U.S. Department of State announces Open Government Partnership Reforms

Deadline: 9 April 2020

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) is seeking applications in support of promoting national and regional policy dialogue and supporting CSOs in effectively partnering with their governments.

MENA governments – especially in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia – have undertaken important reform initiatives to modernize their public administrations and pass access to information laws. Several have applied to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international initiative that aims to leverage capabilities of new technologies to strengthen participatory governance and fight corruption. Further actions are required to sustain this progress and implement open government principles that foster civil society collaboration with government.

This project will assist governments in developing action plans to improve management and governance activities such as: budgeting, human resources management, regulatory practices, public integrity, public procurement, digital government, open government and data, risk management, and innovations.

By focusing on public governance areas and creating inclusive economies and societies, this project will guide governments to benchmark their countries’ progress on public sector reforms at the national and regional levels, and to compare them against international standards. Additionally, it will create the first MENA long-term strategic partnership and governance network for policy dialogue and exchange of good practices. Finally, it will deliver ad hoc policy recommendations to advance public sector reform agendas in specific sectors at the national or regional level with a focus on policies pertaining to women and youth.

Success will be measured on the basis of increased engagement between civil society, the private sector, and governments on open government initiatives; expanded utilization of information by civil society; the implementation of policies, initiatives, and laws; government participation with other international partners in the new OECD Observatory of Civic Space; and enhanced public perception of open governance.

Objectives

Open government depends on reforms to the legal, institutional, and policy frameworks that enable citizens and civil society participation by meeting these objectives:

• Support Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia to identify and implement the necessary reforms to promote and protect civic space;
• Increase the ability of government representatives and civil society organizations to improve policies and services using accurate data;
• Increase regional dialogue among government representatives and civil society organizations to promote policy reform;
• Support Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia to implement recommendations on open government policies and initiatives; and
• Conduct a feasibility assessment of Algeria’s readiness to adopt open government and anti-corruption measures.

Eligible Countries and Territories

In this announcement, Department of States seeks to support projects in Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Note: Applications that focus on activities in countries and territories other than those listed will Not be considered.

Projects

• Project activities should include:
  • Phase One (Years 1 and 2)
    • Promote citizen engagement through coalition building among public officials and CSOs in Tunisia and Morocco;
    • Collect data on a number of public governance policy issues in Tunisia and Morocco to better understand practices, benchmarks, and needs for reform;
    • Train Tunisian and Moroccan senior policy makers and public officials on the institutional, legal, policy, and implementation frameworks for strategically and effectively promoting open government; and
    • Conduct an assessment and provide a report on the feasibility of Algeria’s readiness to adopt open government and anti-corruption measures.
  • Phase Two (Years 3 and 4)
    • Promote citizen engagement through coalition building among public officials and CSOs in Lebanon and Jordan;
    • Collect data on a number of public governance policy issues in Jordan and Lebanon to better understand practices, benchmarks, and needs for reform;
    • Train Jordanian senior policy makers and public officials on the institutional, legal, policy, and implementation frameworks for strategically and effectively promoting open government; and
    • Assist the Government of Tunisia and the Government of Morocco with their OGP National Action Plans.
  • Phase Three (Year 5)
    • Strengthen CSOs’ ability to influence policy making through implementing open government principles in all four countries;
    • Monitor the legal, institutional, policy, and implementation frameworks that respond to recommendations on how to concretely strengthen open government in all four countries; and
    • Promote governments’ data production and collection, and CSOs’ monitoring and evaluation of policies and services in all four countries.
• Project beneficiaries must include:
  • Civil Society Organizations;
  • Private sector partners;
  • Government Institutions.

The following activities and costs are not allowed under this announcement:

• Exchange activities with other countries or territories;
• Social welfare projects;
• Paying to complete activities begun with other funds;
• Activities that appear partisan or that support individual or party electoral campaigns;
• Academic or analytical research (if not necessary as part of a larger project);
• One-time events, such as stand-alone conferences and one-off round tables;
• Medical and psychological research and clinical studies;
• Projects of a commercial or profit-making nature;
• Cultural presentations, cultural research, cultural clubs, or festivals, etc.; and
• Entertainment costs (e.g., receptions, social activities, ceremonies, alcoholic beverages, guided tours).

Note: Applications that include any of these activities or costs above may be eliminated at the Technical Eligibility Review stage and will not advance to the Merit Review Panel.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000
• Estimated Award Ceiling: $1,500,000
• Estimated Award Floor: $1,000,000
• Estimated Length of Project Period: 5 Years

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants include: –

• U.S. or foreign;
• Non-profit organizations; and
• Public international organizations.
• NEA/AC is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. NEA/AC welcomes applications irrespective of an applicants’ race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. They encourage applications from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth.
• NEA/AC strongly encourages applications from organizations headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa region. International non-governmental organizations with principal bases of operations outside the Middle East and North Africa are also encouraged to apply, but the percentage of total budget actually spent in the region through local partners may be among the elements of evaluation for this competition.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted in English. Applicants may submit only one application.

Applicants must submit their applications electronically using SAMS Domestic.

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=324923