DRL seeks Proposals for Projects to Strengthen Democracy in Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Zambia

The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) has issued a request for proposals from eligible organizations for projects that would strengthen democracy in Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Zambia. The main objective for implementing the program is to improve human rights conditions, fight corruption, and increase transparency and accountability in select countries of Africa.

Objectives

Equatorial Guinea: Building the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Equatorial Guinea (approximately $500,000 available): DRL’s objective is to improve human rights conditions, fight corruption, and increase transparency and accountability in Equatorial Guinea through the implementation of activities that build the capacity of in-country civil society organizations (CSOs) to effectively engage with the government and other stakeholders.
Guinea: Improving Prison Conditions in Guinea (approximately $500,000 available): DRL’s objective is to promote rule of law, increase access to justice, and improve human right conditions in Guinea through the implementation of activities that promote reform in the Guinean justice system.
Nigeria/Ghana: Implementing the Voluntary Principles (VPs) in Ghana and Nigeria (approximately $400,000 available): DRL’s objective is to increase the level of knowledge about human rights issues and promote the incorporation of the VPs as a fundamental element in government agendas and business strategies.
Zambia: Building the Capacity of Zambia’s Judiciary (approximately $500,000 available):

DRL’s objective is to strengthen the capacity of the Zambian judiciary to act independently and serve as a check on executive power.

Cote d’Ivoire: Reconciliation, Human Rights and Transitional Justice (approximately $800,000 available): DRL’s objective is to support programming that works to end impunity, acknowledges and redresses harms, and fosters reconciliation.

Eligibility Criteria

Organizations submitting proposals must meet the following criteria:

Be a U.S. non-profit organization meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c) (3), or other U.S.-based non-profit organizations, or comparable non-profit organizations based outside of the U.S., or an international organization.
Have demonstrated experience administering successful and preferably similar projects. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.
Be a registered user of www.grants.gov and/or www.grantsolutions.gov.
Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with in-country entities and relevant stakeholders including industry and non-governmental organizations.
Organizations may form consortia and submit a combined proposal. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant.