Deadline: 06-May-24
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that:
- strengthen civil society efforts to investigate and document human rights violations and abuses committed against ethnic and religious minority communities from Burma, including Rohingya communities;
- support pro-democracy activists pursuing justice for victims and accountability for those responsible for abuses; and
- promote non-recurrence of atrocities.
Competitive projects will build on existing locally led documentation initiatives and networks to credibly and professionally investigate and document gross violations of human rights in accordance with international human rights. Projects should expand space for diverse actors inside and outside of Burma to work together to participate meaningfully in transitional justice processes at the international and regional levels. Competitive proposals should also demonstrate a clear understanding of the operating environment(s) where activities may be implemented, especially in Burma, Bangladesh, and Thailand, and coordinate with existing U.S. Government or other donor-funded programs working on similar efforts.
DRL is committed to advancing equity and support for underserved and underrepresented communities. In accordance with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities, programs should implement strategies for integration and inclusion of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries that can bring perspectives based on their religion, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, national origin, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, political affiliation, or veteran’s status. 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 nondiscrimination of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, or veteran’s status.
Objectives
- DRL seeks programs that incorporate integrated, locally owned, and victim and survivor-centered approaches to accomplish at least two of the following objectives:
- Local civil society members and individual documenters are able to conduct credible, professional, and trauma-informed investigation and documentation of human rights violations and abuses to promote justice for victims, hold perpetrators accountable, and serve as the basis for advocacy to prevent future atrocities;
- Civil society collaboration and engagement in support of the mandate of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and international and/or domestic accountability processes, including universal jurisdiction cases, is enhanced, such as by developing a common civil society platform and/or by enabling the efficient and effective collection, management, and analysis of documentation through innovative, sustainable tools, and cross-sectoral collaboration;
- Key stakeholders engaged in Burma’s transitional justice process, including civil society, youth, victim and survivor groups, strengthen their understanding of and coordination on concepts related to international justice and accountability processes and mechanisms like the IIMM and effectively develop and deliver a domestically-led justice agenda;
- Civil society preserves, catalogues, and analyzes different types of documentation of past and ongoing human rights violations and abuses in a systematic and secure manner while ensuring that it is useful to current and future transitional justice processes;
- Civil society, human rights defenders, and survivors and their families’ resilience is strengthened while seeking to further truth, justice and accountability for past and present human rights violations and abuses, including CRSV, through access to self-sustaining networks of survivors, community-based mental health and psychosocial services, digital and physical safety, and other protective services and assistance;
- Local civil society and key stakeholders investigate, search for, and identify the missing and disappeared using multidisciplinary forensic approaches to document and identify victims inclusive of relatives and survivors.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Ceiling: $1,500,000
- Total Funding Floor: $750,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 3-4
- Period of Performance: 12-24 months
- Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 5-7 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;
- 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.
Activities that are not typically allowed include, but are not limited to:
- The provision of humanitarian assistance;
- English language instruction;
- Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
- Purely academic exchanges or fellowships;
- External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;
- Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary per security concerns.
Eligibility Criteria
- DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernmental 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.
For more information, visit DRL.
