Mexico Federal Public Defender Program

The summary for the Mexico Federal Public Defender Program 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 International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affair, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Mexico Federal Public Defender Program: The U.S. Government, via the Merida Initiative, is providing support for law enforcement training and development as well as a range of assistance and capacity building for prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys in Mexico. In an effort to complement existing USG and international donor efforts to develop the criminal justice sector in Mexico, the Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) invites U.S.-based NGOs, universities, and commercial entities to submit proposals for a program to be conducted in Mexico to focus on the federal public defender system administered by the Instituto Federal de Defensoria Publica (IFDP). The project will focus its efforts on supporting the IFDP and its attorneys in making the transition to an accusatory system. This program will complement ongoing INL programs implemented by the Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) and Overseas Prosecutorial, Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and programs being implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the criminal justice systems in Mexican states. The goal of this project is to assist the IFDP make the administrative changes necessary for its altered responsibilities under an accusatory system, and to assist the IFDPs attorneys become effective in their roles in the reformed system. INLs support for IFDP and its responsibilities as an integral aspect of an accusatory criminal justice system will bolster accountability and public confidence in Mexico's federal criminal justice institutions. This program is intended as a three-year project with a funding ceiling of up to $6,000,000 (six million dollars) during the three-year period, pending funding availability. Up to $2,000,000 will be available for the first year, with the possibility of funding at similar levels on an annual basis for two more years. There is the possibility of continued funding beyond three years based upon performance and availability of funds. For technical, programmatic, and/or administrative questions, please contact Mary Pat Hayes-Crow - INL/RM/MS at 202.776.8373 or [email protected]. Questions should be submitted no later than September 2, 2011 at 5pm. All questions received from applicants along with the responses will be posted on www.grants.gov as a separate attachment to the announcement.