Deadline: 14-Oct-22
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking concept papers from qualified entities to implement the Citizens Against Corruption (CAC) Activity.
The main goal of this program will be to create a broad social movement against corruption in North Macedonia uniting the efforts of like-minded actors to demand zero tolerance of corruption. The activity’s principal intent is to increase citizen, civil society, media and private sector knowledge, engagement and collaboration in the fight against corruption.
The Citizens Against Corruption (CAC) activity aims to create a broad social movement against corruption which will unite the efforts of like-minded actors across sectors in demanding zero tolerance of corruption. The goal of the CAC activity is to increase citizen, civil society, media and private sector knowledge, engagement and collaboration in the fight against corruption. By fostering a culture of awareness, integrity and accountability citizens can individually and jointly take action and exert pressure for improved government responsiveness and effectiveness in addressing corruption at the central and local level.
The CAC Activity builds upon previous successful anti-corruption work conducted by USAID. The CAC Activity will promote partnerships and facilitate dialogue between the civil society, media, private sector, and the Government with the aim of reducing corruption.
Objectives
- To reach its goal, the program will be directed through the following four objectives:
- Improved citizen knowledge and awareness in fighting corruption and promoting good governance and accountability,
- Civil society plays an active role in the fight against corruption,
- Media plays an active role in revealing and addressing corruption, and;
- Private sector is engaged in the fight against corruption.
During the design process USAID identified several potential areas of focus/illustrative results that can guide the development of activities.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $6,000,000
- Award Floor: $4,000,00.
Principles
- The activity must adhere to the following principles:
- The Activity must target areas most vulnerable to high-level corruption, areas that most impact citizen’s lives and trust in institutions, and areas that impact USAID’s strategic priorities.
- The Activity must be results oriented and foster effective partnerships that will last beyond the life of the Activity. USAID encourages creative solutions and results-based activities, and emphasizes local ownership, local investment and local leadership of activities through collaborative design, co-investment and co-leadership of interventions. The Activity must build capacity and commitment, and create effective, sustainable internal systems and norms that will improve good governance and reduce corruption.
- The Activity must build on the existing systems that are in line with the government’s strategies and plans. The activity must seek to bolster meaningful implementation of effective, inclusive and accountable government and non-government policies, strategies, action plans that are sound, sensible and in line with the country’s reform goals.
- The Activity must align with USAID’s Private Sector Engagement policy to the maximum extent possible as the private sector has profound self-interest and great potential to assume a vital role in the fight against corruption. The Activity must leverage market-based approaches and seek to understand and address private sector constraints in combating corruption.
- The Activity must also incorporate youth in the fight against corruption. Interventions must ensure that the representation, participation, and capacity building of youth at all levels of interventions will be in line with positive youth development approaches. The Activity must integrate a “nothing for them, without them” approach in combating corruption.
- The Activity must integrate collaboration, learning and adaptation principles that will leverage USAID and host-country investments across the different activities and strategic priorities of the Country Development Cooperation Strategy.
- Ways this can be done are to:
- identify areas of shared interest and work together where it makes sense, reduce duplication of efforts, and share knowledge across sectoral boundaries;
- utilize a variety of sources of information (including data from monitoring, portfolio reviews, findings of research, evaluations, analyses conducted by USAID or third parties, knowledge gained from experience) to reflect on approaches; and
- Apply learning and make adjustments during implementation. It is critical that the Activity builds in flexibility in order to respond to the regular shifts in the operating environment and ensure an ability to respond to windows of opportunity.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted. All U.S. and non-U.S. private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations, and other non-governmental organizations, are eligible to submit an application. Public International Organizations are not eligible to apply for funding under this program. Further, the organization must be a legally recognized organizational entity under applicable law. USAID will not accept concept papers/applications from individuals. Foreign government- owned parastatal organizations from countries that are ineligible for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) or related appropriations acts are ineligible.
- USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy goal is to identify partners that are ready to co-create and co-invest for better outcomes of joint interventions. This goal embodies the core belief that the country must lead its own development journey and that the local partners should navigate, finance and own the activities. USAID will play a catalytic role by empowering local partners to propose, implement and co-invest solutions for the development challenges. According to the New Partnerships Initiative Action Plan, USAID/North Macedonia’s goal is to shift its focus further to locally led solutions and partners.
- Entities as defined below are eligible for award. USAID defines a “local entity” as an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that:
- Is legally organized under the laws of North Macedonia; and
- Has as its principal place of business or operations in North Macedonia; and
- Is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of North Macedonia; and
- Is managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the country receiving assistance.
- For purposes of this section, ‘majority owned’ and ‘managed by’ include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.
- USAID strongly encourages applications from potential new partners who meet the above eligibility requirements and are willing to be subjected to a Pre-Award Risk Assessment, which is a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility (i.e., whether the prospective recipient has the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills – or ability to obtain them – in order to achieve the objective of this program and comply with the terms and conditions of the award).
- USAID also welcomes concept papers from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343468