CFAs: Building Stronger Governance through Civil Society Engagement (Belize)

Objectives

• Ideal projects will focus on one or more of the following objectives:
  • Objective 1: Strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) to actively promote reform and improve government service delivery, particularly to vulnerable, remote, and/or marginalized communities.
  • Objective 2: Improve the capacity of government institutions to promote transparency, e government and anticorruption measures.
  • Objective 3: Strengthen access to justice and uphold rule of law, particularly for marginalized communities.

Goals

• The Five Goals of CARSI in Central America:
  • Create safe streets for the citizens of the region;
  • Disrupt the movement of criminals and contraband to, within, and between the nations of Central America;
  • Support the development of strong, capable, and accountable Central American governments;
  • Re-establish effective state presence, services, and security in communities at risk; and 5. Foster enhanced levels of coordination and cooperation between the nations of the region, other international partners, and donors to combat regional security threats.

Funding Information

• Award Ceiling: $250,000
• Award Floor: $150,000

Expected Outcomes

• The applicant will develop a project-level Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) (see Tab B) with annual and end-of-project targets and results anticipated for key performance indicators. In addition, U.S. Embassy Belmopan will regularly monitor each project’s performance to assess whether project activities are on track and targets are being achieved.
• By the end of the project, applicants must demonstrate that the project has contributed to at least one of the following three focuses:
  • strengthened policies/procedures to improve government services;
  • making government stronger, more capable, and more accountable; and
  • enhanced engagement between government and civil society that will be sustained beyond the project timeframe.
• Project feasibility, potential impact, and performance will be assessed based on potential outcomes. Outcomes are changes that take place because of your organization’s work – the differences that will have been made by delivering your objectives and achieving your outputs. For example, an outcome could be increased rates of a vulnerable population successfully accessing government services, improved productivity of government workers in targeted agencies, or new policies/procedures instituted within your partner government agency.

Expected Results

• By the end of the project, grantees should demonstrate that the project has:
  • improved government services to provide public resources and publish data,
  • made government stronger, more capable, and accountable,
  • strengthened civil society organizations to promote accountability and improve their role in environmental governance, and/or
  • contributed to safer and more productive communities through improved government services.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants who are eligible to apply are U.S. Non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS or overseas-based NGOs, U.S. and overseas-based public and private institutions of higher education, and international public organizations (IPOs) that can respond to the NOFO and be able to mobilize in a short period of time. Local Belizean NGOs are highly encouraged to apply.
• Locally based projects involving community interaction with local civic and government leadership historically have had the best chances of success. Proposals that include the utilization of local resources and expertise are highly encouraged. Partnerships between civil society organizations also can increase the likelihood of sustainable impacts.
• To be eligible for a grant award, in addition to other conditions of this NOFO, organizations must have a commitment to non-discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. Non-discrimination includes equal treatment without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation.
• Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub-awards issued under this grant award.
• The Department of State will issue an award to the Applicant whose application represents the best value to the U.S. Government based on technical merit, efficient use of U.S. Government funds, and satisfactory organizational capacity. The Department of State reserves the right to make an award based on the initial application received with or without discussion or negotiations.
• U.S. Embassy Belmopan encourages applications from potential new partners.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.