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The U.S. government believes in encouraging the development and implementation of innovative programs to permit local governments in the prevention of Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence the community. INL Costa Rica emboldens local governments and local law enforcement agencies in reorienting the emphasis of their activities from reacting to Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence to preventing and providing quality services to Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence victims. To support INL and U.S. Government gender initiatives in Costa Rica, INL has allocated up to $250,000 USD for the a project to build capacity of Local Governments to prevent and provide services to Gender Based Violence and Domestic Violence victims, which can be awarded for up to 24 months.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The U.S. Embassy in Belmopan, Belize announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to strengthen democratic governance through capacity building for civil society organizations and civil servants through partnership in Belize with up to $1,261,666 USD in FY 2017 Economic Support Funds (ESF). The anticipated start date for successful proposals is September 28, 2018. U.S. Embassy Belmopan anticipates funding up to five awards between the amount of $200,000 and $400,000 USD for this NOFO. The Embassy seeks proposals that strengthen civil society's capacity and role in the governance process, and/or strengthen civil service capacity at all levels of government. Proposals should be oriented toward civil society organizations working with national and/or local government, particularly in vulnerable and/or marginalized communities. Proposals should detail how each planned activity will incorporate principles of accountability in all substantive areas, processes, and procedures. The overall goal of this NOFO is to support democracy and governance efforts in Belize. Funding awarded under this NOFO cannot be used for law enforcement or to train members of law enforcement

The Support for Adam Walsh Act (AWA) Implementation Grant Program assists jurisdictions with developing and/or enhancing programs designed to implement requirements of SORNA. In summary, SORNA requires: (1) all States, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and participating federally recognized Indian tribes to maintain a sex offender registry; and (2) sex offenders to register and maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, is an employee, or is a student. SORNA also sets forth requirements for sex offender registries, to include: specified required information, duration of registration, and in-person verification of sex offender identity as well as participation in the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), and the utilization of the SORNA Exchange Portal. For more specific information about compliance with SORNA and access to the National Guidelines and Supplemental Guidelines on Sex Offender Registration and Notification, please visit www.smart.gov/sorna_tools.htm#sornaguidelines. For information and resources on SORNA, visit www.smart.gov. Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables The SMART Office is interested in proposals that facilitate, enhance and maintain jurisdictional implementation of SORNA. For jurisdictions that have not yet substantially implemented SORNA, applicants must explain how the proposed project will bring the jurisdiction closer to implementation. Discussion of a jurisdiction's planned activities should include information regarding the jurisdiction's SORNA implementation working group. The working group plan should include a list of the working group members and their responsibility regarding SORNA implementation. It is expected that successful grantees will report on their jurisdiction's working group meetings in their quarterly progress reports. This requirement does not apply to jurisdictions that have already been found to be substantially implementing SORNA. For those ju

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.

Nigeria has sought to tackle corruption through traditional legal, law enforcement, and governance-focused interventions. The United States seeks to support the Government of Nigeria (GON) to institutionalize a culture of accountability at the federal, state, and local levels of government through support for prevention and enforcement activities. The purpose of this program is to develop strategic national, state, and local level anti-corruption programming to complement traditional anti-corruption efforts led by the GON and donors. The project will work at the national, state, and local level, in each geopolitical zone, and in coordination with relevant civil society stakeholders thereby creating networks of change and collective action throughout Nigeria. Particular attention should be paid to anti-corruption efforts related to security and justice sectors.

The goals of the Justice Sector Training, Research, and Coordination Plus (JusTRAC+) program are twofold: (1) to enhance the applied knowledge and skills of individuals and organizations that fund, design, manage, and implement rule of law programs, including U.S. Government personnel; and (2) to improve rule of law programming coordination among U.S. Government agencies, foreign governments, and multilateral, international and non-governmental organizations by supplementing educational activities with analytical products, stakeholder consultation, and dialogue facilitation support.

The purpose of the CBPT Project is to reduce social conflict and violence and increase social cohesion and peacebuilding in Guatemala's Western Highlands Region. The project will contribute to Government of Guatemala (GOG) and United States Government (USG) objectives of promoting development, reducing poverty, and reducing irregular migration as per the USG's Strategy for Engagement in Central America and the Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle. CBPT seeks to bring together diverse sectors and stakeholders within communities in the Western Highlands to identify and address the main drivers of social conflict at the familial, community, and municipal levels. The project will seek to address the drivers of social conflict by focusing on four of the general categories of recommendations proposed by USAID/Guatemala's 2015 conflict vulnerability assessment team-youth and families; governance; land; and extractive industries and natural resource exploitation.

This funding will support United States government objectives under the U.S. Strategy for Central America (Strategy), and are accomplished through the promotion of prosperity, enhancement of security, and improvement of governance. These objectives are also included under the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), which is a component of the Strategy. Within Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama), the United States works with partner nations to strengthen institutions to counter the effects of organized crime, uphold the rule of law, and protect human rights. Institution building is coupled with both prevention projects that dissuade at-risk youth from turning to crime and gangs and community policing projects that engage local communities on citizen security issues.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) advises the President, Secretary of State, other bureaus in the Department of State, and other departments and agencies within the U.S. Government on the development of policies and programs to strengthen the ability of criminal justice institutions to combat transnational organized crime. INL is operationalizing this policy goal in Guinea. Helping to build the architecture of democracy, INL's goal is for the Government of Guinea to provide citizen security in a manner that respects human rights and the rule of law. Supporting the Ministry of Justice's (MOJ) strategic reform agenda is a key component of our program.

This program seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and units of local government. Among other things, funds may be used to eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic evidence and to train and employ forensic laboratory personnel, as needed, to eliminate such a backlog. The Coverdell Act requires that 15 percent of program funds be awarded competitively. These competitive funds may be awarded to SAAs or dispersed directly to units of local government based on the merits of the respective applications. This solicitation will fund competitive awards only.

BJA seeks applications for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program. This program furthers the Departments mission by leading efforts to enhance the capacity of local and tribal communities to effectively target and address significant and violent crime issues through collaborative cross-sector approaches that are linked with broader neighborhood development goals. Eligible applicants are limited to states, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), units of local government, nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations), and federally recognized Indian tribal governments (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) as fiscal agent. The goal of BCJI is to reduce crime, increase trust, and improve community safety as part of a comprehensive strategy to advance neighborhood revitalization. Through a broad cross-sector partnership team, including neighborhood residents, BCJI grantees target neighborhoods with hot spots of violent and serious crime and employ data-driven, cross-sector strategies to accomplish this goal.

This award will support efforts in at least two of four target countries (select among: Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru) to identify priority substantive anti-corruption measures and assist in implementation of reform actions related to them. The substantive measures will be determined in reference to the international and regional standards to which these countries have agreed, and the recommendations of the peer review bodies associated with them. Several anti-corruption mechanisms and fora promote action on these standards by facilitating peer recommendations or encouraging country commitments. Exemplar mechanisms and fora include UNCAC and MESICIC (primary) and the Anti-Bribery Convention, Open Government Partnership, Summit of the Americas and related policy (secondary). Each of the target countries has engaged in at least one of these entities and has received recommendations or made commitments to address corruption in various ways. INL intends for this project to initiate a multi-stakeholder process in each country selected for this project to prioritize two to three peer review body recommendations addressed to - or political commitments made by -- the country. The project should then support the development of action plans and targeted follow-up action (i.e. technical assistance, advocacy, and coordination) to help governments implement the action plans. Suggested focus areas in which to develop priorities, action plans, and follow-up measures include judicial integrity/independence, criminalizing foreign bribery, public procurement, public sector ethics, and international legal cooperation. Supporting action in these areas would aid the criminal justice sector and civil society in making tangible steps to adopt laws, policies, or procedures that either prevent or combat corruption.

This award will support efforts in at two or three of five target countries (select among: Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Armenia, and Montenegro) to identify priority substantive anti-corruption measures and assist in implementation of related reform actions. The substantive measures will be determined in reference to the countries' commitments in the context of relevant international standards, and to the recommendations of the peer review bodies associated with those standards. Several anti-corruption mechanisms and fora promote action on these standards by facilitating peer reviews, resulting in recommendations for reform, or by generating country commitments. Exemplar mechanisms and fora include UNCAC and GRECO (primary) and the Anti-Bribery Convention, Istanbul Action Plan, Open Government Partnership, and related policy (secondary). Each of the target countries has engaged in at least one of these entities and has received recommendations or made commitments to address corruption in various ways. INL intends for this project to initiate a multi-stakeholder process in each country selected for this project to prioritize two to three peer review body recommendations addressed to - or political commitments made by -- the country. The project should then support the development of action plans and targeted follow-up action (i.e. technical assistance, advocacy, and coordination) to help governments implement the action plans. Suggested focus areas in which to develop priorities, action plans, and follow-up measures could include judicial integrity/independence, criminalizing and enforcing foreign bribery, transparency of party funding and electoral campaigns, law enforcement reforms, and public procurement fraud and corruption. Supporting action in these areas would aid the criminal justice sector and civil society in making tangible steps to adopt laws, policies, or procedures that either prevent or combat corruption.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) leads the Department of State's efforts to strengthen citizen security and combat drug trafficking and transnational crime. INL assistance programs help partner nations to build their capacities to extend the reach of justice under the rule of law, including respect for human rights and gender equality, and to deny safe haven to criminals who would otherwise operate with near impunity. The resources entrusted to us enable INL to deliver technical assistance and capacity to: enhance international drug control through interdiction and supply reduction; develop civilian law enforcement capacity, regional partnerships, and information sharing; and further the administration of justice and corrections under the rule of law with respect for human rights. This mission supports peace and security by stabilizing and strengthening security institutions and by combating narcotic-trafficking and other transnational crimes such as money laundering, criminal gangs, and wildlife trafficking. It promotes governing transparently and democratically by strengthening justice sector institutions, good governance, and respect for human rights and gender equality.

In September, Miami received notice from the government that our new F&A rates are: 44.5% for On Campus Organized Research 44.0% On Campus Sponsored Instruction 39.0% On Campus Other Sponsored Activities 26.0% Off Campus All Programs These rates are effective beginning September 1, 2014. Awards received beginning in September and all proposal submissions going forward will be required to use the new rates.

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.

INL is part of the Department of State's multi-faceted response to transnational criminal activity. Dedicated to strengthening criminal justice systems, countering the flow of illegal narcotics, and minimizing transnational crime, INL plays a key role in leading the development and synchronization of U.S. international drug and crime assistance. INL's technical support is tailored to support partner countries through multilateral, regional, and country-specific programs and prevent victimization of vulnerable populations. To support further progress in Costa Rica, INL has allocated funds for a program to increase police, local governments and community security by creating a Capacity Enhancement Program on Domestic Violence prevention, increasing vulnerable populations' awareness, and victim's assistance in the 15 cantons in Costa Rica.

INL seeks to work with the Government of Honduras, the multilateral community and the NGO community to reduce drug use in Honduras. To address this goal, INL will support public education programs in the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, La Lima, and La Ceiba that raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and its ties to violent crime and/or provide healthy alternatives or lifestyles to potential drug users. INL seeks to address these goals by providing grants to a limited number of qualified organizations with the capacity to develop, implement, and monitor these programs across these five cities.

Programs funded under the Second Chance Act help ensure that the transition individuals make from prison and jail to the community is successful and promotes public safety. Section 101 of the Second Chance Act authorizes federal awards to state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes that may be used for demonstration projects to promote the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated or detained.

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.