Law Justice and Legal Services Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support to legal services nonprofits and small law firms working to combat social, economic, and environmental injustices through impactful litigation across the U.S. and Canada.

Gender based violence (GBV) in Guatemala has increased significantly during the pandemic and vulnerable populations including minors are among the victims. The Secretariat Against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons (SVET) of the Guatemalan Government is the entity with the mandate to ensure the coordination of the prevention, security, justice, welfare, and attention from local authorities to victims and create awareness of these crimes. Cultural awareness and crime prevention in Guatemala have been delegated to the National Civil Police (PNC). However, there are multiple institutions who work with SVET that need to take a more active role in addressing these crimes. The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) is one of these stakeholders, who has the key responsibility of promoting positive values and addressing these kinds of issues with the next generation of Guatemalans. SVET has interinstitutional agreements between them and both MINEDUC and PNC to coordinate and collaborate in topics related to sexual violence, exploitation, and TIP. Standardize and strengthen SVET, with strong knowledge in sexual crimes, exploitation, trafficking in persons (TIP) and a capable train the trainer program to coordinate all the Government of Guatemala (GoG) institutions to conduct awareness campaigns to combat sexual and GBV by rejecting stereotypes and cultural norms that permit these crimes. In addition, empower SVET to identify and initiate through corresponding authorities investigations against criminal structures engaged in money laundering and human trafficking.

With this solicitation, BJA seeks to support small and rural agencies in their efforts to combat violent crime through the implementation of a comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. The goal of this program is to increase the capacity of police departments or prosecutors’ offices to fully implement programming and activities that reflect critical elements found in the Violent Crime Reduction Operations Guide or the Prosecutors' Guide to Reducing Violence and Building Safer Communities to combat violent crime.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Kuwait City, Kuwait, Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. Purpose of Small Grants: PAS Kuwait invites proposals for programs that strengthen people-to-people ties and advance our shared goals of climate resilience, economic well-being, and a safe and secure world. Proposals should model fair practices. Special consideration will be given to proposals that highlight the diversity of the United States and programs whose participants come from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, projects must address one or more of the priority areas listed below. Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to: - Academic and professional lectures, seminars and speaker programs; - Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions; - Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs; - Professional and academic exchanges and programs; If you have any questions about the grant application process in its entirety, please email to [email protected]. Program Priority Areas: - Strengthening and expanding U.S.-Kuwait people-to-people partnerships to enhance regional stability and security, encompassing education, arts, freedom of speech, and fortifying U.S.-Kuwait ties. - Enhancing national security through political reform, economic development, and an improved legal framework. This includes advancing women's empowerment in politics and economics, addressing gender-based violence, and promoting cybersecurity and responsible AI use. - Engaging individuals with disabilities and promoting disability research and advocacy in Kuwait. - Promoting U.S.-Kuwait economic cooperation by emphasizing economic development, entrepreneurship, and environmental preservation in Kuwait, addressing both economic prosperity and climate change. Projects Examples: - Conference on emerging technologies, in collaboration with civil society leaders to advance digital transformation research. - Project with civil society to heighten environmental awareness regarding air quality, addressing the impact of climate change on Kuwait's environment. Activities may include awareness conferences, a workshop on investigative reporting on climate issues, or designing a digital media campaign supporting STEM in environmental protection. - Project in collaboration with civil society and/or academia that would provide training to Kuwaiti women in leadership skills, legal principles, and political etiquette. Training would aim to empower women with stronger social and legal knowledge, fostering increased participation in political careers. - Project to support the administration and management of volunteer work in Kuwait, collaborating with civil society to enhance youth engagement and foster creative community service and corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects led by both the private sector and the government. - Project to advance disability rights research in collaboration with academia and civil society. - Training program for sports arbitrators to equip them with required skills in sports arbitration principles. - Webinar series in collaboration with civil society to train young and aspiring business leaders on digitizing businesses using AI and IT solutions to enhance overall business activities. - Project to empower Kuwaiti women through art and environmental awareness in collaboration with local civil society via workshops that cover nature art, recycling, and climate change. Inviting women environmentalists, organizing field trips, and concluding with an exhibition The Following Program Categories Are Not Eligible for Funding: - Programs relating to partisan political activity; - Charitable or development activities; - Construction programs; - Programs that support specific religious activities; - Fund-raising campaigns; - Lobbying for specific legislation or programs; - Scientific research; - Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or - Programs that duplicate existing programs. Authorizing Legislation, Type and Year of Funding: Funding authority rests in the Smith-Mundt Act. The source of funding is FY2024 Public Diplomacy Funding. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 1 to 12 months Number of awards anticipated: Varies (dependent on amounts) Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000. Total available funding: $125,000 Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2024 Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy Funding Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2024 (for a maximum of one year) This Notice Is Subject to Funding Availability. Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award (FAAs), or Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements and some FAAs are different from grants in that PAS staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation. (Note: If a cooperative agreement or an FAA that includes substantial involvement is used, PAS will include a description of the substantial involvement. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less. Optional: PAS will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants (in the Following Eligibility Order): PAS encourages applications from Kuwait based: - Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations. - Non-profit educational institutions - Individuals For-Profit or Commercial Entities Are Not Eligible to Apply. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost share is not required but is encouraged and will be evaluated positively during the merit review; it will be used to break ties among applications with equivalent scores after evaluation against all other factors. 3. Other Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information. Individual applicants are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov. Applicants are encouraged to only apply for one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, only the most competitive proposal from that organization will be considered for funding. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Address to Request Application Package Application forms required below are available at c https://kw.usembassy.gov/grant-application-forms/ 2. Content and Form of Application Submission Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be deemed ineligible. Content of Application Please ensure: - The proposal shall be clearly reflect the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity. - All documents shall be in English. - All budgets shall be in U.S. dollars. - All pages shall be numbered. - All documents shall be formatted to 8 x 11 paper, and - All Microsoft Word documents shall be single-spaced, 12 point Calibri font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins. The following documents are required: 1. Mandatory application forms - SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance -- individuals) - SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) - SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) - Completed Grant Proposal Form 2. Summary Coversheet: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program. 3. Proposal (5 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. Please see the attached document for complete details of the Annual Program Statement. 3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Required Registrations: Please see the attached document for complete details of the Annual Program Statement. 4. Submission Dates and Times Applications may be submitted for consideration at any time before the closing date of May 31, 2024. No applications will be accepted after that date. 5. Funding Restrictions Award funds cannot be used for construction, vehicle purchases, etc. 6. Other Submission Requirements All application materials must be submitted by email to [email protected]. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 1. Criteria Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria listed are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application. Organizational capacity and record on previous grants 20 points: The organization has expertise in its stated field and PAS is confident of its ability to undertake the program. This includes a financial management system and a bank account. Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea 20 points The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline. Goals and objectives 15 points: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. Embassy priorities 10 points: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy Kuwaits priority areas or target audiences. Budget 10 points: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities. Monitoring and evaluation plan 15 points: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators, and shows how and when those will be measured. Sustainability 10 points: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program. 2. Review and Selection Process A review committee will evaluate all eligible applications. 3. Responsibility/Qualification Information in SAM.gov (formerly, FAPIIS) Please see the attached document for complete details of the Annual Program Statement. 4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates: July 31, 2024 F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION Please see the attached document for complete details of the Annual Program Statement. G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact PAS at: [email protected] Note: We do not provide any pre-consultation for application related questions that are addressed in the NOFO. Once an application has been submitted, State Department officials and staff both in the Department and at embassies overseas may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed. H. OTHER INFORMATION Please see the attached document for complete details of the Annual Program Statement.

With this solicitation BJA seeks to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement officials; intelligence analysts; prosecutors; judges; fusion center staff; and other criminal justice entities who prevent, investigate, and respond to crimes that use wireless devices. These crimes are committed using networked computers, handheld devices, and internet technology; some examples include various kinds of theft (financial, identity, etc.), cyberstalking, hijacking accounts on social networking websites, infrastructure intrusions, and hacking (i.e., reconfiguring or reprogramming a system to function in ways not approved by the owner, administrator, or designer).

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state agencies, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and tribal governments to improve law enforcement strategies and victim services aimed at reducing violence against women.

As a center of learning, innovation, and leadership that shapes and advances effective correctional practice and public policy, NIC is a vital partner in planning, developing, delivering, and supporting training focused on gender-responsive approaches to working with justice-involved women. NIC training helps correctional staff address the significant challenges they face regarding gender-informed facility operations, policies and procedures, and the development and implementation of evidence-based programs and services that meet womens needs. The growth of knowledge about the types of women who may need to be considered in an agencys response to women and the management strategies that may be most effective for working with this population has also led to advancements in training.This solicitation is for a proposal to enter into a 12-month cooperative agreement to coordinate and deliver two trainings each of Gender-Informed Practices in the Management of Womens Prisons and Justice-Involved Women: Developing an Agencywide Approach, two training programs that address the importance of gender-responsive intervention in a correctional facility.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to provide specialized counter improvised explosive device (C-IED) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) trainings and equipment to the Ivorian Force Recherche et d’Assistance de la Police (FRAP) and the United Intervention Gendarmerie Nationale (UIGN). The central Sahel is a global epicenter of terrorism. Countries in the region face an acute threat from violent extremist organizations (VEOs) affiliated with al-Qaida and ISIS operating in the central Sahel. Over the past three years, these VEOs have expanded from the central Sahel into the northern border regions of Coastal West Africa (CWA) littoral state (predominately Benin, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana). The VEO threat in CWA is increasing. According to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) data, 2023 recorded the highest number of VEO events in CWA ever (219), peaking in Q4 (65) with the highest quarterly sum ever experienced in the region. VEOs are increasingly utilizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to conduct attacks across the region. In Côte d'Ivoire, they have seen a rise in the number of IED events and sophistication of materials used in attacks. This increase is a result of an uptick in illegal and artisanal gold mining which has resulted in heavier explosive materials being trafficked into CDI’s northern border region. With FY23 funding, CT will provide C-IED/EOD training to the CDI national police and the national gendarmerie to increase their capacity to effectively disrupt, degrade, and respond to terrorist activity stemming from the Sahel. Specifically, this program will train law enforcement agents to render safe and disrupt IEDs. Police and Gendarmes slated for this training program will be assigned to EOD cells within each service’s respective intervention unit.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Act 2A of 2020, known as the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019, appropriated $10,000,000 from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account to the Department of Health. Through a sub-grant, the Department of Community and Economic Development will administer this program to eligible applicants for the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments, and therapies in response to COVID-19. Financial Info: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The $2 trillion economic relief package aims to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Act 2A of 2020, known as the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019, appropriated $10,000,000 from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account to the Department of Health. Through a sub-grant, the Department of Community and Economic Development will administer this program to eligible applicants for the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments, and therapies in response to COVID-19.

The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces a Request for Statements of Interest and Capacity (RSOIC) from organizations interested in implementing a project to facilitate a joint exercise with West African civilian security agencies to promote cross-border coordination, information sharing, and collaboration on counterterrorism threats.Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" Additional Information on Eligibility: Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations Public and private educational institutions For-profit organizations (only if allowed by appropriation) Public International Organizations (PIOs) and Governmental institutions

The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to improve selected countries capacities to counter the financing of terrorism conducted via crowdfunding, including through misuse of the non-profit organization (NPO) sector and use of virtual assets. The Bureau of Counterterrorism's mission is to promote U.S. national security by taking a leading role in developing coordinated strategies and approaches to defeat terrorism abroad and securing the counterterrorism cooperation of international partners.

This program provides $11 million to law enforcement agencies to develop community policing initiatives that strengthen partnerships with local communities and promote collaborative problem-solving.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to improve and strengthen the institutional capacities of the Colombian National Police CNP and the Directorate of Veterans and Inclusive Rehabilitation DIVRI to provide CNP officers and Colombian Military permanently wounded in the course of eradication, drug interdiction, rural security, antiterrorism, and anti-drug trafficking operations; access to vocational assistance. The project should include the design of strategies to access educational scholarships, vocational training, entrepreneurship and/or employment opportunities. The CNP and DIVRI will benefit from the project as the designed strategies will assist in improving their access to career development and employment opportunities.

The Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC) seeks to combat opioid overdoses in Texas by awarding funds to implement a statewide program that will distribute the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone where it is needed most, and provide related training, including airway clearance techniques. The Texas Legislature created the OAFC in 2021 to ensure funds collected through lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies are used fairly and efficiently to combat the opioid crisis in Texas. The OAFC is made up of 13 appointed experts and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) as the non-voting presiding officer. Grant Amount: Up to $25 million Up to $25 million is available for this grant opportunity: approximately $18.75 million for the purchase of naloxone and providing related training, with nearly $3.13 million for administrative costs and another $3.13 million for interventions in targeted counties. The expected term of the grant agreement is an initial two years, with three possible two-year renewal periods for a total project length of eight years. The grant recipient will receive funds on a reimbursement basis. Eligibility Texas governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and any entity registered with the Texas Secretary of State and eligible to conduct business in Texas are eligible to apply. Funding will be awarded to one applicant to implement the program statewide, but applicants may use qualified subcontractors or subgrantees. Companies that paid funds or currently are involved in opioid abatement lawsuits are disqualified from applying. Applicants and subcontractors must also not be subject to the general disqualifications, such as being included on the CPA debarred vendor’s list or having a conflict of interest with the OAFC. Grant applicants may submit a written request for CPA’s preliminary review of any potential conflict of interest by March 18, 2024, to [email protected]. Application and Award Process Applicants must complete an application form, including fully developed and detailed proposals and budgets, through the OAFC’s grant management system by May 7, 2024. The internet browser that works best with the grant management system is Google Chrome. A mobile app is also available. Applications will go through a multi-stage selection process, including a risk review and evaluation by an independent peer review panel. After the review process is complete, the OAFC will vote on the final grant award. The grant recipient will be required to submit timely detailed status reports that cover the grant recipient’s and any subgrantee’s performance, expenditures and any additional information requested by the OAFC. CPA may also conduct site visits during the project and after project completion to monitor progress and assess the effectiveness of the program.

This program provides funding to local governments in Michigan to develop and implement accountability-based initiatives aimed at reducing juvenile crime and improving the juvenile justice system.

The Department of States Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) is pleased to invite organizations to submit proposals to provide global on-demand training and/or technical assistance in support of its global Training and Technical Assistance (T) Program. The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) announces an open competition for projects in support of its global Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Program. The TIP Office manages foreign assistance programs dedicated to combating human trafficking outside of the United States. The TIP Office awards grants to combat all forms of human trafficking—sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, domestic servitude, forced child labor, and the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers. The Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) provides a diagnostic assessment of the efforts of governments to combat human trafficking and shapes our foreign assistance priorities. More information is available at: https://www.state.gov/international-programs-office-to-monitor-and-combattrafficking-in-persons/. The TIP Office’s Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) program aims to increase government and/or civil society capacity to combat human trafficking. T&TA is most appropriate for addressing specific knowledge or other capacity gaps through targeted, short-term interventions. The TIP Office can provide training and/or technical assistance on topics spanning all 4Ps – Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership. However, prevention is not often a direct or dominant focus for individual T&TA interventions, it is instead frequently integrated into the T&TA interventions through the lens of Protection, Prosecution, and/or Partnership. T&TA interventions are most often initiated by requests from U.S. Embassies abroad, or sometimes from our T&TA implementing partners. The TIP Office reviews requests for T&TA on a rolling basis throughout the year. Selected T&TA requests are then referred by the TIP Office to the relevant implementer, depending on the type of assistance requested, the implementer’s areas of expertise, and funding availability. The timeline to complete T&TA activities will depend on a variety of factors such as strategic priorities and country contexts. The selected implementer should be able to create an intervention concept note and budget in response to the specific T&TA request before the intervention is approved for implementation. The selected implementer should also expect to work closely with TIP Office staff throughout the development and implementation of interventions and activities. T&TA interventions can be standalone or they can lay the groundwork for or complement other programming, but they do not take the place of longer, multiyear programs. Individual T&TA interventions can sometimes also be structured in phases, with each phase being subject to TIP Office approval. T&TA activities may be conducted in countries across all regions of the world, so the scope of T&TA implementers’ capabilities must be global. The selected applicant should be able to respond to unanticipated requests for assistance in any country and/or region, with few exceptions. Some examples of what past T&TA interventions have looked like include, but are not limited to, the following: • Review of and edits to draft legislation or implementing regulations on a 24-hour turnaround; • Development and adoption of Foreign Government National Action Plan over the course of five months from receipt of request to final adoption; • Targeted technical assistance on the process to accede to United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Palermo Protocol; • Rapid diagnostic needs assessment on anti-trafficking capacity gaps of specialized anti-trafficking practitioners conducted within four weeks of initial request, followed by the development and delivery of a tailored training curriculum; • Tailored trainings delivered to law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on how to build a human trafficking case in a country with limited resources and low capacity; • Tailored trainings delivered to shelter staff to improve identification, screening, and assistance of victims of trafficking, as well as technical assistance to develop necessary tools, such as screening forms and risk assessments; • Creation and implementation of a training series curriculum tailored to psychological and legal service providers to victims of trafficking in urban and rural locations both virtually and in-person, delivered over the course of several months; • Regional training for law enforcement and prosecutors, tailoring the materials for applicability across various participating countries in the region. While some T&TA activities can be conducted remotely, and the ability to provide some programming virtually is an asset to the T&TA Program and to the selected implementers, the majority of T&TA activities are conducted in-person. Because T&TA interventions can take place in settings where utilities, such as internet connectivity, are unreliable, the TIP Office will not be able to consider applications whose model of T&TA delivery is entirely remote.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a project to address the ethnic marginalization across Coastal West Africa. The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a project to address the ethnic marginalization across Coastal West Africa. The consolidation of power, poor governance, and rise of violent extremism in some Coastal West African countries have contributed to the exclusion and discrimination of certain ethnic groups in politics and everyday life. While certain ethnic groups are not legally excluded from civic and political participation, their full engagement in decision-making roles remains limited. Certain ethnic groups are particularly marginalized in the government, the civil service, and the armed forces. Some ethnic groups also experience discrimination in employment and access to credit, health care, and education. Hundreds of thousands of individuals, including migrants and rural-based members of society, lack documentation to obtain citizenship or access public resources despite protections under the law. In addition, certain ethnic groups face societal discrimination, including stigmatization, harassment, and attacks. Militant groups have exploited the marginalization of certain ethnic groups by playing on grievances and amplifying 2 feelings of distrust in government to recruit members. For example, the targeting of Fulbe communities—based on the belief that they all support jihadi insurgents—has perpetuated conflict, facilitated jihadi recruitment, and risks spreading the violence into new areas. The property and land rights systems across Coastal West Africa has disenfranchised certain ethnic groups historically, causing violence to erupt at times. For example, pastoralist communities who have lived in certain areas for decades have faced the encroachment of agriculturalists on land that they typically use for grazing. In addition, governments across the region have introduced new laws and policies that limit pastoralists’ way of life. Further problematic is that the agencies in charge of developing new land rights policies and programs do not include members of the ethnic groups that would be heavily impacted by the changes. To respond to these challenges, DRL is seeking proposals with the goal of supporting members of marginalized communities in Coastal West Africa—specifically Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, and /or Togo—to improve respect for their political rights and civil liberties. Proposals may focus on individual countries or multiple countries, but approaches must be led by, or have strong support from and participation by, groups and individuals representing marginalized ethnic groups. Proposals may include but do not need to support members of pastoralist communities. DRL recognizes that there are numerous other ethnic groups in the region that do not fully enjoy the rights enumerated by law. Applicants are encouraged to complement and deconflict with existing programs that address ethnic marginalization in the region. DRL seeks proposals for programming that are ambitious but also targeted and achievable. DRL will consider proposals that address the goal reflected above but include different, though similar and related, objectives. While proposals may include additional objectives, inclusion of additional objectives will not make a proposal more competitive.

This funding opportunity supports Wisconsin law enforcement agencies, nonprofit associations, and technical colleges in providing specialized training to enhance officer skills, public safety, and community collaboration across the state.

The United States Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its Caribbean United for Women's Economic Empowerment (CUWEE) project. This grant program is fundamentally aligned with the mission of addressing systemic barriers and socio-cultural attitudes that challenge gender equity and equality within the Caribbean economy. The funding is sourced from the FY 2023 Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Economic Support Funds (ESF), signaling the Department of State's strategic priority on advancing economic security through gender equality initiatives in the region. The project is anticipated to be executed through a cooperative agreement and will be administered by the WHA's Office of Policy Planning and Coordination (PPC). The primary target beneficiaries of the CUWEE project are women and adolescent girls aged 16 and older in the Caribbean. The overarching impact goals are to build their economic resilience and skills capacity. By achieving this, the project aims to enable these beneficiaries to successfully enter the labor force and obtain economic security, thereby contributing to broader regional stability and growth. The initiative's theory of change appears to center on strengthening the ecosystem of local support to create sustainable economic opportunities for women. The strategic priorities and focuses of the project are multi-faceted, with a strong emphasis on empowering local civil society support actors. A central requirement is that proposals demonstrate how the grantee will strengthen local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engaged in advancing women’s economic security. The project is expected to first focus on identifying problematic country-specific and/or regional systemic barriers and socio-cultural attitudes, and then partner with local CSOs to directly address these identified obstacles. The CUWEE project details two key mechanisms for implementation. First, it intends to support a competition designed to promote local CSOs to develop and implement pioneering solutions tailored to overcome specific local systemic barriers to economic security for women in their respective country or region. Second, the project mandates the provision of a training curriculum that builds the capacity of, and strengthens, the regional Caribbean network of local CSOs dedicated to women’s economic security. WHA intends to issue one award, subject to funding availability, not to exceed $1,973,359, for a project period of up to three years, with a target start date of October 2024. The expected outcomes are the provision of greater economic gender equity and equality across the Caribbean region through the development of local capacity and innovative, localized solutions.

The Art and Change Grant (ACG), provided by the Leeway Foundation, offers up to $2,500 to fund art for social change projects. This grant aligns with the foundation's mission to support artists and cultural producers who are deeply involved in creating art that positively affects and engages communities and audiences, ensuring that social change is integral to their artistic process and goals. The foundation prioritizes art with a vision and intentional analysis, recognizing it as a powerful tool for societal impact. The target beneficiaries for the ACG are women, trans, and/or gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers who reside in Greater Philadelphia, specifically in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia County, and are at least 18 years old. The grant aims to empower these artists to use their creative practices to foster social change. The impact goals include raising consciousness, altering perspectives on self, society, or culture, creating visions of a more just world, and serving as a strategy for organizing and movement building. The grant prioritizes art that addresses various forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, and ableism. It also focuses on art that questions mainstream culture and beliefs, shifts perceptions of power and privilege, and values healing justice practices. Expected outcomes include strengthening communities, preserving or reclaiming traditional cultural practices, building a sense of community, and creating spaces for expression. The grant also emphasizes a reciprocal process of teaching and learning, ensuring mutual benefit for both the artist and the community engaged. The Leeway Foundation's strategic priorities are centered on supporting project-based art for social change across any medium, including traditional, nontraditional, multimedia, and experimental forms. Their theory of change posits that by empowering individual artists to create socially engaged art, they can catalyze significant community-wide impact. The foundation aims for measurable results through projects that demonstrate a clear vision for social change and actively engage communities, fostering a more just and equitable world through artistic and cultural practice.