Addressing Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Improving Working Conditions in Select Supply Chains in Brazil and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

This funding opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of Labor through its Bureau of International Labor Affairs and represents a Notice of Intent rather than an active solicitation. The notice communicates the agency’s plan to award a cooperative agreement without full and open competition to a specific implementing partner, the International Labor Organization. The Bureau of International Labor Affairs is responsible for advancing workers’ rights globally, enforcing labor provisions in trade agreements, and supporting efforts to eliminate child labor, forced labor, and exploitative working conditions. This initiative aligns with those priorities and reflects ongoing federal investment in improving labor conditions in global supply chains. The primary purpose of the project is to address child labor, forced labor, and broader labor violations within selected supply chains in Brazil and across Latin America and the Caribbean. The project is designed to support labor stakeholders, including government entities such as the Ministry of Labor and Employment in Brazil, as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations. A central component of the effort is the implementation of tripartite agreements known as pactos, which bring together governments, employers, and workers to promote compliance with labor standards and improve working conditions in targeted sectors. Funding for this initiative is substantial, with an estimated total program funding of fifteen million dollars and a single anticipated award. The cooperative agreement structure indicates that the Department of Labor will maintain significant involvement in project oversight and execution. Allowable uses of funds are expected to include programmatic activities that strengthen labor inspection systems, build institutional capacity, promote stakeholder coordination, and support interventions that directly address exploitative labor practices. While specific budget allocations are not detailed in the notice, the scope suggests a multi-year, regionally focused intervention with measurable outcomes related to labor rights enforcement. Eligibility for this opportunity is not open to the general public, as the notice explicitly states that applications are not being accepted. Instead, the Department of Labor intends to award the funding to a single organization based on its unique qualifications and the absence of viable alternatives. This determination is made under federal acquisition and assistance authority that allows for sole-source awards when only one responsible entity can fulfill the requirements. In this case, the International Labor Organization has been identified as possessing the technical expertise, global presence, and institutional capacity necessary to implement the proposed activities. Because this is a Notice of Intent rather than a formal funding opportunity announcement, there is no application process, submission requirements, or evaluation criteria for external applicants. The notice does not include deadlines for submission, award decisions, or project start dates, and it explicitly states that no announcement is currently open for applications. As such, organizations interested in similar funding must monitor future announcements from the Bureau of International Labor Affairs for competitive opportunities. The timeline associated with this notice includes a forecasted date in July 2024 and a most recent update in April 2026, but no definitive application or award dates are provided. The notice serves primarily as a transparency mechanism to inform the public of the agency’s intent to make a noncompetitive award. For additional information, the Department of Labor provides a contact person, including a phone number and email address, which may be used for general inquiries about the notice. However, no formal engagement or submission pathway is available under this specific opportunity.