Deadline: 03-Jun-24
The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for a program to support and enhance the ongoing Bangladeshi project to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorist offenders being implemented by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime unit (DMP/CTTC) and the nongovernment organization Centre for Alternatives (CFA).
The ongoing DMP/CTTC program utilizes a full-scope array of counseling services, including religious, legal, educational, and cultural, to help former terrorist offenders identify better life choices as they return to society. The program also works with members of receiving communities and families to improve outcomes. DMP/CTTC and the Centre for Alternatives have expressed openness to additional capacity-building and research to enhance these processes and add additional elements to their program. This program should provide expert technical training to the DMP/CTTC and CFA implementers, coordinating with other international partners including the Japan-based Sasakawa Foundation. It should also promote collaboration with other Bangladesh law enforcement elements, non-government entities, regional partners, and other stakeholders in the disengagement and reintegration of paroled, imprisoned, or charged terrorist offenders. The program may also support DMP/CTTC, CFA, or other stakeholder efforts for preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). Program awardee will also ensure that no U.S. Government support is provided to paroled, imprisoned, or charged terrorist offenders.
The program should be responsive to DMP/CTTC interest in additional international partner support and collaboration. While terrorist incidents in Bangladesh have sharply declined in recent years, Bangladesh law enforcement continues to arrest dozens of individuals annually charged with planning or recruiting for terrorist causes.
Program Objectives
- Support and enhance the DMP/CTTC’s program of rehabilitation and reintegration of paroled, incarcerated, or charged terrorist offenders, which utilizes full-scope counseling and community engagement strategies, by offering expert training, program assessments, and, if useful, regional, or international study tours.
- Encourage coordination among other government of Bangladesh elements engaged in rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, including the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Bangladesh National Police (ATU) and the Department of Prisons, providing technical support to officers from those institutions as well.
- Provide technical support to Bangladesh government efforts to develop a comprehensive national plan for P/CVE, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
- Provide technical support for Dhaka DMP/CTTC and ATU P/CVE activities, including online counter-messaging, inoculation messaging, and violent extremist content removal, incorporating a genderized approach to the outreach and following ethical principles for this engagement, including “do no harm” approaches. Program should include attention to the physical safety and mental health of implementers and researchers.
- Present a methodology for assessing the impacts of program activities. For rehabilitation and reintegration activities, such methods should include, but are not limited to, longitudinal participant surveys and law enforcement assessments of participant disengagement and reintegration. For P/CVE activities, program assessments may include, but are not limited to, measures of online engagement and interview-based activities. For both sets of activities, applicants will be expected to develop metrics to assess the extent of progress being made.
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $493,339
- Award Ceiling: $493,339
- Award Floor: $1,000
- Length of performance period: 24 months
Participants and Audiences
- Counselors, case workers, and program implementers working for or contracted by Bangladesh law enforcement and non-government entities engaged in ongoing and future P/CVE activities or programs for the disengagement and reintegration of paroled, incarcerated, or charged terrorist offenders, with a focus on the ongoing DMP/CTTC and CFA program.
- Officials from Bangladesh law enforcement and other Bangladesh government entities designing or implementing P/CVE activities or efforts aimed at the disengagement and reintegration of paroled, incarcerated, or charged terrorist offenders, including officers from the ATU and the Department of Prisons.
Priority Country or Region – Bangladesh
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
- Public and private educational institutions
- Public International Organizations (PIOs) and Governmental institutions
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Other Eligibility
- In order to apply, each applicant must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov before submitting an application.
- Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.