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DRL Improving Remedy, Accountability and Deterrence for the Repressive Misuse of Spyware (Europe and Eurasia)

Deadline: 15-Apr-2024

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 to strengthen the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms online through a focus on responses to digital security threats.

Objectives

  • Objectives can include but are not limited to:
    • Improve paths to remedy and accountability for targets of the repressive misuse of spyware in Europe and Eurasia.
    • Improve the ability of targets of repressive spyware in Europe and Eurasia to obtain evidence they can use to seek remedy, hold violators accountable, and take individual and/or collective direct action to detect, prevent, and/or mitigate similar future hacking operations.
    • Increase the ability of civil society to collect and preserve evidence of the illicit sale, transfer and repressive misuse of spyware in Europe and Eurasia in order to support accountability efforts of competent investigative authorities. [This term includes any national, hybrid or international institutions (governmental, intergovernmental or international) carrying out criminal investigations.]
    • Improve access to forensic tools and techniques among civil society in Europe and Eurasia that allow validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation and presentation of digital evidence of spyware used in repressive ways.
    • Establish or strengthen accountability mechanisms in Europe and Eurasia to hold States, corporations or individuals accountable for the repressive misuse of targeted spyware.
    • Improve safeguards against the sale and transfer of commercial spyware to end users who are likely to misuse these tools in Europe and Eurasia.
    • Strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks that govern spyware in Europe and Eurasia (both regional and country-level, where applicable) in line with international law, including international human rights law.
    • Promote transparency regarding the volume, nature, value, destination, and end user of spyware transfers to/from Europe and Eurasia.

Funding Information

  • Total Funding Ceiling: $1,973,358
  • Total Funding Floor: $1,973,358
  • Anticipated Number of Awards: 1-2
  • Period of Performance: 36-48 months/years
  • Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 6 months

Key Program Considerations

  • This list of considerations is provided as a guide to help applicants develop responsive, robust program strategies.
    • Competitive programs must
      • Show a clear focus on real-world impacts that will improve access to remedy and accountability by targets of the repressive misuse of spyware in Europe and Eurasia.
      • Reflect a deep understanding of the repressive misuse of spyware perpetrated by states in the European and Eurasian regions, and local policy advocacy contexts. Propose advocacy and/or support strategies that reflect these understandings.
      • Demonstrate clear advocacy and/or support strategies with clearly enumerated activities, goals, and outcomes that are focused on creating concrete change.
      • If providing direct support, demonstrate a deep familiarity and experience with providing support for the groups being served.
      • Show an understanding of context-specific ethical and safety considerations of the approach, a clear plan for responsibly and safely conducting the work, and appropriate capacity and expertise to carry out that plan and respond to emergent risks to the program, implementers, and/or beneficiaries.
      • Proposals should allocate $1,480,019 in program funds for activities that aim to affect positive change in the European and Eurasian countries listed above and not less than $493,339 for activities that aim to affect positive change in Central Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and/or Slovenia). These separate allocations should be delineated in two separate subsidiary budgets.
    • Preference will be given to projects which:
      • Are led by, or include collaborative partnerships with, organization(s) in the target countries and/or regions. Where appropriate, applicants are invited to form consortia for submitting a combined proposal, with one lead (“prime”) applicant. Proposals with 40% or more of the proposed budget dedicated to local organization(s) will be given greater preference.
      • Demonstrate a strong understanding of the unique needs and challenges facing the targeted at-risk community and/or local and community-focused Protection Providers serving this community, such as barriers to their participation in project activities, and how to safely mitigate these risks and challenges.
      • When working with marginalized and vulnerable populations, substantively partner with organizations or groups who are composed of, or led by, members of the populations being supported and/or explicitly focus on issues related to those groups.

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 Grants.gov.