Human Rights and Democracy Initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The summary for the Human Rights and Democracy Initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Human Rights and Democracy Initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Request for Proposals:Human Rights and Democracy Initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly urges applicants to access immediately www.grants.gov in order to obtain a username and password. It may take up to two full weeks to register with grants.gov. Please see the section entitled, "DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS" below for specific instructions. Proposals must be sent to grants.gov. No exceptions will be made for organizations that do not submit proposals via grants.gov. SUMMARYThe Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor announces an open competition for assistance awards. DRL requests proposals from non-profit organizations interested in a grant award from the U.S. Department of States FY 06/07 Democracy Fund/Supplemental for programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Creative approaches are needed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure that citizens reap the benefits from the country's recent historic electoral advances. Having an elected government (including elected local governments) is a new reality for the country, and there is a need to provide citizens greater information and to foster substantive citizen interaction with local government, particularly so citizens can make their interests known (effective mechanisms might include public hearings, town hall meetings, call-in radio programs, and public policy debates with university officials, private sector representatives, NGOs, etc). Each proposal should outline program concepts and capacity to manage projects that address one of the following specific initiatives. Creative and innovative proposals are encouraged, and DRL strongly recommends that interested organizations to contact the Bureau (see contact information below) before submitting proposals. DRL has identified the following issues as priorities for projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: . increase civic participation through greater access to information on public policy (such as on decentralization, asset declarations by public officials, new legislation, etc), new governance structures, human rights, and negotiation and advocacy tools; . facilitate anti-corruption reforms to combat impunity at the community level; . and link citizens to provincial and national elected authorities to facilitate access and dialogue. ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONThe Bureau supports innovative programs that uphold democratic principles, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, and build civil society in countries and regions of the world that are geo-strategically important to the U.S. The Bureau funds projects that have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms. Projects should have potential for continued funding beyond Bureau resources. Projects must not duplicate or simply add to efforts by other entities.DRL anticipates awarding grants by summer 2007. The bulk of project activities may last between 1 and 3 years. U.S.-based activities, study tours, scholarships, exchanges, or projects with a research focus are strongly discouraged. However, proposals that include a component of limited training in the U.S. may be considered only if detailed justification is provided. The Bureau anticipates making approximately 3-5 awards of between $500,000 and $1,000,000 for a total of $2.5 million to support program and administrative costs required to implement programs.Proposals should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages in length using 12 point Times New Roman font in Microsoft Word with at least one-inch margins. Budgets should be provided separately on Excel or compatible spreadsheets. A narrative budget must accompany the Excel spreadsheet. The inclusion of a monthly timeline of project activities is strongly encouraged. Organizations may only submit one proposal in response to this solicitation. APPLICANT/ORGANIZATION CRITERIAOrganizations submitting proposals should meet the following criteria:* Be a U.S. non-profit organization meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c) (3). Universities may apply.* Have demonstrated experience administering successful projects, preferably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and/or Africa or similarly challenging program environments. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.* Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with in-country organization(s).* Organizations may form consortia and submit a joint proposal. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant. * Applicants may include subcontracts to institutions in order to provide technical expertise as a component of their proposal.REVIEW PROCESSA State Department Review Committee will evaluate proposals submitted under this request. Review criteria will include: 1. Quality of program idea - proposals should be responsive to the solicitation and exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the Bureaus mission.2. Program planning/ability to achieve objectives - work plan should demonstrate substantive activities and the organizations capacity and planning to undertake them. Objectives should be ambitious yet measurable and achievable.3. Impact/multiplier effect - proposed program should address long-term institution building with an emphasis on moving towards sustainability, directly impact the situation in the target country, and define and reach numerous audiences.4. Program evaluation plan - proposals should demonstrate the capacity for engaging in impact assessments and providing measurable outputs, outcomes, and short and long-term goals. Inclusion of an independent evaluator to assess program progress is strongly encouraged.5. Institutions record and capacity - proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful program management. The Bureau will consider past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.6. Cost-effectiveness - the overhead and administrative components of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as low as possible. Cost-sharing is highly encouraged.DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONSApplicants must submit proposals using www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 10, 2007. DRL will not accept proposals submitted via email, fax, the U.S. postal system, Fedex, UPS and similar delivery companies, or courier. Please note: In order to safeguard the security of applicants electronic information, www.grants.gov utilizes a credential provider. It is the process of determining, with certainty, that someone really is who they claim to be. The credential provider for www.grants.gov is Operational Research Consultants (ORC). Applicants MUST register with ORC to receive a username and password which you will need to register with www.grants.gov as an authorized organization representative (AOR). Once your organization's E-Business point of contact has assigned these rights, you will be authorized to submit grant applications through Grants.gov on behalf of your organization. Each organization will need to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and you will need to have your organization's DUNS number available to complete this process. After your organization registers with the CCR, you must wait 3 business days before you can obtain a username and password. PLEASE be advised that completing all the necessary steps for obtaining a username and password from www.grants.gov can take up to 2 full weeks. DRL strongly urges applicants to begin this process on www.grants.gov well in advance of the submission deadline. No exceptions will be made for organizations that have not completed the necessary steps to post applications on www.grants.gov. Please access www.grants.gov for the all necessary information.TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITYTechnically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via www.grants.gov by the designated due date before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and 2) have heeded all instructions contained in the solicitation document and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission. If there is a discrepancy between the PSI and this announcement, please note that this document takes precedence. DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS All proposals must be received at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 10, 2007. Please refer to the PSI for specific delivery instructions. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACTThe Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). Please specify Stuart Crampton (202-261-8106) or Pamela Erickson (202-261-8020) on all inquiries and correspondence. Please read the complete announcement and PSI before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, State Department officials- both in the Bureau and at embassies overseas- may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.