2023 TIP Office International Programs to Combat Human Trafficking – Stage 1

Deadline: 31-Jul-23

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) is pleased to invite organizations to submit Statements of Interest (SOI) to combat human trafficking outside of the United States.

Informed by the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), current anti-trafficking programming and trends, research, scoping visits, assessments, engagements with foreign governments, and in consultation with other U.S. government agencies and offices, the TIP Office identified multiple programming priorities for funding under this announcement.

The TIP Office will allocate funding for anti-trafficking projects through an open, two-stage competitive process.  In stage one of competition, also known as the statement of interest (SOI) stage, applicants are invited to submit four-page SOIs for projects designed to address the TIP Office’s 2023 programming priorities in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.  All SOIs selected following a technical and programmatic review will be invited to participate in stage two of the competitive process and submit full proposals. Stage two proposals selected following a technical and programmatic review will be funded pending the availability of 2023 appropriated funds. The TIP Office anticipates issuing awards for the majority of priorities in the spring of 2024.

The TIP Office may exercise Non-Competitive Continuations (NCC) for additional years and funds to build on efforts of the base period of performance.  Within 90 days of the conclusion of the first period of performance, the TIP Office will notify the recipient of its intention to exercise or not to exercise an NCC after an internal evaluation of the recipient’s performance.  The decision to exercise an NCC will depend both on the satisfactory performance of the recipient and on the availability of funds.

The TIP Office welcomes strong SOIs that address human trafficking challenges on a significant scale, offer the potential to have a systemic and sustainable impact, align with U.S. government priorities and the TIP Office’s 2023 country and regional priorities listed under the 2023 Regional Programming Priorities, among other factors.

Funding Information

• Approximate Average Award: $1,000,000 for initial period of performance
• Ceiling of Award Range: $1,000,000 for initial period of performance; $6,000,000 for total overall ceiling)
• Anticipated Award Date: April 1, 2024.

2023 Regional Programming Priorities

• The TIP Office has identified regional and country programming priorities for potential funding. These priorities are heavily informed by recommendations from the annual TIP Report, coordination with a broad range of anti-trafficking donors, and engagement with foreign governments and local civil society, and are based on the TIP Office’s current anti-trafficking efforts.
• The TIP Office may fund activities in high-income countries, but the use of foreign assistance funding to benefit a high-income country requires additional review. Applicants should ensure that inclusion of high-income countries is responsive to the TIP Office’s regional and country priorities. The TIP Office considers high-income countries to be those designated as high income by the World Bank using the gross national income (GNI) per capita (Atlas method). The current threshold for high-income countries (based on 2023 data) is a GNI per capita of $13,206 or more.
• To be eligible for consideration, SOIs must respond to at least one of the specific programming priority areas and countries or regions identified below. If an applicant is submitting SOIs for multiple priorities described below, the applicant should submit one SOI per priority.
• Africa
  • The Gambia, Prevention and Protection ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $4 million for total overall ceiling) Over the last year, the Government of The Gambia has demonstrated increased political will to identify and care for trafficking victims through the adoption and implementation of its national referral mechanism.
  • Request for Applications: The TIP Office requests applications to build on previous and current efforts to:
    • Support workshops and trainings for the staff of Gambian government run shelters (that are non-TIP specific) to provide trauma-informed care;
    • Train government officials to identify and refer victims of trafficking to specialized services, including by promoting coordination among law enforcement, prosecutors, and social service providers;
    • Support workshops and trainings for the staff of government run shelters to offer psycho-social counseling services, vocational skills training, and empowerment opportunities to victims of trafficking; and,
    • Assist the government and civil society organizations to continue operationalization of the national referral mechanism throughout the country.
  • Tanzania, Protection ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $4 million for total overall ceiling) There is a critical gap in shelter and comprehensive assistance for victims of trafficking in Tanzania.
  • Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications to improve comprehensive services for victims of trafficking, including children and adult male and female victims, through the provision of shelter, trauma-informed mental health counseling, medical care, and legal assistance.
• Near East and North Africa
  • Jordan, Protection ($2,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $5,000,000 total overall ceiling) The government of Jordan has taken admirable steps to address human trafficking, including an updated National Action Plan and National Referral Mechanism.
  • Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applicants that can work with the government of Jordan to analyze and reform the visa sponsorship system for migrant workers (sometimes referred to as the Kafala system) while also addressing insufficient oversight and accountability for labor recruiting companies.
• East Asia and the Pacific
  • Global, Prevention ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $3,000,000 total overall ceiling) Human traffickers exploit workers in forced labor in cyber scam operations, including fraudulent online sales, illegal online gambling and investment schemes, and romance scams, in which the victim is coerced to enter a fake online relationship with, and extract money from, unsuspecting targets.
  • Request for Applications: Activities should include:
    • Online ads or other outreach to alert the general public to false job vacancy ads in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Philippines, Vietnam, or other locations where scam centers operate;
    • Sub-grants to local or freelance journalists so that they have funding to continue their reporting on cyber scams operations;
    • Engagement with tech companies like TikTok, WhatsApp, Meta, LinkedIn, and others to  place adds warning job seekers about fraudulent recruitment for forced labor in scam compounds;
    • Outreach to sim card providers/telecommunication companies and money transfer services like Zelle to help raise flags when there is suspicious activity; and/or
    • an awareness raising campaign providing information on dangerous conditions and illegal work inside scam compounds with online social media posts, as well as the most effective on the ground communications  at border crossings along Thailand’s borders and in neighboring countries near border crossings into Thailand.
  • Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam; Prevention/Protection ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $4 million total overall ceiling) Thailand is a transit country for individuals subjected to forced labor in scam centers throughout Southeast Asia.
  • Request for Applications: Provide training to immigration officials in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and/or Vietnam on screening for human trafficking, including forced criminality in scam centers, and referral to protection services following established referral pathways in each country.
  • Lower Mekong Region, Protection ($2,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $6 million total overall ceiling) Individuals coming out of scam centers are often placed in Thai Detention Facilities due to a lack of proper screening and identification.
  • Request for Applications: Provide protection services, such as shelter, food, medical care, clothing, and reintegration assistance, to victims of human trafficking with an emphasis on those who were victimized in scam centers throughout the region.
  • Thailand, Prosecution ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $5 million total overall ceiling) Prosecution of crimes committed by those operating scam centers will require cross-sector investigations and prosecutions due the multi-faceted nature of the crime that includes human trafficking, cybercrime, border violations, transnational crime, etc.
  • Request for Applications: Provide cross-sectoral joint training on investigation and prosecution for Thailand’s anti-trafficking, cybercrime, border units, and transnational crime units focused on investigating and prosecuting cases coming from cyber scam operations and applying the non-punishment principle.
• South and Central Asia
  • Pakistan, Protection ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $3 million total overall ceiling) Pakistan’s largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor, in which traffickers exploit an initial debt assumed by a worker as part of the terms of employment and ultimately entrap other family members, sometimes for generations.
  • Request for Applications:  The TIP Office seeks SOIs to advance child protection efforts in Pakistan, with a specific focus on victims in bonded labor and domestic servitude.
• Western Hemisphere
  • Mexico, Prevention ($1,000,000 ceiling for initial period of performance; $3 million total overall ceiling) Certain conditions in many U.S. temporary migrant worker programs create or exacerbate vulnerabilities among workers that traffickers have exploited.
  • Request for Applications: The TIP Office seeks applications for a project to develop and conduct interactive, in-person educational workshops for prospective H-2 applicants from southern Mexico on the H-2 recruitment, application, and employment process; their rights under the H-2 program and under U.S. domestic laws; what human trafficking is and the risks to migrants seeking employment; and available recourse procedures to seek assistance at any point during their H-2 experience.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations eligible to apply include U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations (including faith-based organizations), public international organizations (PIOs), institutions of higher education, and for-profit entities.  For-profit organizations are not permitted to generate profits from grant-funded activities.  U.S. government agencies may respond to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) with applications for projects that would be funded through an Interagency Acquisition Agreement.  While foreign governments are not eligible to apply, governments may be beneficiaries of projects provided that funding does not pay salaries of government agency personnel and that such assistance is not restricted by U.S. law or policy.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process.  Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards.  Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs.  The allow ability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.
• Organizations currently receiving funds from the TIP Office may apply for additional funding under the present funding opportunity.  The eligibility requirements for applying to this funding opportunity do not restrict applicants from receiving other sources of funding from the United States government, including from other bureaus within the Department of State.
• Under this funding opportunity, applicants may partner with other organizations to implement and carry out project activities.  Applicants partnering with other organizations must clearly identify the lead applicant, and the lead applicant may designate one or more partner organizations as sub-recipients.  For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a partner organization is any organization that would receive sub-award funding from a successful applicant to help the applicant organization implement anti-trafficking projects.  All mandatory terms and conditions for a successful applicant also apply to any sub-awards awarded.
• The TIP Office recognizes the importance and added value of partnerships and collaborative efforts in anti-trafficking work.  Applicants are encouraged to submit SOIs that reflect partnerships among organizations and collaboration with relevant regional government ministries and local authorities.  This may include, but is not limited to, including government and civil society partners in the development of the technical approach, hosting consultations to harmonize programming in country, or supporting scoping or assessment visits.  Applicants may form consortia to bring together organizations with varied expertise to propose a comprehensive project in one SOI.  However, one organization must be designated in the SOI as the lead applicant with the other members designated as sub-award partners.
• The TIP Office is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all its projects and activities.  The TIP Office welcomes applications irrespective of race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.