Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor for all Organizations

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor for all Organizations

Project Description

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for projects that support early action in response to atrocities, including crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes, as well as other large scale and deliberate attacks against civilians.

Within this policy objective, DRL seeks programs that measurably reduce climate-induced or climate-related atrocity risk and fragility in the selected countries. Programs should effectively pilot an approach to atrocity prevention that integrates the increasing atrocity risk that climate change and environmental degradation poses and supports the formulation and implementation of atrocity prevention, response, and recovery measures that are responsive to that risk.

Programs should include the perspectives of women, girls, and vulnerable communities, noting that climate change heightens women and girls’ risk of encountering gender-based violence, as they are often the primary procurers or managers of these increasingly scarce natural resources.

Proposed projects may target up to 2 countries, with at least one country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

DRL seeks programs that contribute to the following outcomes:

CSOs and local actors have the skills, tools, and capacity to identify atrocities that are climate-related or otherwise impacted or driven by climate change and environmental degradation and safely advocate for local preventative measures based on relevant information.

CSOs and local actors develop and implement mechanisms to expose relevant stakeholders (including those responsible for response, enforcement, and/or accountability at different levels, targeted groups, and potential disablers) to knowledge about climate-related atrocity risks and engage them in using early warning information about relevant risks.

Related to the above, CSOs formulate and advocate for actionable preventive or response measures to climate-related atrocity risks that integrate the voices of impacted communities and lay out pathways for relevant stakeholders to take action.
Competitive programs will also include opportunities for subgrants and other methods of support to address needs identified by local civil society stakeholders and ensure local buy-in and ownership as part of an overall sustainability goal. Competitive proposals will also demonstrate experience operating in the country(s) selected and an understanding of a range of atrocity prevention approaches.

All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and should have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way. DRL is committed to advancing equity and support for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Programs should seek strategies for integration and inclusion of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries that can bring perspectives based on their religion, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, national origin, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, political affiliation, or veteran’s status.

Programs should be demand-driven and locally led to the extent possible. DRL requires all programs to be non-discriminatory and expects implementers to include strategies for nondiscrimination of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, or veteran’s status.

Competitive proposals may also include a summary budget and budget narrative for 12 additional months following the proposed period of performance, indicated above. This information should indicate what objective(s) and/or activities could be accomplished with additional time and/or funds beyond the proposed period of performance.

Where appropriate, competitive proposals may include:

Opportunities for beneficiaries to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical efforts;

Solicitation of feedback and suggestions from beneficiaries when developing activities in order to strengthen the sustainability of programs and participant ownership of project outcomes;

Input from participants on sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans throughout the life of the project, with adjustments made as necessary;

Inclusion of women, girls, and vulnerable populations;

Joint identification and definition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and stakeholder input into project activities;

Systematic follow up with beneficiaries at specific intervals after the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries are retaining new knowledge as well as applying their new skills.

Activities That Are Not Typically Allowed Include, But Are Not Limited to:

The provision of humanitarian assistance;
English language instruction;

Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;

Purely academic exchanges or fellowships;

External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;

Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary per security concerns;

Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;

Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives;

Initiatives directed towards a diaspora community rather than current residents of targeted countries.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Federal Award Information

Primary organizations can submit 1 application in response to the NOFO.

The U.S. government may: (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, and (d) waive irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant’s best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (though it is under no obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

DRL anticipates awarding either a grant or cooperative agreement depending on the needs and risk factors of the program. The final determination on award mechanism will be made by the Grants Officer.

The distinction between grants and cooperative agreements revolves around the existence of “substantial involvement.” Cooperative agreements require greater Federal government participation in the project.

If a cooperative agreement is awarded, DRL will undertake reasonable and programmatically necessary substantial involvement. Examples of substantial involvement can include, but are not limited to:

Active participation or collaboration with the recipient in the implementation of the award;

Review and approval of one stage of work before another can begin;

Review and approval of substantive provisions of proposed sub-awards or contracts beyond existing Federal policy;

Approval of the recipient’s budget or plan of work prior to the award.

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor for all Organizations

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