Deadline: 8 March 2021

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2MBW0rl

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organisations interested in submitting applications for projects that support Religious Freedom in Africa, including North Africa.

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Through this project, DRL’s objective is to enable members of religious communities, faith based organisations, and NGOs to engage local and national governments and international organisations on strategies to protect cultural heritage, including buildings and movable and immovable properties. This program cannot fund the repair or maintenance of specific religious properties or artefacts.

Outcomes

Outcomes of this program may include, but are not limited to:

• Awareness of the value and importance of mutual respect, and inclusion for all, irrespective of one’s religion or beliefs increases in local communities;
• Religious communities are better able to preserve and protect their religious and cultural heritage;
• Community actors take successful action to promote and protect religious freedom and cultural heritage sites;
• Advocacy on protecting and preserving religious and cultural heritage effectively reaches public and government stakeholders;
• Advocates are able to monitor implementation of the existing legal framework on protecting and preserving religious and cultural heritage.

Ideas for successful program activities could focus on one or more of the following, but are not limited to:

1. build capacity among members of religious and ethnic communities so that they can map and utilise financial, organisational, governmental, and other resources as well as to engage international entities on a shared goal to preserve and/or stabilise moveable and immovable cultural heritage;
2. provide training to members of religious and ethnic communities on documentation and outreach methods related to awareness of important heritage sites;
3. engage policy makers at local and national levels, as well as in international organisations, to enlist their support for protecting cultural sites and artefacts important to religious and ethnic communities;
4. build relationships between government and community members to improve the protection and preservation of religious and cultural heritage;
5. foster interfaith cooperation and communal dialogue around the importance of protecting shared cultural heritage that is important to religious and ethnic communities.

Funding Information

• Funding Floor: $740,740
• Funding Ceiling: $740,740
• Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
• Type of Award: Grant
• Period of Performance: 12-24 months
• Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 6-8 months

Eligible Applicants

• DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organisations/nongovernment organisations (NGO) and public international organisations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organisations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organisations under its assistance awards. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organisations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.