Deadline: 15 January 2018
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) has announced an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that promote democracy and human rights in Nicaragua.
Projects should support effective action by Nicaraguan civil society to collectively defend democracy and human rights according to the international commitments made by the Government of Nicaragua.
Activities
- Support Human Rights Organizations: Directly support and strengthen the ability of Nicaraguan human rights organizations to document and report on human rights abuses and democratic governance deficiencies as well as to advocate, through domestic and international channels, for measures to address these issues. Program activities should seek to strengthen and expand volunteer networks among civil society organizations, to educate citizens on human rights, and facilitate human rights monitoring efforts. Technical capacity-building should be balanced with the provision of subawards to facilitate the creation and implementation of advocacy plans and other project activities by Nicaraguan civil society.
- Build Collective Efforts to Defend Human Rights: Facilitate and enhance coalition-building efforts within Nicaraguan civil society, potentially including human rights organizations, academic organizations, youth groups, the private sector, and/or other key stakeholders to collectively defend human rights and democracy. Strengthened communication should enhance the development of constructive informal and/or formal partnerships intended to defend and promote human rights, the rule of law, and democratic governance.
- Provide Demand-Driven Organizational Support: Increase the organizational capacity of Nicaraguan civil society, including but not limited to topics of advocacy, coalition-building, community outreach, strategic planning and communication as well as organizational development and sustainability. Applicants are especially encouraged to lay out a strategic plan for leveraging existing technologies to digitize the operations and outputs of human rights organizations in documenting or reporting abuses, case management, securing sensitive information, data analytics, etc. to ensure that information is secure yet accessible.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $800,000
- Award Floor: $650,000
Eligibility Criteria
- DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses.
- DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
- Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process.
- Additionally, the Department of State generally 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.
How to Apply
Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials on the given website.
For more information, please visit Grants.gov.