Deadline: 8-Sep-23
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $3,000,000 total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project with the objective to reinforce the Government of Lesotho’s (GOL) efforts to promote occupational safety and health (OSH) and counter discrimination and gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the world of work.
The project will take a multi-stakeholder approach to strengthen institutional capacity and support the development of a policy and operational environment in Lesotho that supports workers’ rights.
The project will prioritize the needs of underserved communities and support engagement with members of marginalized groups.
The project will not have a pre-defined sectoral focus. Rather, the project will support the GOL in identifying sectors at risk for OSH violations, and where discriminatory practices and GBVH are prevalent, and craft inspection and remediation plans to address prevailing issues and promote compliance with labor standards.
In addition to its normal consultative role as grantor, ILAB’s substantial involvement in program activities may focus on elements that are essential to meet program requirements and ensure achievement of program objectives and outcomes. ILAB’s involvement may include, but not be limited to:
- Liaising with in-country USG officials and host country governments on matters related to the project.
- Collaborating substantially on the project strategy and implementation, as well as the development of the project document package.
- Collaborating substantially on the development and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation plan and all of its components.
- Providing highly specialized input on the technical definitions and concepts of workers’ rights, international labor standards, occupational safety and health (OSH), industrial relations, social dialogue, collective bargaining, freedom of association, acceptable conditions of work, stakeholder compliance, non-discrimination, labor courts, labor administration, labor inspection, labor law and judicial reform, legal and policy frameworks, child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, and effective enforcement, among others.
- Being substantially and actively involved in designing research, service provision, and/or capacity building activities jointly with the recipient.
- Reviewing and providing input on project’s planning for sustainability and collaborating to promote sustainability of project efforts, including through replication of good practices.
Funding Information
- Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. Approximately $3,000,000 total costs is expected to be available to fund approximately 1 (one) award(s). Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $3,000,000 total costs. Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds.
- The required period of performance is 54 months from the effective date of the award. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. Only allowable costs incurred during the period of performance may be charged to the federal award (2 CFR 200.1 Period of performance).
Outcomes
- The project will achieve the following two outcomes:
- Outcome 1: Strengthened capacity of relevant government institutions to monitor and enforce compliance with international labor standards related to OSH, antidiscrimination, and countering GBVH in the world of work.
- Outcome 2: Strengthened government collaboration with local, national, and regional stakeholders to develop and implement policies, procedures, and services to promote OSH and counter discrimination and GBVH in the world of work.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S. organizations:
- Nonprofits, including any faith-based organizations or community-based organizations
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
- For-Profit organizations
- Non-U.S. organizations:
- Non-U.S. Entities, including PIOs, as described in 2 CFR 200.1.
- U.S. organizations:
- Applicants selected for award, including PIOs, must abide by DOL’s requirements in the term and conditions of the award, in alignment with U.S. appropriation laws and applicable U.S. regulations.
- Applicants do not need previous experience managing federal awards, but they must speak persuasively about their ability to leverage other previous experience and bring it to scale in support of a large federal investment.
Ineligible
- The following types of organizations are not eligible to apply nor to participate as subrecipients/contractors:
- Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to be associated with terrorism.
- Organizations designated by the U.S. Government to have been debarred or suspended.
- Organizations planning to charge a fee (profit) associated with a project funded by a USDOL award.
- Foreign governments and entities that are agencies of, or operated by or for, a foreign state or government are not eligible to apply. However, they may be eligible to participate as a subrecipient in certain instances, subject to USDOL approval. NOTE: If an exception to this subrecipient eligibility criterion might be appropriate, the application must include a detailed justification for the possible exception. USDOL funds are not intended to duplicate existing foreign government efforts or substitute for activities for which such governments have already assumed responsibility. USDOL will make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis after receiving the application.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.