Deadline: 10-Apr-23
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for projects that improve access to justice for underserved communities in Morocco.
DRL’s goal in Morocco is to promote access to justice and protection of human rights for all. DRL aims to improve public trust in the legal system for those who are underserved, increase public awareness of rights, and strengthen legal aid services. Successful program design(s) should focus on approaches that use the law to increase the knowledge and understanding of universal and inalienable human rights — prioritize urgent justice needs, recognize informal and formal justice systems, and foster the use of the justice system to address concerns equitably.
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.
Aims
Potential program approaches may include:
- Providing open and accessible justice services (including but not limited to facilitation, mediation, paralegal services, and broader victim support) that enables the most underserved in Morocco to better defend their rights, demand access to public services, and protect their ability to participate in democratic processes.
- Strengthening the ability of civil society to work with legal aid providers to facilitate better access to legal services while addressing systemic barriers that hamper access.
- Building public awareness of rights and available recourse mechanisms.
- Promoting trust and cooperation between justice sector institutions and underserved communities.
- Expanding partnerships between civil society and legal aid providers to ensure inclusive, rights-based approaches on sensitive cases.
- Building the capacity of civil society to conduct oversight of justice sector institutions.
Funding Information
- Funding Floor: $750,000
- Funding Ceiling: $1,000,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 1-2
- Period of Performance: 24-36 months
- Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 6-9 months
Activities
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.
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 Department of State.