Deadline: 24-May-23
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 a project that promotes long term reconciliation and peace in Sri Lanka through independent, credible, transparent, effective, and victim-centric transitional justice processes.
Programs should advance civil society led efforts to pursue truth and justice for victims, survivors, and their families, and accountability for those who have committed human rights violations and abuses in Sri Lanka. Recognizing the cycles of violence and impunity for human rights violations throughout Sri Lanka’s history, programs should examine legacies of gross human rights violations and abuses from before, during, and after the country’s armed conflicts and intersecting economic crimes. Programs should also build upon countrywide, civil society led and grassroots driven efforts to date.
Objectives
DRL seeks programs that incorporate integrated, locally owned, and victim and survivor-centered approaches to accomplish at least two of the following objectives:
- Critical civil society documentation and investigations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and intersecting economic crimes committed in Sri Lanka contribute to a range of transitional justice processes at the domestic and/or international levels;
- Civil society documenting human rights violations in Sri Lanka is better positioned and coordinated in strategically pursuing a range of truth-telling, memorialization, justice, and accountability initiatives centered around the priorities, needs and perspectives of victims, survivors, and their families;
- Victims and survivors of human rights violations and abuses are empowered and dignified in the process of sharing their individual and collective experiences and life stories to be sources of evidence for truth, justice, and accountability;
- Sri Lankans of all identities and backgrounds and the international community recognize broader and diverse patterns of violence in Sri Lanka’s history, and these narratives are preserved, accessible, acknowledged, and used to promote nonrecurrence.
- Sri Lankan civil society, victims, survivors, and their families are resilient and equipped with the skills and resources to continue engaging on a range of truth, memory, justice, and accountability issues in a dynamic political and economic environment.
All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.
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.
Competitive proposals may also include a summary budget and budget narrative for 12-24 additional months following the proposed period of performance. This information should indicate what objective(s) and/or activities could be accomplished with additional time and/or funds beyond the proposed period of performance.
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.
Funding Information
- Total Funding Floor: $740,740
- Total Funding Ceiling: $1,481,481
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 1-2
- Period of Performance: 1-4 years
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. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.
For more information, visit DRL.