Deadline: 31-May-23
The Political and Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications under the FY2022 Africa Regional Democracy Fund program.
Proposals should address projects that will either:
- Advance human rights and fundamental freedoms by supporting local organizations efforts to promote human rights systems, policies, and protection, or
- Advance citizen engagement to hold governments accountable, to participate in economic, political, governing, and other critical processes aimed at creating more peaceful, democratic, and pluralistic societies; promote citizen engagement in local decision-making processes, such as through participatory budgeting processes and public-private dialog for economic development priorities; or
- Provide assistance that enables citizens to select and replace their leaders through periodic, inclusive, accountable, and free and fair elections.
Program Objectives
The overall goal is to contribute to the advancement of human rights of vulnerable populations and to strengthen inclusive citizen participation in local decision-making and political processes in Cameroon. Proposals should address one of the below objectives:
- Promote social justice, the rights of children, vulnerable women, detainees, internally displaced persons, indigenous and minority groups including LGBTQI+ persons and PWDs, through the opening of civic space.
- Increase the participation of youth, women, indigenous groups, PWDs, and other vulnerable populations in local decision-making, governance, and peace-building processes in local council areas.
- Enhance the involvement of youth, women, indigenous groups, and other vulnerable populations in political discourse in an effort to curb apathy towards the electoral process.
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $400,000
- Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $24,000 to a maximum of $50,000
- Length of performance period: 12 months
Possible Activities
- To achieve the goals and expected results, project activities could include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Intercommunity dialogue meetings for the recognition of the rights of the indigenous.
- Development of processes to facilitate the issuance of civil documents for vulnerable populations.
- Capacity-building activities for CSOs, whistleblowers, journalists, and lawyers who are active in the prevention of human rights violations.
- Advocacy for the internalization of certain international conventions that Cameroon ratified.
- Advocacy with municipal and traditional administrative authorities to consider the needs and aspirations of youth, women, and indigenous persons in public policies and council development plans.
- Educational campaigns in rural communities on the importance of voter registration, and voter card collection.
Expected Results
- Specific results could include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Enhanced human rights of indigenous, minorities, and other vulnerable populations.
- Increased civil documentation of IDPs and other rural populations.
- Civic space is more open.
- Increased participation of youth, indigenous and rural women, and PWDs in political process and local governance.
- Reduced community and intergenerational conflicts, and misinformation that spurs violence.
- Increased participation of eligible electorate.
Participants and Audiences
- The intended target audiences should be CSOs active in human rights, democracy, and governance issues; administrative authorities; local leaders; local populations, including vulnerable populations as described above; and survivors of human rights violations.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Africa Regional Democracy Fund program is limited to Cameroonian local registered Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with at least two years of experience working in the areas of Democracy, Governance and Human Rights. Organizations and entities with a prior history of poor performance of U.S. government grants are ineligible for this funding.
- Other Eligibility Requirements
- In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.
- Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.
- Organizations must have a commitment to equal opportunity employment practices and to non-discrimination practices with regard to beneficiaries, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy to Cameroon.