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he State Department Bureau of Near East Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) seeks single-country or regional project proposals for its Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) program in the North Africa/Maghreb region; proposals focusing on Tunisia are particularly encouraged. Proposals designed to support Libya cannot be considered at this time. The TSCTP is the U.S. Government's primary vehicle to support the long-term capacities of countries in West and North Africa to address the threat from violent extremist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh). TSCTP aims to take a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism by undertaking development, civil society and community-related activities to reduce radicalization and recruitment into violent extremism and as related to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). This solicitation is focused on TSCTP's countering violent extremism efforts. NEA/AC will consider proposals that promote the below countering violent extremism (CVE) objectives in the Maghreb: 1. Building community resilience and providing positive alternatives to communities, particularly youth, vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment by violent extremists to become FTFs and/or local fighters; 2. Strengthening partner government and civil society will and capacity to counter violent extremism including the radicalization and recruitment of FTF at local, sub-regional, and regional levels; 3. Countering violent extremist messaging and narratives, especially messaging targeting FTFs.

he State Department Bureau of Near East Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) seeks single-country or regional project proposals for its Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) program in the North Africa/Maghreb region; proposals focusing on Tunisia are particularly encouraged. Proposals designed to support Libya cannot be considered at this time. The TSCTP is the U.S. Government's primary vehicle to support the long-term capacities of countries in West and North Africa to address the threat from violent extremist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh). TSCTP aims to take a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism by undertaking development, civil society and community-related activities to reduce radicalization and recruitment into violent extremism and as related to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). This solicitation is focused on TSCTP's countering violent extremism efforts. NEA/AC will consider proposals that promote the below countering violent extremism (CVE) objectives in the Maghreb: 1. Building community resilience and providing positive alternatives to communities, particularly youth, vulnerable to radicalization and recruitment by violent extremists to become FTFs and/or local fighters; 2. Strengthening partner government and civil society will and capacity to counter violent extremism including the radicalization and recruitment of FTF at local, sub-regional, and regional levels; 3. Countering violent extremist messaging and narratives, especially messaging targeting FTFs.

DRL seeks to mitigate tensions between communities and address drivers of marginalization that exacerbate religious tensions and may contribute to conditions that could lead to violent extremism in Tanzania.

DRL seeks to mitigate tensions between communities and address drivers of marginalization that exacerbate religious tensions and may contribute to conditions that could lead to violent extremism in Tanzania.

The mission of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) is to help U.S. diplomats anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflicts that undermine U.S. interests or national security. CSO accomplishes this with sophisticated analysis and data visualization, strategic and operational planning capability, civilian operational surge capability, targeted programming, and diplomatic efforts to identify, understand, and address critical conflicts. CSO announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a program addressing violent extremism (VE) in the Philippines. The goal of the program is to reduce drivers of VE and increase community resilience in targeted areas where VEO recruitment and radicalization to violence has taken place. To achieve this goal, the program seeks to increase the capacity of a small set of targeted LGUs and local community NGOs to understand and mitigate factors contributing to violent extremist messaging and recruiting within specific vulnerable segments of local populations

The mission of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) is to help U.S. diplomats anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflicts that undermine U.S. interests or national security. CSO accomplishes this with sophisticated analysis and data visualization, strategic and operational planning capability, civilian operational surge capability, targeted programming, and diplomatic efforts to identify, understand, and address critical conflicts. CSO announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a program addressing violent extremism (VE) in the Philippines. The goal of the program is to reduce drivers of VE and increase community resilience in targeted areas where VEO recruitment and radicalization to violence has taken place. To achieve this goal, the program seeks to increase the capacity of a small set of targeted LGUs and local community NGOs to understand and mitigate factors contributing to violent extremist messaging and recruiting within specific vulnerable segments of local populations. These targeted LGUs and local community NGOs will be from Basilan, Maguindanao, and Zamboanga.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur announces an open competition for organizations to submit proposals to carry out a program in Malaysia to further research violent extremism in Southeast Asia and to create linkages between academic institutions in SE Asia and researchers in the United States.

The U.S. Department of State'€™s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity for organizations interested in implementing projects to strengthen the capacity of civilian criminal justice institutions and actors engaged in counterterrorism and countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts.

MOVO will be a five-year regional messaging and communication effort that leverages both traditional and new media to counter violent extremism and promote democracy, human rights and governance. MOVO will aim to form lasting partnerships to amplify moderate voices in communities as well as national and regional networks and institutions. MOVO will use a strategic information campaigns to tackle difficult, long-standing issues critical to VE vulnerability as well as to respond directly to events and hot topics. MOVO will integrate with other USG CVE and messaging efforts, such as State and USAID-funded programs, Public Affairs Sections and Military Information Support Teams (MIST) in the region. With regard to mediums of information exchange, MOVO will strengthen and expand existing PDev II radio networks and programming, continuing to invest in the medium most easily accessible to rural communities at-risk. However, MOVO will also produce targeted video content in targeted countries that is easily sharable and of most interest to target demographics. Mobile platforms that leverage feature phones have proved wildly popular and are useful in engaging rural audiences. Social media offers exciting new opportunities to connect with target audiences. However, poor internet penetration in target areas and among target demographics may limit the applicability of the medium. MOVO will expand its emphasis on social media in a measured, iterative manner that builds on effective, cost-efficient approaches. To the extent possible, all content will be cross-promoted across radio, video, mobile and social media to increase dissemination and build audiences across demographics and platforms.

The Second Chance Act (Pub. L. 110-199) seeks a comprehensive response to the increasing number of incarcerated adults and juveniles who are released from prison, jail, and juvenile residential facilities and return to their communities. There are currently over 2.2 million individuals serving time in our federal and state prisons, and millions of people cycling through local jails every year. Ninety-five percent of those incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to communities. The coordination of reentry services for members of Native American tribes is even more complex given that they can return from federal, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), state, local, and tribal facilities. The Second Chance Act Programs are designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges posed by reentry and recidivism reduction. Developing a reentry approach for reducing recidivism is extremely challenging for even the most sophisticated correctional agency, requiring access to data and service delivery and coordination from multiple systems, including housing, health, employment, education, etc. This solicitation will provide funding for 12-month strategic planning grants during which time state-level participants will convene and work to 1) identify the drivers of recidivism in the state, 2) identify a target population and recidivism reduction goals for the state, 3) review the alignment of existing corrections programs and practices with evidenced-based practices, and 4) develop a plan to meet recidivism reduction goals using evidenced-based practices. Upon the completion of the Statewide Recidivism Reduction Strategic Plan, states will be invited by BJA to submit applications for implementation grants of up to $1 million with the potential for two supplemental awards of $1 million each. The total possible available in implementation funding per state is $3 million. Future funding decisions fo

This project will provide professional and technical development for defense legal professionals that provide criminal legal aid services in Bangladesh and help develop the organizational capacity of government legal aid committees to improve access to justice for indigent Bangladeshis. The project will provide legal training for defense lawyers to enhance the quality of legal aid services and engage with government legal aid committees to develop strategic initiatives to improve public outreach capabilities, planning, administrative capacity, and coordination among government facilities and NGOs. The project will support efforts to counter violent extremism in Bangladesh through improving access to justice and formal mechanisms to air grievances.

There is an extreme shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists in the United States, as underscored in the 2009 report by the National Academies of Sciences on Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States. This program will address strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner system in two project areas: 1.) By increasing the number and quality of board-certified forensic pathologists who choose the forensic pathology sub-specialty, following the completion of an accredited pathology medical residency program. 2. Assisting ME and Coroner offices achieve accreditation through a recognized accreditation body (examples: NAME, IACME). This program furthers the OJP's goal to increase public safety and improve the fair administration of justice across America through innovative leadership and programs. Compliance with accreditation requirements will assist medical examiner and coroner offices to strengthen the quality of services and data reporting.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata (PAS Kolkata) seeks proposals for a project titled "Youth for Peace: Follow-on Programming." The project will bring together young leaders from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, to understand the complex variables that affect peace and violence in their communities, identify best practices of conflict resolution and see themselves as key catalysts in the peace building process. Proposals should be based on the framework of an inaugural two-day workshop with a follow on two-day workshop after a span of two-three months, and a final Youth for Peace Summit. The focus of the first workshop will be on understanding cultural contexts, the empowerment of young people to think creatively about community resilience and causes of extremism, and the promotion of grassroots campaigns to challenge violent narratives. The second workshop will help participants identify and focus on topics of individual interest which may include, but not be limited to, best practices in building "online and offline" community resilience, creating successful social media campaigns, smartphone photography, film-making and interview techniques, boosting media literacy, develop critical thinking skills, and challenging narratives with empathy and humor. The grantee is encouraged to recruit private sector collaborations, i.e. with Microsoft and Facebook, to support breakout discussions on improving youth employment prospects and using technology to counter radicalization. The project year will culminate in a South Asia Youth for Peace Summit in Kolkata to showcase how young leaders are utilizing their diverse skill sets, knowledge and networks to effectively address persistent problems of today. The grantee will also create 5 short videos using content from the workshops to amplify messaging.

The Soros Justice Fellowships fund outstanding individuals to undertake projects that advance reform, spur debate, and catalyze change on a range of issues facing the U.S. criminal justice system. The fellowships are part of a larger effort within the Open Society Foundations to reduce the destructive impact of current criminal justice policies on the lives of individuals, families, and communities in the United States by challenging the overreliance on incarceration and extreme punishment, and ensuring a fair and accountable system of justice.

The Soros Justice Fellowships Program's Media Fellowships support writers, print and broadcast journalists, bloggers, filmmakers, and other individuals with distinctive voices proposing to complete media projects that engage and inform, spur debate and conversation, and catalyze change on important U.S. criminal justice issues. The Media Fellowships aim to mitigate the time, space, and market constraints that often discourage individuals from pursuing vital but marginalized, controversial, or unpopular topics in comprehensive and creative ways. Media Fellowships are 12 months in duration, and fellows are expected to make their projects their full-time work during the term of the fellowship. Projects can begin in either the spring or fall of 2014.