Deadline: 22 April 2019

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) has announced an open competition for organizationsinterested in submitting applications for projects that support USG and DRL objectives to support civil society institutions in promoting transparency and government accountability.

DRL’s goal is to build the capacity of broader civil society to address corruption and promote greater transparency within Kyrgyzstan.  The bureau seeks proposals that address the following objectives:

• increase the capacity of independent media to effectively investigate and report unbiased and objective stories in a complex political environment; and
• work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to coordinate on advocacy priorities shared among the NGOs resulting from the investigative journalism stories.

Proposed activities could include:

• workshops on investigative journalism and reporting techniques;
• focused training segments on open source data-based investigative journalism including data visualization, crosslinking information, and utilizing statistics;
• publishing stories through understandable and accessible multimedia formats to reach a wide variety of audiences; and
• working with relevant NGOs to push for national and/or local policy changes or advocate for legal action based on information uncovered in these stories.

Where appropriate, competitive proposals may include:

• Opportunities for beneficiaries to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical efforts.
• Solicitation of feedback and suggestions from beneficiaries when developing activities in order to strengthen the sustainability of programs and participant ownership of project outcomes.
• Input from participants on sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans throughout the life of the project with adjustments made as necessary.
• Inclusion of vulnerable populations in needs and/or rapid assessments in order to identify challenges, gaps, and opportunities among these groups.
• Joint identification and definition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and stakeholder input into project activities.
• Systematic follow up with beneficiaries at specific intervals (3 months, 6 months, etc.) after the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries are retaining new knowledge as well as applying their new skills.

Funding Information

• Award Ceiling: $592,590
• Award Floor: $450,000

Eligibility Criteria

• DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards.
• Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online via given website.

For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=313110