Cuba Grants (US $4 million) Up for Grabs

Cuba Grants (US $4 million) Up for Grabs
June 15, 2013

HAVANA TIMES – The United States State Department is seeking proposals
for $4.35 million in projects aimed at boosting independent journalism,
labor rights, Internet activism, racial equality and research on
advocacy and social change, reports Alongthemalecon.com.

Grant applications for the projects – known as funding opportunity
DRLA-DRLAQM-13-047 – are due July 15.
The State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor says
prefers applicants who speak fluent Spanish and have prior Cuba
experience. It says Americans taking part in the projects should limit
their travel to the island whenever possible. The U.S. government began
adding such language to requests for proposals after Cuban authorities
arrested American development worker Alan Gross in 2009. See below for
additional details on the June 11 announcement:


US Interests Section in Havana. Photo: Alongthemalecon.com
Department of State
Public Notice
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Request for Proposals:
Democracy and Human Rights in Cuba.

SUMMARY
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a
Request for Proposals for projects that promote democracy and human
rights in Cuba.

PLEASE NOTE: DRL strongly urges applicants to access
www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov as soon as possible 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 targeting the following
issues in Cuba:

Independent Journalism (subject to the availability of funding,
approximately $1,500,000):
DRL seeks proposals to improve the professional capacity of independent
journalists in Cuba as well as their domestic and international
exposure. The program should also mitigate the effects of the
psychological concerns and security needs of Cuban independent
journalists operating in a hostile environment as a result of government
oppression. If appropriate and feasible, the project may facilitate
external travel by Cubans and/or include a small grants component.

Illustrative project activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Conducting in-depth, continuous capacity building on issues related to
fact-based reporting, journalistic standards, ethics, and best
practices, and investigative journalism techniques appropriate to the
Cuban context;
• Providing material and financial assistance, and professional
guidance, to independent journalists;
• Assisting efforts of independent journalists in Cuba to attain
international accreditation and exposure.
• Implementing practical workshops designed to enable journalists to:

employ best practices regarding threat assessment, digital security,
physical security, and risk response;
utilize safety and stress awareness techniques;
employ best practices for content distribution.
Labor Rights (subject to the availability of funding, approximately
$750,000):
DRL seeks proposals to assist Cuban citizens in promoting understanding
of, respect for, and compliance with, international labor standards,
especially in the context of economic sectors such as tourism and
others. The project should help Cubans in Cuba to bring attention, both
nationally and internationally, to the violation of labor standards on
the island through targeted training, analysis, outreach, and activism.
If appropriate and feasible, the project may facilitate external travel
by Cubans and/or include a small grants component.

Illustrative project activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Production and dissemination of fact-based, analytical reports by
Cubans in Cuba regarding labor issues affecting Cuban citizens. All
analysis should include Cuban-generated proposals for change.
Dissemination of reports should primarily target Cuba.
• Implementation of grassroots community outreach activities in Cuba to
increase the Cuban public's understanding of labor standards and labor
rights in the workplace.
• Assist Cuban workers and labor activists in Cuba to expand domestic
and international advocacy regarding labor conditions on the island
internationally.

Digital Tools for Safe and Effective Civil Society Initiatives (subject
to the availability of funding, approximately $850,000):
DRL seeks proposals to increase the capacity of Cuban civil society to
effectively employ digital tools and resources for information
dissemination and event coordination. The project should provide Cuban
activists with ongoing capacity building and assistance to increase
their level of technological proficiency and their ability to utilize
new and existing technologies in a secure manner. If appropriate and
feasible, the project may facilitate external travel by Cubans and/or
include a small grants component.

Illustrative project activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Providing tools and resources to Cuban civil society that assist them
in implementing grassroots initiatives securely;
• Targeted capacity building for Cuban civil society on the integration
of new hardware and software into their activities. Capacity building
should be ongoing and geared towards ensuring long-term improvement in
technological understanding.

Afro-Cuban Equality and Advocacy (subject to the availability of
funding, approximately $500,000):
DRL seeks proposals to raise awareness in Cuba of issues affecting
Afro-Cubans and assist in the development of independent Afro-Cuban
networks in Cuba. The project should support independent Afro-Cuban
groups in advocating for equal treatment and access to services and
opportunities, by facilitating outreach and advocacy efforts. If
appropriate and feasible, the project may facilitate external travel by
Cubans and/or include a small grants component. Geographically, the
program could engage groups throughout the island, but should retain a
focus on eastern provinces.

Illustrative project activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Capacity building for independent Afro-Cuban organizations on issues
including, but not limited to, effective leadership, organizational
vision and goals, and communications and outreach;
• Organization of events that draw attention to discrimination by
generating discussion and assisting advocacy efforts among independent
Afro-Cuban groups pressing for equality;
• Production and dissemination of Cuban-generated analyses reporting on
issues facing the Afro-Cuban community. Dissemination of reports should
primarily target Cuba.

Social Analysis and Advocacy (subject to the availability of funding,
approximately $750,000):
DRL seeks proposals to support the capacity of nascent, independent
Cuban think tanks to produce and disseminate analyses of issues
concerning Cubans on the island. The project should support efforts by
those think tanks and their partners to engage a wide swath of Cuban
society in driving community discussion and prompting advocacy-related
activities. Analysis produced under the project should be objective,
data-driven, and include proposals for Cuban-led alternatives for
change. If appropriate and feasible, the project may facilitate external
travel by Cubans and/or include a small grants component.

Illustrative project activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Production of Cuban-led research and analysis that considers societal
issues that affect the general population, such as the Cuban
educational, medical, housing, and prison systems, among others;
• Increasing spaces for discussion that engage a wide swath of Cuban
society and present them with objective analysis and Cuban-led proposals
for change;
• Dissemination in Cuba of information via print, SMS, in-person
discussions, or other means that illustrates the findings of Cuban-led
analytical reports and suggested changes;
• Capacity building for independent nascent think thanks on issues
including, but not limited to, effective leadership, organizational
vision and goals, and communications and outreach.

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).

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.

An organization may submit no more than two [2] proposals.

Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive
electronically via www.grantsolutions.gov or www.grants.gov by Monday,
July 15, 2013 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
Programs that leverage resources from funds internal to the organization
or other sources, such as public-private partnerships, will be highly
considered. DRL strongly discourages health, technology, or science-
related projects unless they have an explicit component related to the
requested program objectives listed above. Cost sharing is strongly
encouraged but not required for the purposes of this solicitation. Cost
sharing contributions should be detailed appropriately in the proposal
budget and budget narrative.

Proposals that include the production of content should prioritize Cuban
authorship and generation of that content.

Pursuant to governing regulations, DRL requires prior approval of all
foreign travel and/or subawards undertaken. For the purposes of this
solicitation, "foreign travel" includes any travel outside Canada,
Mexico, the United States, and any United States territory or
possession. However, the term "foreign travel" for non-profit
organization located in a foreign country means travel outside that
country. For travel to Cuba, DRL encourages applicants to list the
region of origin. For travel from Cuba, DRL encourages applicants to
list the region of destination. For travel not including Cuba, DRL
strongly encourages applicants to specify country of origin and
destination. DRL also strongly encourages applicants to provide specific
travel costs associated with foreign travel. Travel costs are defined as
expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence, and any other costs
budged for the implementation of travel.

As detailed in DRL's November 2012 Proposal Submission Instructions, DRL
strongly encourages applicants to provide a detailed account of any
proposed subawards within an application. "Subaward" means an award of
financial assistance in the form of money, or property in lieu of money,
made under an award by a recipient to an eligible subrecipient or by a
subrecipient to a lower tier subrecipient. The term includes financial
assistance when provided by any legal agreement, even if the agreement
is called a contract, but does not include: 1) procurement of goods; 2)
technical assistance, which provides services instead of money; 3) other
assistance in the form of loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, or
insurance; 4) direct payments of any kind to individuals; and 5)
contracts which are required to be entered into and administered under
procurement laws and regulations. Applicants are encouraged to provide
the following information in relation to subawards:

• For subawards to organizations:

The name of the sub-awardee, and (a) in the case of a for-profit
commercial organization, the place of incorporation; or (b) in the case
of a partnership, the place where legally organized; or (c) in the case
of a non-profit organization, the place where legally organized.
The program description, statement of work, or terms of reference,
period of performance, and country of performance.
The total estimated cost, including a detailed line-item budget and
budget narrative that also includes proposed cost share, if applicable,
and a copy of any current indirect cost rate agreement between the U.S.
Government and the sub-awardee.
• For subawards to individuals:

The program description, statement of work, or terms of reference,
period of performance, and country of performance.
The total estimated cost, including a breakdown of any expenses (such as
travel, proposed daily rate, salary, stipend, or honorarium (whichever
applies), etc.) and proposed cost share. The recipient must also provide
a description of the experience level and professional background if any
fee is to be received by the subawardee or if any fee is provided as
cost share under the agreement.
Although the recipient is not required to provide the name of the
individual, it must ensure that all appropriate vetting is conducted to
ensure that subawards are not entered into with those who are debarred,
suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in
Federal assistance programs or activities.
• For all subawards, applicants are encouraged to provide information
related to foreign travel, purchase of equipment, and further subawards
or subcontracts, including subcontracts with program consultants.

Successful applicants are required to obtain and maintain the applicable
Department of Commerce and/or Department of Treasury Office of Foreign
Assets Control (OFAC) licenses. More information on these licenses can
be found at:

U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control
U.S. Department of Commerce
Special thought and consideration should be given to the selection of
consultants and other personnel who may be required to travel to the
island. To the extent possible, travel by American citizens should be
limited. It is preferable for these personnel to speak Spanish fluently,
possess solid understanding of the Cuban cultural context, and have
prior experience on the island, in order to maximize their effectiveness
in this unique operating environment.

DRL will not consider proposals that reflect any type of support for any
member, affiliate, or representative of the Cuban government. DRL will
also 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 that contradicts
this language in this solicitation 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 Alex Covington at CovingtonAP@state.gov and Kathleen
Duffy at DuffyKK@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.

Source: "Cuba Grants (US $4 million) Up for Grabs - Cuba's Havana
Times.org" - http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=94723