Call for Statements of Interest for Iran

The summary for the Call for Statements of Interest for Iran 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.

Call for Statements of Interest for Iran: SUMMARY The Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces a call for Statements of Interest (SOIs) from educational institutions, humanitarian groups, and nongovernmental organizations to support the advancement of democracy and human rights inside Iran. Due to current sanctions on Iran, United States Government funds may not be used for activities involving the Government of Iran. This is an initial solicitation to ascertain organizations that may be interested in implementing projects in Iran and does not constitute a Request for Proposals. Organizations that are invited by DRL to submit a proposal will have an opportunity to expand on their SOIs at a later date. STATEMENTS OF INTEREST (SOI) The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) invites organizations to submit statements of interest outlining program concepts and capacity to manage projects that will address the following priorities: . Political Party Development: Projects that provide institutional capacity building. Projects should assist in developing competitive and representational political movements, help political movements participate effectively in elections and govern responsibly. Programs that establish structures of political parties to enable more representative internal democratic practices. Projects that work with political movements in their role as the opposition. . Labor: Projects should support basic human and labor rights by assisting workers in their efforts to gain a voice in the political system. Such programs should help unions participation in the reform process and assist members in the promotion of transparency and political reform. . Civil Society: Projects should support NGO development, networking, advocacy as it pertains to democracy, political empowerment and increasing overall citizen participation in the political process. Promote capacity building and/or networks of women or womens organizations. Working with students/supporting student movements. . Human Rights and the Rule of Law: Projects that promote respect for human rights, including tolerance and the fight against discrimination in all its forms, advocacy training, monitoring and reporting on law enforcement abuses and combating law enforcement abuses. Projects that promote respect for womens rights and those of other disadvantaged groups. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Statements of Interest must be submitted as two-page Word documents, single-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 point font with a minimum of 1-inch margins. Submissions must conform to the following format requirements and include the information below: Page 1 1) Project title, brief description of the organization, including mission, previous work in Iran or the Middle East region. 2) Project description, including objectives and activities, and duration of project Page 2 3) Project outcomes and outputs, deliverables, and short-term and long-term goals 4) Evaluation procedures 5) An estimated budget, including program and administrative costs, percentage of indirect cost rate to be charged to the grant, and cost-share contributions 6) Previous grant management experience, including grants funded with private and/or United States Government funding An organization may submit no more than two SOIs. Proposals that do not meet the requirements above may not be considered. Organizations must also fill out and submit SF-424 and SF-424B forms as directed on www.grants.gov. Please fill in the highlighted yellow fields and use the following guideline for the SF-424: 1. Type of Submission: Application 2. Type of Application: New 5b. Federal Award Identifier: Please enter zeros or leave blank. 17. Please enter zeros 18. Please enter the estimated amount from the SOI under "Federal" and any cost-share under "Applicant." Otherwise, use zeros. 19. Please enter "c" ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The 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 fall 2006. The bulk of project activities must take place in-country and last between 1 and 3 years. U.S. - based activities, study tours, scholarships or exchange projects are strongly discouraged. Projects that have a strong academic or research focus will not be highly considered. DRL strongly discourages health, technology, or scientific projects unless they have an explicit democracy, human rights, or rule of law component. Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds. The Bureau anticipates making awards in amounts of $250,000 - $1,000,000 to support program and administrative costs required to implement these programs. While this Call does not solicit proposals targeting concerns in other countries outside Iran, DRL will consider proposals that include other countries when 1) for security or other reasons it is necessary to invite Iranians to neighboring countries, or 2) exposure of Iranians to individuals or groups in other countries is of direct benefit to Iranians. In this later regard, while DRL prefers new program ideas, the Bureau would consider ideas to expand current successful human rights and democracy programs to include Iranians. REVIEW PROCESS Following a review of all submissions, organizations may be invited to submit full proposals. Invitations will be based on a subjective evaluation of how the project meets the criteria outlined, U.S. foreign policy objectives, and the priority needs of DRL. 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 Iran, 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. 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 encouraged. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Taking advantage of limited special authority granted by Congress to advance democracy and human rights inside Iran, DRL/PHD awarded Iran grant in 2004 and 2005, and the Bureau presently has authority to provide additional support. Among other applicable legal restrictions, under the Iranian Transactions Regulations - 31 C.F.R. Part 560, organizations working inside Iran must seek a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) before exporting or re-exporting most goods or technology to Iran. While we encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with current restrictions pertaining to Iran (many of which are available at http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sanctions/t11iran.pdf), applicants that plan to conduct activities or transport materials subject to sanctions under U.S. law are not/not required to have OFAC or other licenses at the time of proposal submission. DRL will work with those applicants whose proposals are funded to ensure that any required licenses are obtained. This call for Statements of Interest will appear on www.grants.gov and DRLs website, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/ in the "Calls for Statements of Interest" section. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Please contact the Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, DRL/PHD, Sarah Ozkan, 202-647-1424, [email protected]. Once the Call for Statements of Interest deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the SOI review process has been completed.