit annual reports within thirty (30) calendar days of the end of each U.S. Government fiscal
year. Annual reports should contain content appropriate for public dissemination. In addition to
content summarizing performance from the preceding quarter (See Quarterly Report above), the
Annual Report must include a section that summarizes performance from the preceding year. The
annual summary must concentrate on outcome and impact based on agreed upon performance
indicators. It will report on annual achievements against targets and will account for any shortfalls.
The analysis in the annual section must not be limited to performance measures – it will also
summarize progress during the previous year in a qualitative fashion. To this end, the Annual
Report must also utilize photos, maps, tables, and other graphical elements useful in summarizing
project performance from the past year. In addition, the annual report must include a professionally
formatted, four-to eight page annual summary of achievements, noteworthy activities, lessons
learned, changes in the environment, etc. The summary must be formatted to function as a stand-
alone, externally sharable document, designed to keep key project stakeholders (such as USG
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agencies, other donors, and other USG implementers) up to date on progress. The summary must
include photos, maps, tables, and other graphical elements as relevant. The annual summary must
not directly recycle text, photos or other elements from quarterly summaries.
As Part of Quarterly Performance reporting, the Recipient will address the following:
Marking and Branding: As per USAID/CA’s Mission Order on Marking and Branding, the
Recipient will be requested to provide the following information:
 An updated quarterly list of public events to be organized by the Recipient during the
upcoming three months, including approximate date, location, and audience. The Recipient
will coordinate with USAID about all planned events with press participation, press
activities, press releases, as well as inclusion of USAID promotional materials for the
participants, participation of USAID/USG representatives.
 Two success stories a year with an accompanying photograph (see item c. for
specifications). The success stories will be provided in a Word Document format, using a
standard USAID success story template.
 The fourth quarterly performance report must also include a digital collection of at least 20
photographs a year that are illustrative of project’s achievements in jpeg format. The
photographs will comply with a guidance provided in the USAID Graphic Standards
Manual. Each photograph will have a brief explanation about its subject, and identify: the
author and his/her organization, person(s) featured in the photograph, and the location
where the photograph was taken.
 Clippings of press articles that mention the project.
 At least 2 copies of all public communications materials produced by the project. In
addition, the Recipient must submit all final documents to USAID’s Development
Experience Clearinghouse.
Participant Training Reports: The Recipient will collect training data on technical trainings (i.e.,
conferences and workshops) provided for beneficiaries that were held in the United States, third
countries, or in-country under this Cooperative Agreement. The training data will be entered into
TraiNET and submitted to the AOR quarterly no later than 45 days following the end of each fiscal
quarter measured from October 1, as relevant. The Participant Training report for the final quarter
of the final year of the agreement will be due 30 days prior to the end date of the award. The
Recipient will follow ADS 252 policy, which provides detailed information regarding visa
compliance guidelines, and ADS 253, which provides guidance on how to implement USAID
funded training programs.
TraiNet and USAID Sponsored J-1 Visas: All host country nationals being funded fully, partially,
directly, or indirectly by USAID must enter the U.S. on a J-1 Visa, regardless of the type or
duration of the activity. In order to secure a J-1 visa, each participant must first secure a DS-2019
form (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor J-1 Status). TraiNet is the only means of
obtaining a DS-2019 for USAID funded Exchange Visitors.
USAID/CA delegates the TraiNet data entry, verification, and reporting responsibilities to its
implementing partner who is responsible for data entry (the R1 role) and verification (the R2 role)
of all training programs and participants that are funded by USAID. USAID/Central Asia/SPO is
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responsible for approval (the R3 role) and the COR/AOR and Program Managers are responsible
for working with their implementing partners to obtain the data needed by the R3.
USAID/Washington is responsible for submission of the data (the R4 role) to SEVIS.
The DS-2019 approval process is as follows:
Data is entered into TraiNet by the implementing partner’s Data Entry Initiator (R1);
 The R1 submits the information to the Visa Compliance System (VCS);
 The designated Verifier (R2) verifies the accuracy of the data in the VCS, uploads
documents, and either submits the information to the R3 if all is correct, or rejects the file if
there are errors in the data;
 A designated United States citizen in the Central Asia Mission – the Approver (R3) –
reviews the electronic versions of documents and either approves or rejects the files (for
missing data or other concerns based on review of the files) sending them back to the R1
with comments;
 When the R3 approves a file, the information is electronically transferred to the
Responsible Officer (R4) in USAID/Washington who provides the final approval before
the information is submitted to the Department of Homeland Security SEVIS database;
 The DS-2019 form is created, printed and mailed to the R3;
 The R3 gives the form to the USAID AOR who provides it to the implementing partner.
The implementing partner is responsible for delivering the form to the participant so that
he/she can present it to the Consular Officer during their appointment for a J-1 visa at the
U.S. Embassy consular section, or designated Consulate. Exchange visitors apply online at
the U.S. State Department’s website in each respective CAR countries. When asked to
enter a “Program Number”, applications should enter USAID’s Exchange Visitor Program
Number G-2-00263.”
Gender Reporting: The Recipient will report any activities implemented during the period, with
progress and results that contributed towards promotion of Gender Equality and Female
Empowerment. As part of its regular reports, the Recipient must collect, analyze and submit sex-
disaggregated data and propose actions that will address any gender-related challenges that might
arise from that data. The Recipient will report any challenges to the AOR who, in turn, will work
with the USAID/CA Mission’s gender specialist to find reasonable solutions
iii. Final Report:
The Recipient must submit a final report that summarizes achievements, and progress against the
work plan and agreed-upon performance indicators over the life of the project. The Recipient must
submit the Final Report within ninety (90) calendar days after the expiration of the award. The
Final Report must contain content appropriate for public dissemination. The Final Report must
contain the following information:
1. An executive summary of the accomplishments and results achieved;
2. An in-depth analysis of progress and results that synthesizes achievements that contributed
towards program objectives. This section must clearly describe activities, major
accomplishments, and results achieved, including results for all of the activities under the
Cooperative Agreement;
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3. Describe reasons why targets were not achieved or were surpassed and why activities were
delayed or not carried out, if appropriate;
4. A summary of problems/obstacles encountered during the implementation, and how those
obstacles were addressed and overcome, if appropriate;
5. Success stories, including examples of synergy and collaboration with partners;
6. Lessons learned, best practices, and other findings, along with recommendations for future
programming in this sector;
7. A summary of progress made in achieving indicator targets during the activity
implementation (based on valid data collection and analysis and credible baseline)
including final data, compared to baseline data, for all indicators included in the monitoring
and evaluation plan. This section should include disaggregated data by gender, historically
disenfranchised groups, and other relevant groups identified;
8. A comparison of actual expenditures with budget estimates, including analysis and
explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs, as relevant;
9. Other pertinent information, including recommendations with-in depth- analysis and
lessons learned, related to the overall activity results;
10. The Final Report must also contain an index of all reports and information products
produced under the award; and
11. The Final Report must include a professionally formatted, four-to eight page annual
summary of achievements, noteworthy activities, lessons learned, changes in the
environment, etc. The Report must be formatted to function as a stand-alone, externally
shareable document, designed to keep key project stakeholders (such as USG agencies,
other donors, and other USG implementers) up to date on progress. The Final Report must
include photos, maps, tables, and other graphical elements as relevant. The Final Report
must not directly recycle text, photos or other elements from Annual Reports.
4. Development Experience Clearinghouse Requirements
Consistent with ADS 540, the Recipient must prepare and submit a copy of semi-annual and final
performance reports, results of assessments and operational research, if any, required by this award
to the USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) at:
Online: https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/content/submit.aspx;
By Mail:
USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse
M/CIO/ITSD/KM/DEC
RRB M.01-010
Washington, DC 20523-6100
Essential bibliographic information must accompany submissions, whenever it is available. The

submission page on the DEC identifies the minimum required fields to submit. For questions on
DEC submissions, contact:
Email: ksc@usaid.gov
Telephone: +1 202-712-0579
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*Note: Mail sent to USAID via the US Postal Service undergoes security and irradiation
processing. To send sensitive items, like CDs or DVDs, please contact the DEC team at
ksc@usaid.gov to arrange delivery.
5. Program Income
Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.400(g), Recipients may not earn profit under assistance instruments.
However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are
related to the cooperative agreement program and are in accordance with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E -
Cost Principles may be paid under the award.
USAID does not anticipate any program income under the award.
6. Environmental Compliance
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, Section 117 requires that the impact of USAID’s
activities on the environment be considered and that USAID include environmental sustainability
as a central consideration in designing and carrying out its development programs. This mandate is
codified in Federal Regulations (22 CFR 216) and in USAID’s Automated Directives System
(ADS) Chapters 201 (https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf ) and 204
(https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/204.pdf ), which, in part, require that
the potential environmental impacts of USAID-financed activities are identified prior to a final
decision to proceed and that appropriate environmental safeguards are adopted for all activities.
The Recipient’s environmental compliance obligations under these regulations and procedures are
specified in the following paragraphs of this RFA.
In addition to complying with the obligations below, the Recipient must comply with host country
environmental regulations unless otherwise directed in writing by USAID. In case of conflict
between host country and USAID regulations, the latter must govern.
No activity funded under this award will be implemented unless an environmental threshold
determination, as defined by 22 CFR 216, has been reached for that activity, as documented in a
Request for Categorical Exclusion (RCE), Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), or
Environmental Assessment (EA) duly signed by the Bureau Environmental Officer (BEO).
A Memo to the File 1 (MTF) to the Programmatic IEE (P-IEE) Amendment #7 (Asia 14-68) for
Central Asia Media Project (CAMP) was approved on 3/19/2018. It extends environmental
compliance screening, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements established in P-IEE
Amendments 6 (Asia 11-131) and 7 through 2023 and conducts first review of climate risk
management of CAMP. MTF, and P-IEE Amendments 6 and 7 are included as an Annex 1
“Programmatic Initial Environmental Examination.”
USAID has determined that most of project activities, technical assistance, and training programs
except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as
construction of facilities, etc.); analyses, studies, academic or research workshops and meetings;
and document and information transfers qualify for a Categorical Exclusion (CE) under 22 CFR
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Part 216.2(c)(2) (no effect on the natural or physical environment) and, therefore, these activities
are excluded from further environmental review.
USAID has determined that a Negative Determination with conditions (NDC) applies to small
construction and renovation activities and procurement, use, and disposal of electric and electronic
equipment. If the project works on such activities, the Recipient must report to USAID in
accordance with terms of MTF 1.
All activity components are rated as Low Climate risk as they are not expected to materially affect
the implementation or outcomes of the activity. Additional climate risk screening to assess climate
related risks and vulnerabilities should be conducted for NDC activities by the Recipient as
required by ADS 201. The Recipient may use sources referenced in the Central Asia Climate
Change Risk Profile at https://www.climatelinks.org.
As a provision for grants is included under this award, the Recipient will be required to screen
grant proposals to ensure that they are sustainable and don’t result in adverse environmental
impacts; that mitigation measures, as necessary, are developed, and monitoring and reporting is
specified.
As part of its Work Plan, and all Annual Work Plans thereafter, the Recipient, in collaboration
with the AOR and the Mission Environmental Officer, must review all ongoing and planned
activities under this award to determine if they are within the scope of the approved MTF 1. If the
Recipient plans any new activities outside the scope of MTF 1, it must assist the AOR to prepare
another MTF or P-IEE amendment for USAID review and approval. No such new activities must
be undertaken prior to receiving written USAID approval of the MTF or amendment.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) & Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA)
The Recipient must include a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan that will describe
how program outcomes will be measured and how ongoing learning and adaptation will take place
during the course of the project. The MEL Plan should contain project objectives and intermediate
and final results, suggested performance indicators of activity progress and success, annual targets,
data management methods (sources, frequency of and responsibility for data collection and
reporting, including a plan for collecting baseline and follow-on data), and references to staff
responsible for monitoring, data collection and analysis. The MEL Plan must include an
appropriate set of indicators to accurately measure project outputs and outcomes. The Applicant
may draw upon relevant USAID standard indicators (https://www.state.gov/f/indicators/) and
develop custom indicators that will be useful in learning and adapting programming. Market
research data used by participants in the project should also be considered as a source of data for
project indicators, for example, expanded market share for participating media outlets. For each
performance indicator, the MEL Plan must include a Performance Indicator Reference Sheet
(PIRS) and Context Indicator Reference Sheet (CIRS) if any context indicators are included. The
MEL Plan should disaggregate data by sex and age for all people-level indicators and monitor and
assess the success of gender-mitigating activities.
The activity will adopt CLA in program design and implementation to enable adaptive
programming that can respond to changing circumstances, new knowledge, and new evidence. One
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or more activities may be subject to external evaluation commissioned separately by USAID. The
Recipient should expect to collaborate with a research and evaluation team early on in the life of
the project, and will have the advantage of working with the findings of that team in adapting the
project to improve future outcomes. The Recipient will be required to integrate CLA into the MEL
Plan and its implementation to maximize the use of M&E results for course corrections and
adjusting implementation plans throughout the activity life as deemed appropriate. The Recipient
will be expected to articulate how interventions will adapt to dynamic and rapidly evolving
environments and which learning processes are appropriate to ensure the most effective
implementation approach and continued progress toward anticipated results. Continuous
assessments may include, but are not limited to, baseline needs assessments, as necessary, for
contextual variations, as well as capacity assessments for media outlets/ institutions/ organizations.
Applications and work plans should integrate strategic and appropriately resourced collaboration,
continuous learning, and adaptive management throughout the life of the program. This could
include establishing strong monitoring, evaluation and learning system, apply CLA approaches to
the extent possible throughout the activity cycle, as well as managing performance to reward
candid knowledge sharing and leadership of and participation in collaborative learning efforts. The
MEL Plan could also include plans to bring actors together by providing spaces for collaborative
interaction, information sharing, organizational development, and technical support.
8. Non-Federal Audits
In accordance with 22 CFR Part 226.26 Recipients and Subrecipients are subject to the audit
requirements contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C. 7501–7507) and
revised OMB Circular A–133, “Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations.” Recipients and Subrecipients must use an independent, non-Federal auditor or
audit organization which meets the general standards specified in generally accepted government
auditing standards (GAGAS) to fulfill these requirements.
9. Branding Strategy and Marking Plan
After merit review of applications for USAID funding, the apparently successful Applicant will be
required to submit a Branding Strategy and a Marking Plan to the Agreement Officer in
accordance with 2 CFR 700.16. The Marking Plan may include requests for approval of
Presumptive Exceptions, defined in 2 CFR 700.16(h). The proposed Branding Strategy and
Marking Plan will not be evaluated competitively. The Agreement Officer will review for
adequacy the proposed Branding Strategy and Marking Plan, and will negotiate, approve and
include the Branding Strategy and Marking Plan in the award. Failure to submit or negotiate a
Branding Strategy and Marking Plan within the time specified by the Agreement Officer will make
the apparently successful Applicant ineligible for award.
10. Electronic Payments System
1. Definitions:
a. “Cash Payment System” means a payment system that generates any transfer of funds
through a transaction originated by cash, check, or similar paper instrument. This includes
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electronic payments to a financial institution or clearing house that subsequently issues

cash, check, or similar paper instrument to the designated payee.
b. “Electronic Payment System” means a payment system that generates any transfer of funds,
other than a transaction originated by cash, check, or similar paper instrument, that is
initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, mobile phone, computer, or magnetic
tape, for the purpose of ordering, instructing or authorizing a financial institution to debit or
credit an account. The term includes debit cards, wire transfers, transfers made at automatic
teller machines, and point-of-sale terminals.
2. The Recipient agrees to use an electronic payment system for any payments under this award
to beneficiaries, subrecipients, or contractors.
3. Exceptions. Recipients are allowed the following exceptions, provided the Recipient
documents its files with the appropriate justification:
a. Cash payments made while establishing electronic payment systems, provided that this
exception is not used for more than six months from the effective date of this award.
b. Cash payments made to payees where the Recipient does not expect to make payments to
the same payee on a regular, recurring basis, and payment through an electronic payment
system is not reasonably available.
c. Cash payments to vendors below $3000, when payment through an electronic payment
system is not reasonably available.
d. The Recipient has received a written exception from the Agreement Officer that a specific
payment or all cash payments are authorized based on the Recipient’s written justification,
which provides a basis and cost analysis for the requested exception.
4. More information about how to establish, implement, and manage electronic payment methods
is available to Recipients at http://solutionscenter.nethope.org/programs/c2e-toolkit.
11. Police and Prisons
Under this award, assistance may not be used to provide training, advice, or any financial support
for police, prisons, or other law enforcement forces.
12. Salary Supplemental for Host Government Employees
Any payments by the Recipient to any host government’s employee at any level is subject to the
USAID policy guidance on criteria for payment of salary supplements for host government
employees dated April 1988 (or as amended). When this issue arises during the life of the
cooperative agreement, the Recipient must consult with the AO on any questions regarding the
applicability of the policy
[END OF SECTION F]
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SECTION G: OTHER INFORMATION
ANNEX:
1. Programmatic Initial Environmental Examination (P-IEE)
53

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Issue Date: May 2, 2018

Dear Prospective Applicants:

or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................... 4

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Background and Context:

journalistic professionalism; lack of economic self-sustainability; partial or inadequate legal-

If the legal enabling environment for media is improved;

Illustrative Interventions (may include but are not limited to):

Illustrative Interventions (may include but not limited to):

Illustrative Indicators (disaggregated when appropriate by sex, age and geography)

 Ways that trained participants use their skills

Objective 3: Improved legal enabling environment for media

In Tajikistan, although freedom of speech is guaranteed by the constitution, authorities regularly

Illustrative Interventions (may include but not limited to):

 Number of media rights campaigns

Examples of some of the target audience could include the following:

Host Government Priorities

Other Programmatic Connections & Collaboration

Other USAID Activities

Access to Information (A2I)

Cultivating Media Independence Initiative Activity (Media-K)

Other Donors and Development Partners

Implementation Principles and Guidance

Gender and Social Inclusion

Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups

Conflict Sensitive Programming

Flexible and Adaptive

SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Estimate of Funds Available and Number of Awards Contemplated

Subject to funding availability, USAID intends to provide up to $15,000,000 in total USAID

2. Start Date and Period of Performance for Federal Awards

a. Approval of the Recipient's Annual Work Plans:

b. Approval of Specified Key Personnel:

 Demonstrated experience in managing international development programs including

 Strong leadership, administrative, management, presentation, reporting, and

d. Agency and Recipient Collaboration as follows:

i. Approval of subawards. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6), prior approval from the

iii. USAID authority to immediately halt a construction activity, if applicable.

e. No construction is anticipated under this award.

5. Authorized Geographic Code

6. Purpose of the Award

SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

U.S. and non-US organizations may participate under this NFO.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing is not anticipated under this award.

SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Agency Point of Contact

Primary: Ms. Jannat Koksalova

Secondary: Ms. Maychin Ho

Address: USAID/Central Asia

Questions and Answers:

All questions regarding this NFO should be submitted in writing to

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. “Technical application under #72011518RFA00004, submitted by: [name of

Each submission must be emailed to AlmatyAASolicitations@usaid.gov.

Fax: Faxed applications will not be accepted.

Each Applicant must furnish the information required by this NFO.

4. Application Submission Procedures

5. Technical Application Format

The technical application must include the following sections:

a. Cover Page (not included in 20-page limit)