Deadline: 13-Jul-23
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that advance the Biden Administration’s foreign policy priorities to reduce violence against environmental defenders, strengthen environmental governance and the rule of law, protect and advance environmental defenders’ human rights, counter corruption, foster a level playing field for business, and advance security and sustainable prosperity.
Environmental defenders, including relevant Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), are those who exercise their human rights to try to peacefully protect an area and/or community, including its natural resources, from negative environmental impact. They are at times unaware of their rights under the law. Environmental defenders are frequently from underserved and underrepresented communities and are often the targets of government-sanctioned harassment, violent threats, attacks, assassinations, and criminalization or otherwise embattled, while exercising their human rights, such as freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. They may also be silenced when they try to seek, receive, and impart information that should be provided under law, including environmental information, engage in public participation, and obtain access to justice on environmental matters.
Program Goal
- OES invites organizations to submit applications to strengthen support for grassroots environmental defenders, including CSOs, whose members have been the target of government-sanctioned harassment, threats, assassinations, and/or abuse in the judicial process in the targeted countries, to enable them to exercise their rights peacefully and effectively by supporting both of the following objectives:
- Objective 1: Build capacity of grassroots environmental defenders, including CSOs, to understand and use existing mechanisms related to accessing environmental information, participating in environmental decision making/enforcement, and accessing justice in environmental matters. Anticipated funding amount: approximately $1.8 million. Proposal must address the following:
- How activities will target and effectively reach grassroots environmental defenders, particularly those that are threatened or embattled and often in underserved and underrepresented communities and locations.
- Using a risk focused approach, provide training and capacity building in advocacy campaigning, targeted information gathering to help inform host government prosecution of environmental crimes and strengthen enforcement in the host country, strategic litigation, and/or using regional and/or international mechanisms, and risk mitigation strategies and protocols.
- 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.
- In some countries, those seeking this environmental information, availing themselves of opportunities for public participation in environmental decision-making, and/or improving access to justice are put at greater risk, so proposals must describe how awardees will address and mitigate risks, including how they may coordinate with existing assistance support mechanisms.
- Objective 2: Implementation of small-grants program to support grassroots environmental defenders including CSOs,(trained in Objective 1), working to protect their communities from pollution and other environmental harms. Anticipated funding amount: approximately $2.5 million. Proposals must address the following:
- Small grants may be up to $50,000 USD and a recipient may not receive more than two grants during the period of this program;
- Measurably strengthen their advocacy work and capabilities at the local, regional, national, and/or international levels to use their procedural access rights to address environmental crimes and pollution and/or promote more effective use of and compliance with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards;
- In some countries, CSOs cannot accept foreign assistance, so proposals must describe how support will be structured as not to violate host government laws and/or place the defenders and CSOs at greater risk.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,295,625
- Award Ceiling: $4,295,625
- Award Floor: $4,295,625.
- Period of Performance: 30 months.
Expected Outcomes: All projects should aim to have impactthat leads to measurable reductions in threats and violence against grassroots organizations and increased accountability.
Eligible Countries: Priority countries include: Brazil, Colombia, DRC, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Eligibility Criteria
- OES welcomes applications from U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO); Public International Organizations; Foreign Public Organizations; and private, public, or state institutions of higher education.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.