Department of State

Public Notice

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Proposals: South-South Cooperation for the Protection of Migrant Workers.

SUMMARY

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Proposals from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that facilitate south-south cooperation for the protection of migrant workers in East Asia Pacific or South Central Asia.

PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly urges applicants to access www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov immediately in order to obtain a username and password to submit your application. For more information, please see DRL’s Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), updated in November 2012, available at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

REQUESTED PROPOSAL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

DRL invites organizations to submit proposals outlining program concepts and capacity to manage projects targeting the following issues:

South-South Cooperation to Protect Asian Migrant Workers (Approximately $200,000): Civil society organizations in developing countries have expertise and access that is often not present in U.S. or international NGOs. They are often well situated to act as mentors to organizations in other developing countries, comparing strategic responses that address similar challenges and opportunities. DRL requests proposals for an innovative program to promote the labor rights of workers in major transnational labor migration corridors, namely for workers migrating from South Asia and/or East Asia and Pacific regions to destination countries with significant populations of foreign workers. The proposal should have a particular emphasis on promoting freedom of association, through advocacy efforts and technical assistance, and should focus the scope of activities on 1) South-South cooperation around a particular sector or country and 2) building or expanding upon South-South capacity for knowledge-sharing among labor and civil society organizations in origin and destination countries. Additionally, applications should focus on building the capacity of migrant workers to organize and advocate for their labor rights within the legal systems of receiving countries, and should not focus solely on protection mechanisms. Competitive applications will demonstrate a sound plan for gaining buy-in and engaging with local labor and civil society organizations and government stakeholders in both countries, and a proven ability to facilitate and sustain substantive South-South networking. Applicants currently engaged in South-South cooperation programs that focus on labor migration should explain how additional funding will complement or expand ongoing activities. International NGOs or regional networks may also apply, but must demonstrate partnerships with at least two local south-south partners. DRL will not select proposals centered on one-time conferences, academic research, or a series of meetings. Pending availability of funding and evaluation of programmatic progress, DRL may expand and extend this project to include additional activities in a later phase.

DEADLINE AND TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY

Please refer directly to DRL’s posted Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), updated in November 2012, available at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm.

Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted at any time. Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in this document and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI).

Should an application be selected, the applicant should be prepared to start project activities no later than August 2014. Project duration is to be determined by the applicant. Only one application will be selected for funding.

To ensure all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the DRL Review Committee will review the first page of the requested section up to the page limit and no further. DRL encourages organizations to use the given space effectively.

Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov by Wednesday, April 23, 2014 before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); 2) heed all instructions contained in the solicitation document and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission; and 3) do not violate any of the guidelines stated in the solicitation and this document.

It is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure that proposals have been received by www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov in their entirety. DRL bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Once the Request for Proposals deadline has passed, U.S. Department of State staff in Washington and overseas may not discuss competing proposals with applicants until the review process has been completed.

NOTE: In order to process final awards, approved applicants will need to register with www.grantsolutions.gov.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Bureau anticipates awarding grants in the third quarter of FY 2014 (according the USG fiscal year calendar). Programs that leverage resources from funds internal to the organization or other sources, such as public-private partnerships, will be highly considered. Projects that have a strong academic, research, conference, or dialogue focus will not be deemed competitive. DRL strongly discourages health, technology, or science- related projects unless they have an explicit component related to the requested program objectives listed above. Projects that focus on commercial law or economic development will be rated as non-competitive. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged, and cost sharing contributions should be outlined in the proposal budget and budget narrative.

DRL will not consider proposals that reflect any type of support, for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization, whether or not elected members of government.

The information in this solicitation is binding and may not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information provided by the Bureau that contradicts this language will not be binding. Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program evaluation requirements.

This request for proposals will appear on www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov and DRL’s website, www.state.gov/j/drl.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Should you have any questions regarding the solicitation, please feel free to contact Marissa Brescia at BresciaMA@state.gov, or DRLProgramInfo@state.gov. Once the deadline has passed, State Department officials and staff—both in the Bureau and at embassies overseas—may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.