The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) for programs that support the policy objective to promote human rights and accountability in the DPRK.

Projects should aim to have impact that leads to democratic reforms, and should have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.

To maximize the impact and sustainability of the award(s) that result(s) from this solicitation, DRL reserves the right to execute a non-competitive continuation amendment(s). Any noncompetitive continuation is contingent on performance and availability of funds. A noncompetitive continuation is not guaranteed; the Department of State reserves the right to exercise or not exercise the option to issue non-competitive continuation amendment(s.

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.
• 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.

Activities that are not typically considered competitive include, but are not limited to:

• The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance;
• Purely academic exchanges;
• Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary for security concerns;
• Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues;
• Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives.

Funding Information

• Funding Floor: $50,000
• Funding Ceiling: $3,000,000
• Anticipated Number of Awards: 2 – 15
• Type of Award: Grant, Cooperative Agreement, or Fixed Amount
• Award Period of Performance: 6 – 42 months
• Anticipated Time to Award (pending availability of funds): 6 – 10 months

Eligibility Information

Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:

• Be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or
• Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or
• Be a for-profit organization or business (noting there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30, “Cost Accounting Standards Administration”, and 48 CFR 31, “Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”); and
• Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs; and
• Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.