Deadline: 29-Apr-22
The United States Agency for International Development in Paraguay (USAID/Paraguay) is seeking applications from non- and for-profit organizations to participate in USAID/Paraguay’s Culture of Lawfulness and Local Works Initiative – Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)/ Annual Program Statement (APS).
The Paraguay Culture of Lawfulness and Local Works Initiative seeks to engage the private and civil sectors in priority areas, as defined by the Government of Paraguay (GOP) and the United States Government (USG).
The Paraguay Culture of Lawfulness and Local Works Initiative is designed to increase sustainability and impact in the following areas: Rule of Law, Formalization of Economic Opportunities, Civil Society Oversight, Local Works, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding Areas
- Rule of Law: USAID will support efforts to strengthen the capacity of justice sector institutions to effectively tackle corruption and impunity, while engaging other key stakeholders including the private sector, civil society organizations and other relevant public offices. The purpose will be to strengthen the Rule of Law with a focus on increasing judicial independence and efficiency to foster the development objective of improved culture of lawfulness to reduce corruption in Paraguay.
- Formalization of Economic Opportunities: The purpose is to advance a more formal economy through initiatives that promote incentives and the enabling environment for formal businesses to thrive. By engaging key stakeholders, USAID will leverage private sector support for market-driven solutions. USAID will also improve the GOP’s capacity to foster the enabling environment for a more formal and resilient economy, with focus on micro and small businesses, small entrepreneurs, informal workers and startups or recovering companies, especially those managed by women, youth, and other vulnerable populations. Illustrative Examples of Interventions include:
- Market Efficiencies and Access to Resources
- Enabling Environment for Economic Governance
- Human Capital
- Civil Society Oversight: The purpose of this project is to improve citizen oversight resulting in increased government efficiency in service delivery, and reduced corruption and impunity. Illustrative Examples of Interventions include:
- Improving the quality of information and independent reporting
- Increasing engagement and coordination of diverse stakeholders
- Strengthening civil society capacity
- Local Works: USAID will work with grassroots organizations, with a special focus on women and youth, and other vulnerable populations, to help them self-identify their needs and lead their own development solutions, fostering ownership and empowerment, and building accountability and resiliency within the community and at the national level.
- COVID-19 Response: USAID will assist the Government of Paraguay to:
- stem the further transmission and re-emergence of COVID-19, including support to the vaccination against COVID-19; and
- mitigate second-order impacts of the disease to prevent backsliding on shared, top-level development objectives.
Funding Information
- The total amount of funding to be awarded will depend on the variety and quality of the concepts USAID/Paraguay receives but is estimated at approximately $40 million US Dollars with an envisioned 5-10 individual awards. USAID/Paraguay reserves the right to fund any, or none, of the concept papers submitted.
- Concept Papers should have a request of at least USD $250,000. This includes both USAID funding and, where applicable, the match by a Resource Partner.
- Applications must state a period of performance. The period of performance must be 60 months or less.
Eligibility Criteria
- USAID/Paraguay is targeting potential local Implementing Partners and local or international Resource Partners, or a combination of the two for the Paraguay Culture of Lawfulness and Local Works Initiative.
- Implementing Partners are non-governmental or private sector entities (for-and non-profit). Implementing Partners may provide leverage themselves (which cannot include USG funding from other sources) or secure outside funding from a Resource Partner for the projects they propose to implement.
- Resource Partners can be either U.S. or non-U.S. private sector businesses, foundations, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and others who can identify and suggest ways to use their financial or other resources to collaborate with USAID/Paraguay.
- USAID/Paraguay, in particular, is interested in working with Implementing and Resource Partners from the private sector and civil society that will mobilize domestic resources for development. This includes non-traditional development partners such as private businesses, business and trade associations, foundations, financial institutions, non-profit NGOs and for-profit development firms, and private educational institutions.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333192