Deadline: 04-Apr-24
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) for programs that aim to advance human rights in Cuba and strengthen the capacity of independent civil society groups on-island to advance civil and political rights.
DRL grants focused on Cuba aim to strengthen the capabilities of on-island, independent civil society to protect and promote the human rights of all individuals in Cuba, and to overcome the limitations imposed by the Cuban government on the exercise of fundamental freedoms. The bureau strives to ensure its foreign assistance programs advance principles of non-discrimination with respect to race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other individual characteristics.
DRL does not fund programs for Cuba that support the Cuban government, including Cuban government institutions, individuals employed by those institutions, or organizations controlled by government institutions.
Objectives
- Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Strengthen civil society networks and their ability to respond to GBV, including through monitoring, documentation, and advocacy efforts, as well as improving support to survivors.
- Promoting Freedom of Association: Increase opportunities for Cuban citizens to freely associate through informal community initiatives and enhance civil society efforts to advocate for greater freedom of association through strategic advocacy at the national, regional and international levels.
- Strengthening Civil Society: Engage and enhance the capacity of independent Cuban civil society through memorialization and reconciliation initiatives. Initiatives may include inter-generational dialogues, the construction of historical memory of human rights violations committed in Cuba, or other similar efforts designed to foster reconciliation and a common agenda for advancing human rights and democracy in Cuba.
- Promoting Freedom of Expression: Support and empower artists and intellectuals to protect and promote freedom of expression and human rights through the arts and other forms of cultural expression.
- Strengthening Independent Media: Improve the skills of independent journalists and media outlets to provide credible, fact-checked information on human rights and democracy issues of interest to the Cuban people on-island.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $1,000,000
- Award Floor: $500,000
Ineligible Activities
- The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance;
- English language instruction;
- Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
- Purely academic research, exchanges, or fellowships;
- External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than three months;
- Off-island activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary due to security concerns;
- Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation for publication that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;
- Activities that go beyond an organization’s demonstrated competence, or fail to provide clear evidence that activities will achieve the stated impact;
- Activities that are a duplication of other ongoing USG-funded projects in Cuba.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
- Be a US- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization;
- Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education;
- Be a for-profit organization or business (noting there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30, “Cost Accounting Standards Administration”, and 48 CFR 31, “Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”);
- Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partners and NGOs; and,
- Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.