[governance] Funding Available for Strengthening Civil Society #Azerbaijan #Moldova #Turkey #US State Department

Fri Nov 8 20:53:51 EST 2013

Dear All,

For those in Azerbaijan, Moldova and Turkey who are seeking to strengthen
civil society there, there is some funding available through the US State
Department, see below:

 Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Request for Proposals:
Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law in Europe and Eurasia (Azerbaijan,
Moldova and Turkey)

November 8, 2013

------------------------------

 Department of State

*Public Notice*

*Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Proposals: *Democracy,
Human Rights, and Rule of Law in Europe and Eurasia (Azerbaijan, Moldova
and Turkey)

*SUMMARY*

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request
for Proposals from organizations interested in submitting proposals for
projects that promote democracy, human rights, and rule of law in Europe
and Eurasia.

*PLEASE NOTE**: DRL strongly urges applicants to access *
*www.grantsolutions.gov* <http://www.grantsolutions.gov/>* or *
*www.grants.gov* <http://www.grants.gov/>* as soon as possible in order to
obtain a username and password to submit your application. For more
information, please see DRL’s Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI),
updated in November 2012, available at *
*http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm*<http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm>*.
*

*REQUESTED PROPOSAL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES*

DRL invites organizations to submit proposals outlining program concepts
and capacity to manage projects targeting one of the following issues:

*Moldova*

*Minority Empowerment in Moldova (approximately $300,000 available):* DRL's
objective is to strengthen the capacity of minorities in Moldova to
advocate for and improve their social, economic and political conditions.
This program should focus on one of three areas: Civic Engagement, Social
Inclusion or Education. Proposals should focus on more than one minority
group and may include the Roma, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Gagauz, Jewish or
other communities. Proposals should clearly indicate which of the three
categories they will address. DRL also encourages proposals which address
more than one of the categories.

*Civic Engagement* – Civic Engagement proposals should focus on developing
minority civil society capacity to engage at the local and national level
to promote equal rights and tolerance. Activities could include, but are
not limited to: training minority civic leaders and NGOs to effectively
engage in political advocacy and to participate in the decision-making
process; providing opportunities for participants to network with other
minority leaders both within Moldova and through regional civil society
networks; and targeting training for civic leaders and NGOs on advocacy
skills, legal rights and enforcement, organizational management, or
communication skills.

*Social Inclusion* – Social Inclusion proposals should focus on minority
acceptance and improving inter-ethnic relations in Moldova. The proposal
should promote inter-ethnic communication, tolerance, and understanding
through components such as inter-ethnic youth activities or cross-cultural
education. The program could raise awareness and knowledge of minority
cultures and values. Proposals should involve minority interaction with the
majority group in joint activities.

*Education* – Education proposals should focus on improving educational
outcomes for minorities in Moldova either through activities such as
mentorships, after-school programs, summer camps, internship opportunities,
or language training. The program should focus on minorities who are
disadvantaged in terms of educational opportunities and outcomes.

*Turkey*

*Connecting Civil Society, Citizens and Government (approximately $500,000
available):* DRL’s objective is to build the voice of civil society in
ongoing debates about public policy and increase citizens’ awareness that
they should be informed about and participate in the political process. The
program should support civil society in advocating for stable democratic
institutions, the rule of law, and protection of fundamental freedoms; and
educate citizens on their right to participate in the political process.
The program should build coalitions among diverse civil society groups and
NGOs to bring together disparate voices, including traditionally
marginalized groups, to advocate for respect for fundamental freedoms and
government accountability. Activities should emphasize the value of civil
society engagement in public policy debates and encourage these coalitions
to educate their constituents and the general populace on fundamental
freedoms, and their role in both holding their government accountable and
protecting their rights and freedoms. Proposals should take advantage of
traditional and new methods of outreach to help citizens share their views
and build citizens expectations for political participation. Successful
proposals will also demonstrate a strong knowledge of the political
environment for civil society in Turkey and an established ability to work
with diverse civil society groups.

*Azerbaijan*

*Civil Society Empowerment in Azerbaijan (approximately $500,000
available):* DRL’s objective is to strengthen the role of civil society in
enhancing government accountability and respect for fundamental freedoms
and rule of law in Azerbaijan. The program will encourage more
collaboration among civil society efforts to promote an inclusive,
accountable, just and participatory democratic system of government. The
program should also support the efforts of civil society in human rights
and anti-corruption advocacy, while assisting civil society leaders and
NGOs in increased public outreach. Proposals should identify best practices
in efforts to promote democratic reforms and rule of law, and assess the
needs of independent democracy activists and NGOs. Program activities could
include, but are not limited to: technical assistance to build the capacity
of Azeri democracy and human rights activists and NGOs in key communities
to engage in effective public outreach and advocacy; support for activities
to encourage results-oriented, constructive debate and advocacy by citizens
and civil society organizations; linking NGOs and activists advocating for
justice, accountability and/or fundamental freedoms together within and
among Azerbaijan’s regions to enhance their effectiveness. Small-to-medium
sized grants to independent NGOs to conduct public outreach and grassroots
organizing/advocacy to promote justice, accountability and/or fundamental
freedoms would be an essential component of a successful proposal.
Successful proposals will also demonstrate a strong knowledge of the
environment for civil society in Azerbaijan and an established ability to
work with regional independent civil society.

*DEADLINE AND TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY*

Please refer directly to DRL’s posted Proposal Submission Instructions
(PSI), updated in November 2012, available at
*http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm*<http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm>
.

Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted at any time.
Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in this document and the
Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI).

To ensure all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the DRL Review
Committee will review the first page of the requested section up to the
page limit and no further. DRL encourages organizations to use the given
space effectively.

An organization may submit *no more than three [3] proposals (one per
country/theme).* Proposals that combine target countries and/or themes will
be deemed technically ineligible. *Proposals that request less than the
award floor ($300,000) or more than the award ceiling ($500,000) may be
deemed technically ineligible.*

Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically
via *www.grantsolutions.gov* <http://www.grantsolutions.gov/> or
*www.grants.gov* <http://www.grants.gov/> by *Wednesday, December 18,
2013 *before
11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); 2) heed all instructions contained
in the solicitation document and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI),
including length and completeness of submission; and 3) do not violate any
of the guidelines stated in the solicitation and this document.

*It is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure that proposals have
been received by **www.grantsolutions.gov* <http://www.grantsolutions.gov/>*
or **www.grants.gov* <http://www.grants.gov/> *in their entirety. DRL bears
no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion
processes.*

Once the Request for Proposals deadline has passed U.S. Department of State
staff in Washington and overseas may not discuss competing proposals with
applicants until the review process has been completed.

*NOTE:* In order to process final awards, approved applicants will need to
register with *www.grantsolutions.gov* <http://www.grantsolutions.gov/>.

*ADDITIONAL INFORMATION*

Programs that leverage resources from funds internal to the organization or
other sources, such as public-private partnerships, will be highly
considered. Projects that have a strong academic, research, conference, or
dialogue focus will not be deemed competitive. DRL strongly discourages
health, technology, or science- related projects unless they have an
explicit component related to the requested program objectives listed
above. Projects that focus on commercial law or economic development will
be rated as non-competitive. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged, and cost
sharing contributions should be outlined in the proposal budget and budget
narrative.

DRL will not consider proposals that reflect any type of support, for any
member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist
organization, whether or not elected members of government.

The information in this solicitation is binding and may not be modified by
any Bureau representative. Explanatory information provided by the Bureau
that contradicts this language will not be binding. Issuance of the
solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the
Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase
proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program evaluation
requirements.

This request for proposals will appear on
*www.grantosolutions.gov*<http://www.grantosolutions.gov/>or
*www.grants.gov* <http://www.grantsolutions.gov/> and DRL’s website,
*www.state.gov/j/drl* <http://www.state.gov/j/drl>.

*FOR FURTHER INFORMATION*

Should you have any questions regarding the solicitation, please feel free
to contact Erin Spitzer at *SpitzerEM at State.gov* <SpitzerEM at State.gov>.
Once the deadline has passed, State Department officials and staff - both
in the Bureau and at embassies overseas - may not discuss this competition
with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.

 ------------------------------

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