Deadline: 9 June 2019

Checchi and Company Consulting, Inc. (Checchi) is currently seeking applications from eligible organizations for its Assistance for the Development of Afghan Legal Access and Transparency (ADALAT) Legal Outreach and Awareness GrantsProgram to catalyze innovative solutions to address deficits of public legal advocacy and challenges to effective and equitable justice in Afghanistan.

Through this RFA, Checchi/ ADALAT Grants Program is awarding grants to civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and mediahouses that support projects and/or initiatives on legal outreach and awareness strategies/campaigns, including those that resonate with target audiences such as those with disabilities, youth, Internally displaced persons or  people who may feel disenfranchised  on the most critical issues currently limiting both women’s and men’s legal rights and protection based on the existing Afghan law and Islamic Sharia. In order to achieve increased citizen demand for justice, the ADALAT Fund will support organizations that propose creative and innovative approaches aimed at educating less literate population and the public in general on their basic rights to quality legal services through outreach and awareness campaigns to promote better policy and practice around social justice and gender equity. Checchi/ADALAT will support ideas of legal literacy and awareness raising on the utilization of existing Afghan government laws and procedures as well as Islamic principles on the legal rights of Afghan citizens as well as support ideas of building a cadre of social activists and civil society organizations to effectively advocate for Afghan citizens’ rights in remote areas.

All ADALAT grant activities should support the principle of the GoIRA legal framework around improving and enhancing the legal rights of marginalized citizens, which posits that the citizen must be engaged in order to realize sustainable change in legal behavior.

Types of Activities

ADALAT is seeking organizations to apply innovative approaches for the following types of activities:

• Raising awareness of legal rights in Afghan communities where educational and economic opportunity has recently or historically been limited;
• Advocacy campaigns that mobilize citizens and encourage influential authorities to promote social justice and gender equality through better policy and practice; and
• Collaboration with justice institutions to encourage accountability and improve the performance and public perception of courts and Huquq. The collaboration should involve research and public engagement. It may, for example, include the collection of data on cases related to divorce, separation, forced marriages, early age marriages, marriage age, right of choosing spouse, right of getting information after accusation, suspects due processes, custody or property rights that will contribute to knowledge about how women are treated in the judicial system and how women’s justice needs and interests may be better understood – and met.
• Organizing multi-stakeholders’ local public events on the Afghan citizens’ legal rights as well as their roles and responsibilities in raising the awareness of their other local communities on their legal rights.
• Design programs/awareness campaigns to bring attention to justice sector reforms and rule of law principles (e.g., the work of journalists investigating or monitoring human rights cases, tracking the enforcement of newly-enacted laws, changes to statutes and regulatory policies on matters related to legal rights).

ADALAT will fund a program for up to twelve months to implement innovative interventions and to evaluate promising technologies and processes, using an evidence-based approach. Potential grantees should consider credible sources of evidence in order to identify areas for high impact programming, such as data collected by the recent World Justice Project (WJP) and The Asia Foundation (TAF) studies of Afghans’ perceptions of justice sector fairness and effectiveness. The proposed intervention should demonstrate the potential to have a measurable impact on citizen engagement and access to effective justice services. Grant funds will support development of the selected innovations to a point where they are better positioned for additional investment or integration into existing programs and/or systems.

Funding Information

• It is anticipated that each grant award may range from between USD 80,000 – USD 150,000, the final amount will be dependent upon grant activities and final negotiation and may be lower or higher than that range.
• The anticipated period of performance anticipated is 12 months from date of award. The anticipated start date for this program is on or about August 15, 2019.

Eligible Applicants

• Applications should be from qualified Afghan non-governmental organizations, such as private, non-profit organizations (or for-profit companies willing to forego profits), including private voluntary organizations, civil society organizations, universities, research organizations, media houses, professional associations, and relevant special interest associations.
• In addition:
  • Applicants may only submit one application per prime organization under this RFA.
  • Proposal must include expected outcomes and results consistent with and linked to ADALAT’s objectives including an approach to gender integration before and during implementation.
  • Must be registered as a legal entity in Afghanistan with one of the key ministries such as MoEC, MoJ, and MoWA.
  • Must receive vetting eligibility from the USAID Kabul Vetting Support Unit for the period of the grant agreement.
  • Must agree to follow USAID Multi-Tier-Monitoring requirements for remote activity verification including possible use of third party monitors.
  • Applicants must operate a separate bank account for this grant under the name of the organization with all staff salaries being paid directly to their respective bank accounts.
  • Must have a DUNS number and be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM).
  • Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. ADALAT will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit http://www.acbar.org/rfq/8954.jsp