The United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs INL is seeking applications from qualified Serbian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Educational Institutions in Serbia, to implement a program entitled “Citizens Against Corruption.”

The Citizens Against Corruption project aims to foster links between justice and rule of law sector institutions and the communities they serve through support to local civil society and educational organizations, including efforts to raise awareness about human rights, anticorruption, gender-based violence, trafficking in persons, education and training in communities; and, efforts to advocate on legal and policy reform. The project also seeks to build the capacity of civil society organizations that operate throughout Serbia.

Objectives

• Strengthening the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, and human rights in Serbia
• Strengthening civil society capacity for effectively interacting with government
• Promote Government of Serbia accountability and transparency
• Community activism
• Strengthening Serbian citizens’ access to justice service
• Youth engagement
• Media and freedom of information

This grant competition is designed to support Serbia’s civil society organizations as they promote the rule of law, access to justice, the fight against corruption, and legal education through the following priority thematic areas:

• Improve the capacity of Serbian civil society to address gaps and inefficiencies in the justice and rule of law sector with a particular focus on corruption, civil society monitoring of the justice sector (both formal and informal), and public legal awareness.
• Promote rule of law and justice sector reform through dialogue between CSOs and judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and other relevant policymakers and stakeholders.
• Advocate for and/or address the needs of vulnerable victims of crime, including victims of gender-based, domestic violence, or trafficking in persons.
• Support public discussion and education focused on demanding more effective, transparent and accountable governance.
• Continue to educate the public on the mechanisms for formal policy change and how they can access them, specifically targeting younger generations of citizens.
• Projects and initiatives that combat corruption within the public sector.
• Provide oversight of public procurement practices to ensure full integrity, transparency, government accountability, and compliance with the latest Law on Public Procurement.

Funding Information

The anticipated total federal funding amount is not to exceed $100,000 per award. The period of performance is one (1) year with an anticipated start date of April 2021.

Eligibility Criteria

• Serbia-based non-governmental organizations and educational institutions, with the ability to develop and successfully implement a project in Serbia and meet INL’s reporting requirements. Organizations must be able to demonstrate current (or pending) country registration in Serbia. AND
• Applicants must have demonstrated experience implementing similar education or capacity building programs, preferably in Serbia. INL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering similar programs and/or federal grant awards.
• Applicants must have the ability to produce course materials, deliver training, and conduct evaluations in Serbian and English. The applicant’s staff should be proficient in English in order to fulfill reporting requirements.
• Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with stakeholders in order to successfully carry out the proposed program.
• Organizations are encouraged to form a consortium and submit a combined proposal. However, one organization must be designated as the lead applicant. Even if conducting programs separately, awardees are encouraged to collaborate and, where possible, seek synergies between efforts.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.