Deadline: 1 June 2020
The United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs INL is seeking applications from qualified Kosovo Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Educational Institutions in Kosovo, to implement a program entitled “Access to Justice.”
The Access to Justice grants aim to foster links between justice and rule of law sector institutions and the communities they serve through support to local civil society and educational organizations, including efforts to raise awareness about human rights, anti-corruption, gender-based violence, youth inclusion, education and training in communities; and, efforts to advocate on legal and policy reform. These grants also seek to build the capacity of civil society organizations that operate throughout Kosovo.
NL intends the next iteration of this series of grants to include a component that focuses on corruption, specifically addressing citizens’ perception that corruption is prevalent within the Kosovo government.
This grant competition is designed to support Kosovo’s civil society organizations as they promote the rule of law, access to justice, and legal education through the following priority thematic areas:
- Improve the capacity of Kosovo civil society to address gaps and inefficiencies in the justice and rule of law sector with a particular focus on corruption, civil society monitoring of the justice sector (both formal and informal), and public legal awareness.
- Promote rule of law and justice sector reform through dialogue between CSOs and judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and other relevant policymakers and stakeholders.
- Advocate for and/or address the needs of vulnerable victims of crime, including victims of gender-based or domestic violence.
- Support public discussion and education focused on demanding more effective, transparent and accountable governance.
- Continue to educate the public on the mechanisms for formal policy change and how they can access them, specifically targeting younger generations of citizens.
- Emphasize projects and initiatives that combat corruption within the public sector.
- Increase the critical thinking skills of legal students and graduates through internship programs or other initiatives.
Project Goals
The overarching goal of this program is to increase citizen’s demand for, access to, and respect for justice.
The project seeks to contribute to building a local civil society that is fully engaged with the Government of Kosovo, politically and through the justice system, with specific emphasis on addressing corruption. The project also seeks to build critical thinking skills for young people and legal education students and recent graduates. With these grants INL also aims to:
- Increase the capacity of Kosovo CSOs by facilitating coalition-building and collaboration among Kosovo civil society actors and activists to develop durable and sustainable partnerships organized around a set of coherent objectives for: promoting good governance; identifying opportunities for inclusive participation by women, youth, members of minority communities and members of other marginalized groups; increasing public sector accountability and transparency; combatting corruption; and protecting civil and human rights;
- Support civil society actors and activists focused on the rule of law in messaging to and developing working relationships with media partners to communicate more effectively with citizens, as well as advocating citizen views to policy-makers, regarding the impact of corruption on democratic institutions and human rights;
- Promote dialogue and joint action among civil society organizations, legal professionals, and other relevant stakeholders to foster sound governance goals, including increasing public-sector accountability and transparency, and strengthening anti-corruption measures;
- Support constructive engagement with national and local governments, private sector stakeholders, and regional and international mechanisms to advance good governance, human rights, and anti-corruption goals.
Objectives
- Strengthening the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, and human rights in Kosovo
- Strengthening civil society capacity for effectively interacting with government
- Promote Kosovo Government accountability and transparency
- Community activism
- Strengthening Kosovo citizens’ access to justice service
- Women’s empowerment
- Youth engagement
- Media and freedom of information
Funding Information
- INL expects to award up to five (5) grant agreement(s) based on this NOFO. The anticipated total federal funding amount is not to exceed $100,000 per award.
- The period of performance is one (1) year with an anticipated start date of June 2020.
Target Population
The target population includes all citizens of Kosovo, with particular attention to marginalized or disenfranchised groups, including youth.
Eligibility Criteria
- Kosovo based non-governmental organizations and educational institutions, with the ability to develop and successfully implement a project in Kosovo and meet INL’s reporting requirements. Organizations must be able to demonstrate current (or pending) country registration in Kosovo.
- Applicants must have demonstrated experience implementing similar education or capacity building programs, preferably in Kosovo. 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 the ability to produce course materials, deliver training, and conduct evaluations in Albanian, Serbian and English. The applicant’s staff should be proficient in English in order to fulfill reporting requirements.
- Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with stakeholders in order to successfully carry out the proposed program.
- Organizations are encouraged to form a consortium and submit a combined proposal. However, one organization must be designated as the lead applicant.
Note: Public International Organizations (PIOs) and For-Profit Organizations are excluded from applying to this grant announcement.
- INL encourages applications from potential new partners and civil society organizations coalitions working outside Pristina
For all application documents, please ensure:
- All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments,
- All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and
- All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=326754