Deadline: 20-Mar-23
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting concept notes aimed at strengthening independent civil society in Cuba to advance labor rights and empower Cuban entrepreneurs.
DRL seeks SOIs that aim to strengthen the capacity of independent Cuban civil society groups and individuals working to advance core labor rights or to empower Cuban private entrepreneurs to advocate for their rights. SOIs should offer an approach that ties this objective to the socioeconomic and political issues that matter most to Cuban citizens in the current context. SOIs should also outline a specific vision for contributing to change while acknowledging obstacles that would have to be overcome, including rising rates of irregular migration. Projects should demonstrate consultative dialogue with local Cuban partners. Proposals should also include concrete initiatives that reflect recent developments on the island and have the potential to generate short-term impacts leading to long-term sustainable change.
Focus Areas
Possible focus areas include, but are not limited to:
- Strengthening the organizational capacity of independent Cuban civil society organizations focused on improving respect for the rights of workers or private Cuban entrepreneurs;
- Regional and international advocacy on the state of labor or economic rights in Cuba;
- Documenting labor rights violations;
- Monitoring labor reforms and legislative agendas on these issues; and/or
- Assisting Cuban workers and private entrepreneurs seeking counsel; among others.
Funding Information
- Primary organizations can submit one (1) SOI in response to the RSOI. DRL has a total of $1,500,000 available and intends to fund two new awards.
- Any SOI submissions requesting less than $500,000 or more than $750,000 may be deemed technically ineligible.
Activities
Activities that are NOT typically considered competitive include, but are not limited, to:
- The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance;
- English language instruction;
- Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
- Purely academic research, exchanges, or fellowships;
- External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than three months;
- Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary due to security concerns;
- Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation for publication that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;
- Activities that go beyond an organization’s demonstrated competence, or fail to provide clear evidence that activities will achieve the stated impact;
- Activities that are a duplication of other ongoing USG-funded projects in Cuba.
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
- Be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or
- Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or
- Be a for-profit organization or business (noting there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30, “Cost Accounting Standards Administration”, and 48 CFR 31, “Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”);
- Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs; and,
- Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
