Deadline: 22 March 2019
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) for programs that support the policy objective to foster civil, political, religious, and labor rights in Cuba.
DRL seeks Statements of Interest (SOIs) that support independent civil society organizations and Cuban individuals in their efforts toward the realization of the liberties enshrined within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the denial of which has resulted in the above-mentioned systemic failures.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $2,000,000
- Award Floor: $500,000
Program Activities
- Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to:
- Organizational assistance to Cuban civil society to improve management, strategic planning, sustainability, and collaboration of local civil society groups such as labor groups, civil and political rights groups, youth groups, and religious freedom advocates, and assistance that encourages the participation of marginalized groups;
- Assistance to independent Cuban civil society organizations to facilitate community based, participatory problem solving approaches to generate concrete solutions to specific problems, thereby creating a democratic alternative to dependence on the State;
- Capacity building on and off the island. Off-island activities sometimes include shortterm fellowships;
- Access to software that would be easily accessible in an open society, or the adaptation of said software for the Cuban technological environment;
- Assistance mechanisms designed to provide independent Cuban civil society with tools, opportunities, and trainings that civil society counterparts in open societies can access;
- Incorporation of independent Cuban civil society into initiatives, fora, and coalitions led by their regional and global civil society counterparts; and
- Activities that increase access to uncensored information within the island.
- Activities that typically are NOT considered competitive include:
- The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance;
- English language instruction;
- Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware;
- Purely academic research, exchanges, or fellowships;
- External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months;
- Off-island activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary for security concerns;
- Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation for publication that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society;
- Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives;
- Activities that go beyond an organization’s demonstrated competence, or fail to provide clear evidence that activities will achieve the stated impact;
- Initiatives directed towards a diaspora community rather than current residents of Cuba;
- Activities that are a duplication of other ongoing USG-funded projects in Cuba.
Eligibility Information
Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
- Be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or
- Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or
- Be a for-profit organization or business (noting there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30, “Cost Accounting Standards Administration”, and 48 CFR 31, “Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”); and
- Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs; and
- Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=313104