Deadline: 12 March 24

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open call for organisations interested in submitting applications for projects that support efforts to empower and protect the civil society and combat the closure of civic space.

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The programmes must specifically:

• Identify and assess the emergency needs of civil society organisations (CSOs) in trouble in all regions and types of advocacy that have been threatened or attacked because of their work, screen cases according to pre-established criteria and provide assistance in a timely and safe manner. Emergency assistance can be provided for needs that may include, but are not limited to: legal representation, appeals and trial monitoring; medical bills arising from abuse; transportation costs to visit incarcerated members; replacement of equipment damaged or confiscated as a result of harassment; relocation of staff and/or offices; and security. (50% of programme activities)
• Provide rapid response resilience grants and direct technical assistance to CSOs, designed to enable CSOs and civil society groups most at risk to take preventative action before emergencies arise. Resilience assistance should be assessed according to how the initiative impacts the safety of participants, both in the short and long term, and should fall into two broad categories: community/peer-based initiatives and/or technical assistance. Applications would be funded according to pre-established criteria based on a framework for the types of interventions that would fall into each broad category that should be developed. (25% of programme activities)
• Provide short-term support and assistance to local CSOs for advocacy initiatives that could include, but are not limited to: participation in legislative processes; engagement in advocacy with national legislative bodies and their committees; increased media coverage of issues or laws related to FOAA and/or the advocacy initiative itself; fact-finding missions and information sharing; and reporting on laws or draft laws that negatively affect civil society's ability to function. (25% of programme activities)
• Demonstrate that it will have the capacity to learn from its experiences in providing this type of assistance to CSOs in trouble by establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation system.

Information on financing

• Total financing floor: US$ 5,000,000
• Total financing ceiling: US$ 5,000,000
• Expected number of prizes: 1
• Period of operation: 18 months
• Deadline for granting, pending availability of funds: immediate

Election criteria

• The DRL accepts applications from non-profit organisations/non-governmental organisations (NGOs) based in the USA and abroad and international public organisations; private, public or state higher education institutions; and organisations or companies for-profit . DRL's preference is to work with non-profit organisations; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit organisation is more appropriate.
• Applications submitted by for-profit organisations may be subject to additional review after the panel selection process. In addition, the State Department prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organisations under its assistance awards.

For more information, visit DRL .