Deadline: 12-Apr-2024
The U.S. Department of State (DoS) announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion (RESI) Goals.
WHA/PPC is seeking applications for a grant to implement a project entitled “Project to Support the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion (RESI) Goals.”
WHA/PPC announces an open competition to support WHA’s Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion (RESI) policy goals in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico to advance reforms that promote equity and equality, eliminate barriers to inclusion, and create equal access and opportunities for members of marginalized and underserved communities.
Program Goal
- This project aims to increase collaboration and strengthen networks among host country civil society partners in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico to advance reforms that promote equity and equality, eliminate barriers to inclusion, and create equal access and opportunities for members of marginalized and underserved communities. Through training of diverse civil society leaders and capacity building of civil society and community networks, this project seeks to further WHA’s RESI goals.
Program Objectives
- Activities must focus on equal access and opportunities for members of marginalized and underserved communities, focused on the following priority areas for each country:
- Brazil: Activities must focus on access to higher education and higher education policy for Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous populations in support of the U.S. – Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER).
- Chile: Activities must focus on access to employment opportunities for Chilean citizens and residents of African descent and Indigenous and immigrant communities.
- Colombia: Activities must address access to academic opportunities for Indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations from rural communities in the Pacific and Atlantic regions in support of the U.S. – Colombia Action Plan on Racial and Ethnic Equality (CAPREE).
- Costa Rica: Activities must focus on economic opportunities, including digital economic workforce development, for Indigenous and Afro-descendent populations, particularly in areas outside of the capital.
- Mexico: Activities must focus on workforce development for marginalized communities and should include a focus on the tech sector in southern states in Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca and Veracruz. Project beneficiaries must include underserved communities and marginalized populations, particularly women and girls, Indigenous communities, and Afro-Mexican communities.
- Project activities must support at least one of the selected RESI policy objectives below:
- Promote reforms that advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within communities and governments and strengthen democratic institutions to the equitable benefit of all peoples. Open an inclusive space to foster strong partnerships among underserved communities and their allies as they advocate for social and policy change.
- Advance equitable and inclusive access to public sector, community, and political engagement, higher education policy issues and discussions, and social and economic systems for members of marginalized groups, including African descendant, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, and women and girls.
- Advance consistent and equitable application of laws, policies, and practices to improve access to justice and protect the human rights of underserved communities and to reduce the criminalization of advocates for marginalized groups.
- Support inclusive and sustainable economic growth, including by building local capacity to provide employment, entrepreneurship, participation in the digital economy and remote work, and job training opportunities to marginalized groups.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $1,973,359.00 U.S. Dollars
- Est. Project Duration: 36 months
- Expected # of Awards Funded: 1
- Number of Applications: One (1) per applicant organization(s)
- Est. Project Start Date: July 2024
Project Components
Project proposals should include, at a minimum, each of the following activities:
- Stakeholder mapping: Implementor should identify key stakeholders to engage with in the public, private, civil society, and academic sectors to advance the project goals and objectives.
- Capacity building and advocacy training for marginalized population community leaders in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico: Training should build the capacity of civil society leaders working on identified priority areas in each country on advocacy and management strategies for effective organizing. This should include train the trainer activities for youth, civil society leaders from marginalized racial and ethnic communities, and civil society organizations, including from rural areas, to engage on RESI-focused projects in their local communities.
- Fellowship program for young leaders in each country: The fellowship program should include young leaders (20-35 years of age) and, at minimum, 50% should be young women leaders. Fellowships may take place within government institutions or legislative entities, civil society organizations, or private sector organizations, depending on feasibility and availability.
- Capstone and/or small grant funding: Project should include funding for capstone projects for fellows and small grant funding for locally based CSOs working on identified priority areas in each country. At least 15% of the budget should be used for capstone and small grant funding.
- Consensus building and social and public advocacy for fellows and community leaders: Implementing organization must develop a mechanism for the fellowship cohort and civil society leaders to advocate on issues identified by fellows and relevant stakeholders.
Expected Results
- By the end of the project, grantees should demonstrate that the project has achieved the following:
- Desired Outputs:
- Implementer completes stakeholder mapping to identify relevant civil society organizations (CSOs), community leaders, local/national government bodies to engage with on RESI priority areas.
- Project facilitates fellowships and provides stipends for individuals from historically marginalized communities (type and length dependent on opportunities within institutions and age of participant). Fellowships may take place within government institutions or legislative entities, civil society organizations, or private sector organizations, depending on feasibility and availability and should last two to six months.
- Desired Outcomes:
- Civil society leaders develop and implement action plans that seek to influence government policies in their respective countries to advance RESI goals.
- Civil society leaders develop and implement action plans aimed at influencing government policies in their respective countries to align with RESI goals and priorities.
- Desired Outputs:
Participants and Audiences
- The target population will be youth, ages 20-35, and civil society leaders with a focus on marginalized communities, including from rural and conflict-affected communities
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. Non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS or overseas based NGOs, institutions of higher education, and public international organizations (PIOs). Locally based NGOs are strongly encouraged to apply.
- To be eligible for a grant award, in addition to other conditions of this NOFO, organizations must have a commitment to non-discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. Non-discrimination includes equal treatment without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation.
- Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub-awards issued under this grant award.
- The DoS will issue an award to the Applicant whose application represents the best value to the USG based on technical merit, efficient use of USG funds, and satisfactory organizational capacity. The DoS reserves the right to make an award based on the initial application received with or without discussion or negotiations.
- WHA/PPC encourages applications from potential new partners.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.