Deadline: 1-Jul-21
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 enhance electoral security and mitigate violence in Ethiopia’s upcoming electoral cycle.
DRL’s objectives are to ensure sustainable violence mitigation measures and adopted and implemented by Ethiopian stakeholders in connection with future elections and to enable the Ethiopian electorate to vote in peaceful and credible future elections and referenda.
All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and should have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand ‘existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.
Programs should seek to include groups that can bring perspectives based on their religion, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity. Programs should be demand-driven and locally led to the extent possible.
DRL requires all programs to be non-discriminatory and expects implementers to include strategies for integration of individuals/organizations regardless of religion, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation and gender identity.
Priorities
Illustrative program priorities can include, but are not limited to:
- Locally led efforts to convene broad-based dialogues to address key drivers of political and ethnic conflict are developed and supported.
- Capacity is increased for credible community leaders to engage in constructive dialogue and forge consensus on peaceful pathways to resolve contested issues related to the elections, including possible constitutional referenda.
- Innovative efforts to detect and counter the online spread of disinformation and hate speech are developed and implemented.
- Citizens, candidates, and parties are made aware of peaceful electoral dispute resolution mechanisms – both formal and informal – and use those mechanisms.
- Ethiopian election stakeholders have the capacity to peacefully mitigate electoral violence during the pre-election phase, on Election Day, and post-election.
- Ethiopian security stakeholders — both formal and informal — have increased understanding of their roles and responsibility during the electoral cycle, including their obligation to protect human rights and the right to vote.
- Polling staff, security providers, candidates, and other stakeholders develop a common foundational awareness of electoral security roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
- Mechanisms for identifying hotspots and proactively responding to violence are developed.
- Ethiopian election stakeholders develop an electoral violence mitigation framework, which includes a delimitation of electoral violence mitigation roles and responsibilities among stakeholders.
- Mechanisms are created to proactively mitigate and prevent atrocities.
- The Ethiopian electorate is informed of the importance of voting and peaceful elections.
- Funding Floor: $1,000,000
- Funding Ceiling: $1,000,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
- Period of Performance: 12-18 months
- Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 3 months
Where appropriate, competitive proposals may include:
- Opportunities for beneficiaries to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical efforts;
- Solicitation of feedback and suggestions from beneficiaries when developing activities in order to strengthen the sustainability of programs and participant ownership of project outcomes;
- Input from participants on sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans throughout the life of the project, with adjustments made as necessary;
- Inclusion of vulnerable populations;
- Joint identification and definition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and stakeholder input into project activities;
- Systematic follow up with beneficiaries at specific intervals after the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries are retaining new knowledge as well as applying their new skills.
- 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 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.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333475
