The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the US Department of State has announced the Request for Proposals of US-based organizations, universities and research institutions to submit project proposals for promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Africa (Gambia and Mali), East Asia Pacific (Cambodia), Europe (Turkey and Azerbaijan), and South and Central Asia (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Central Asia Regional).
“The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) furthers U.S. foreign policy goals by supporting innovative, targeted programs around the world that support the democratization process by strengthening democratic institutions, promoting human rights, and building the capacity of civil society, including a free and independent media. HRDF funds projects that potentially can have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms. Projects should have potential for continued funding beyond HRDF resources. HRDF projects should be creative and must not duplicate or simply add to efforts by other entities.
DRL will not consider proposals that reflect any type of support, for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization, whether or not elected members of government.
The bulk of project activities must target the requested country and last between one and three years. U.S.-based activities, study tours, scholarships or exchange projects will not be deemed competitive. Projects that have a strong academic, research, conference, or dialogue focus will not be deemed competitive. DRL strongly discourages health, technology, or scientific projects unless they have an explicit component related to the requested program objectives listed above.
Projects that focus on commercial law or economic development will be rated as non-competitive.
Approximately $5,700,000 is available for programs in the regions outlined above. To support program and administrative costs required for implementation, the Bureau anticipates making awards in amounts of $250,000 to the maximum available figure listed by country for democracy, rule of law and human rights programs.”
The deadline to submit project proposals via grants.gov is 4 May 2010. For more information, visit this link.
