Deadline: 5-Jul-23
The U.S. Embassy Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out programming with youth leaders representing DRC’s political parties’ youth leagues and selected civil society organizations to lead their communities in diffusing tensions and promoting peace and stability in this election year.
Program Objectives
- Approximately 400 ethnicities coexist in the DRC. Politicians stoke ethnic tensions for political gain, and unfair distribution of DRC’s resources results in conflict between ethnic groups. The United States promotes a strong, stable and peaceful DRC, governed by leaders who represent all Congolese — particularly in this election year. If youth leaders learn strategies to diffuse conflict and build peace, then they can share these values with friends and peers. This outcome supports stability and durable peace by empowering youth to serve as models and leaders of coexistence in their communities.
- This grant will target approximately 25 selected youth leaders from across the political spectrum, including representatives of various political parties’ youth leagues, civil society, and delegates from DRC’s Ministry of Youth. Programming will consist of organizing discussions in safe spaces, bringing together influential stakeholders to talk about the role youth leaders can play in paving the way for peaceful presidential elections in December 2023, and sessions on best practices and proven methods in facilitating peaceful elections led by U.S. subject-matter experts.
- In phase one, representatives from various youth leagues and organizations will participate in brainstorming sessions, expert-led workshops, reflection sessions, and discussions with key election officials and figures. In phase two, participants will share lessons learned from the program within their organizations/parties. In phase three, participants will re-convene to share experiences and conclude the program, making plans for follow-on activities with their organizations.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: award may range from a minimum of $30,000 to a maximum of $50,000
- Length of performance period: 12 months
Priority cities: Kinshasa, Matadi, Kisangani, Goma, Bukavu, Lubumbashi, Mbujimayi, Beni, and Bandundu.
Participants
- DRC Ministry of Youth
- Political party youth league representatives
- Selected youth-led civil society organization representatives
- DRC National Youth Council representatives
- U.S. subject-matter and methodology experts
- U.S. Embassy personnel
- Selected exchange-program alumni
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants: The Public Diplomacy Section encourages applications from the U.S. and the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations with programming experience
- Individuals
- Non-profit educational institutions
- Governmental institutions
- For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.