Deadline: 14 July 2020
The United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs INL is seeking applications from qualified U.S. and non-U.S. based non-governmental (NGOs)/non-profit organizations or Educational Institutions for a Grant/Cooperative Agreement to implement a program entitled “Building Capacity to Counter Illegal Mining.”
INL seeks to fund programs with a focus on West Africa, Southeast Asia, and/or Mongolia that improve the will and capacity to investigate, arrest, prosecute, convict, and sentence the criminal groups and individuals involved in criminal mining, in accordance with international best practices and human rights standards.
INL will support projects that reflect a two-fold approach to address criminal mining: projects should improve law enforcement and judicial capacity to investigate and prosecute criminal mining, including money laundering through gold and other minerals, and to cooperate internationally with other officials where appropriate. Projects should also build government capacity to close loopholes that allow TCOs to operate by improving legislation in the mining sector and assist government agencies to create a legal and legitimate artisanal and small scale mining sector.
Project Goals
- Reduce the ability of criminal groups to carry out and profit from extraction and trafficking of illegally sourced minerals globally;
- Improve the will and capacity of the focus country(s) in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and/or Mongolia to investigate, arrest, prosecute, convict, and sentence the criminals and disrupt/deter the criminal organizations that perpetrate criminal mining;
- Advance the abilities of the focus country(s) to counter criminal mining.
Objectives
- Increase the effectiveness of law enforcement against criminal mining in key locations through mining-specific technical support and capacity building;
- Enhance capacity of relevant officials on anti-money-laundering and corruption in connection to the mining sector;
- Expand and strengthen legislative and regulatory frameworks on legal, informal mining, and criminal mining; and/or
- Through the provided technical assistance, government regulatory authorities and enforcement agencies are able develop a framework to formalize the ASGM sector.
Priorities
INL will prioritize proposals for programs that: ·
- Counter the criminal organizations that engage in criminal mining;
- Build capacity for law enforcement to be more effective in dismantling criminal mining networks;
- Include anti-money laundering activities to enhance government officials’ understanding of how criminal networks benefit from mining;
- Include activities that bolster efforts to curb corruption as it pertains to the mining sector.
Target Populations
Applicants should identify target audiences, specific demographics, and the region(s) in which the project will be implemented. It is particularly important to specify the approximate number of beneficiaries to be directly and indirectly impacted by project activities.
Funding Information
- The anticipated total federal funding amount is not to exceed $2,000,000.
- The period of performance is two (2) years with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2020.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants that qualify to receive U.S. grants (such as U.S. not-for-profit/nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code; foreign not-for-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or foreign based educational institutions, with the ability to develop and successfully implement a project in one of the target countries and meet INL’s reporting requirements. Organizations must also be able to demonstrate current (or pending) country registration in one of the target countries, if required by the country of project implementation.
- Applicants must have demonstrated experience implementing similar education or capacity building programs, preferably in one of the countries the applicant proposes to work in. INL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering similar programs and/or federal grant awards.
- Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with stakeholders in order to successfully carry out the proposed program.
- Organizations may form a consortium and submit a combined proposal. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant.
- Applicants must be able to respond to the NOFO and be able to mobilize in a short period of time.
- Note: Public International Organizations (PIOs) and For-Profit Organizations are excluded from applying to this grant announcement.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327099