The Political and Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Chad is pleased to solicit project proposals under the Department of State’s Africa Regional Democracy Fund (ARDF) grants program, which provides limited foreign assistance resources to support programming that strengthens democratic institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Purpose

ARDF grants support projects that address one or more of the following objectives:

• Promote Accountable, Transparent, and Responsive Governance
  • Support local civil society entities, including think tanks, academic research, watchdog groups, media associations, journalists, and other civil society actors to advocate for legislative transparency, accountability, and oversight at all levels of government.
  • Provide specialized, technical assistance to support democratic governance, with a particular focus on legislative functions.
• Promote Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
  • Support protection from, mitigation of, and responses to human rights violations and abuses, in particular human rights violations affecting the most vulnerable, by strengthening human rights frameworks, institutions, and oversight.
  • Support local and international human rights organizations and institutions to promote human rights systems, policies, and protection, with a focus on women and youth
  • Strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations, and resident, vendor, or other associations, through civic education and citizen participation to advocate for human rights and democratic norms that advance public involvement in civic life.
• Support Democratic Processes and Promotion of Strong Democratic Norms
  • Support local civil society to hold government accountable for free and fair, credible electoral and political processes.
  • Support throughout the electoral cycle, not only the voting process, at the national or subnational level.  Support could include providing assistance to help increase the percentage of women holding elected and appointed national, regional, and local offices; support for legislation that ensures fair processes; independent journalism on electoral issues; and issue-based political party development with civil society input.
  • Support to political processes, such as peace processes and negotiations, which seek long-term democratization and respect for human rights and accountability, with a particular focus on empowering women, youth, and marginalized and vulnerable populations.

Funding Information

• Funding Instrument Type:  Grant
• Floor of Award Amounts:  $100,000
• Ceiling of Award Amounts:  $400,000
• Project and Budget Periods:  Local grants projects must be completed in one year or less.  

Eligibility Criteria

Applications are encouraged from all sectors:  committed and organized civil-society organizations, local representatives of civil society, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions.  Applicants are encouraged to provide cost sharing from additional sources in support of proposed projects; applications should explain clearly other likely sources of funding or in-kind participation.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Chad.