Deadline: 29-Jun-2020
Through the Nicaragua Youth and Communities Secure, Empowered and Resilient (NYCSER) addendum to the FY 2020 YouthPower 2 (YP2) Annual Program Statement (APS), USAID/Nicaragua seeks to have empowered and resilient youth and their communities equipped to advocate for and address their own interests and security.
USAID seeks targeted support for vulnerable youth from select municipalities of Nicaragua, namely Managua, Masaya, Bilwi and Waspam. NYCSER sees Nicaragua’s youth as a priority population that can be supported to advance their knowledge, civic life and employment for their own development and that of their communities.
The NYCSER activity goal is consistent with the Agency’s vision for youth and the journey to self-reliance whereby an “intentional, age-appropriate, and gender-transformative programming will be one of the best ways to affect norms that can foster a culture of self-reliance, accountability, entrepreneurship and good governance.
The purpose of the NYCSER activity is to empower youth and their communities to be resilient and equipped to advocate for and address their own interests and security needs in the context of Nicaragua’s peculiar socio-political instability and discrimination.
Under this addendum, USAID/Nicaragua aims to empower youth and their communities to acquire the education, skills, and resources needed to become resilient and equipped to advocate for their own best interests and security needs in context of Nicaragua’s peculiar socio-political instability and discrimination. The activity should promote positive youth development and address state-sponsored violence by providing the necessary tools and networks to organize, plan, and address these challenges.
Goal
Empowered, secure, and resilient youth and their communities that are equipped to advocate for and address their own interests.
Outcomes
- Outcome 1: Skilled and civically-engaged youth
- Outcome 2: Organized and engaged communities
Funding Information
- USAID/Nicaragua anticipates supporting one award of $20 million ($17 million base with additional $3 million optional) over the life of the award(s).
- The anticipated period of performance for awards made under the NYCSER Addendum to the YP2 APS is 5 years.
Geographic Focus
- The NYCSER activity will target youth in Managua, Masaya, Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas), and Waspam. USAID/Nicaragua may further determine other geographical locations depending on resource availability. These locations have been chosen by the Mission using the criterion below:
- State violence. The largest concentration of youth victims of state-sponsored violence either as a result of the April 2018 socio-political crisis or violence against indigenous populations.
- Education gaps. Bilwi and Waspam are among the country’s most underdeveloped municipalities with high percentages of out-of-school youth and higher repetition rates. The same is for the rural municipalities of the Managua and Masaya departments.
- Gender-based violence (GBV). The targeted municipalities and departments under this addendum also are among the country’s highest according to indices of GBV.
- Historically marginalized populations. The indigenous populations of Bilwi, Waspam and Masaya, are those historically excluded from quality access to services such as health and education.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. and non-U.S. public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education (especially minority-serving institutions), public international organizations, and non-governmental organizations are eligible to submit a concept note.
- Further, the organization must be a legally recognized organizational entity in the country where it operates. USAID values the participation of the U.S. higher education community in this activity. U.S. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are key partners for developing solutions to development challenges, by serving as intellectual hubs for knowledge, research support, and innovation.
- Under the NYCSER Addendum, USAID/Nicaragua strongly encourages a consortium approach that leverages the diverse, required technical expertise of a variety of partners needed to achieve the program objectives. Local organizations should take ownership and implement the central proposed interventions to the greatest extent possible. Concept Notes submitted under this Addendum should demonstrate a cross-sectoral approach to solving a pressing development challenge through a consortium of actors, to be led by one primary recipient of the award (Prime Recipient).
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327391
