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The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $4 million total costs for up to two cooperative agreements of up to $2 million total costs each to fund technical assistance project(s) in two different countries to improve implementation of social compliance systems that promote acceptable conditions of work and the elimination of child labor and forced labor in coffee supply chains. Each cooperative agreement will fund a project in one of the following countries in the Latin America/Caribbean region, where DOL's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List) documents child labor and/or forced labor concerns: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or Nicaragua. Project outcomes include: 1) Adoption of a robust and sustainable social compliance system by private sector stakeholders in coffee supply chains; 2) Strengthened capacity of private sector stakeholders to implement a robust and sustainable social compliance system in coffee supply chains; and 3) New social compliance tools on child labor, forced labor, and acceptable conditions of work piloted in the coffee supply chain. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. Applicants may apply for one or two of the cooperative agreements listed above. No more than two applications per applicant will be accepted. If applying for two cooperative agreements, applicants should not combine countries in a single application, but must submit separate applications for each country. Each application should request no more than $2 million total costs in funding.

USDOL/ILAB intends to award up to USD 2 million for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project in Peru. The purpose for funding this project is to help build the labor law enforcement capacity of the Peruvian labor inspectorate, with a focus on the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion (MTPE)'s newly-formed National Superintendency of Labor Inspection or Superintendencia Nacional de Fiscalización Laboral (SUNAFIL). The project will help the MTPE in its transition from a decentralized to a more centralized labor law enforcement system and will help ensure more effective labor law enforcement at the national and regional levels. The project will focus particularly on improving the MTPE's enforcement of laws, regulations, and other legal instruments governing subcontracting/outsourcing and the use of short-term employment contracts, especially in the nontraditional export sectors (e.g., mining, agriculture, fishing, and textiles). The duration of the project funded by this announcement is up to 4.5 years (54 months) from the effective date of award. The project start date will be negotiated upon award of the individual cooperative agreement but will be no later than December 31, 2014. ILAB's mission is to use all available international channels to improve working conditions, raise living standards, protect workers' ability to exercise their rights, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations. ILAB is authorized to award and administer cooperative agreements by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, Pub. Law 113-76. Cooperative agreements awarded under this solicitation will be administered by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and technically managed by ILAB's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA). The mission of OTLA is to implement trade-related labor policy and coordinate international technical cooperation in support of the labor provisions in free trade agreements; to

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $1.5 million total costs for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a project to integrate the issues of child labor alleviation and acceptable conditions of work into women's economic empowerment initiatives. The project intends to support service providers and policy makers when working with women entrepreneurs to ensure women-led enterprises can improve livelihoods responsibly without resorting to child labor or harmful labor practices. The project's outcomes include: Outcome 1: Increased understanding of child labor and acceptable conditions of work in the context of women's economic empowerment initiatives. Outcome 2: Increased availability of tools to integrate child labor awareness and acceptable conditions of work into women's economic empowerment initiatives. Outcome 3: Demonstrated effectiveness of tools in mitigating child labor and unacceptable conditions of work in women's economic empowerment initiatives. Outcome 4: Increased awareness and adoption of tools to integrate child labor awareness and acceptable conditions of work into women's economic empowerment initiatives by a broad range of stakeholders.The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award.

Applicants may propose multiple studies. Funding through this cooperative agreement must only be used to fund impact evaluation design, implementation, analysis, and dissemination and must not be used to fund projects or interventions. Proposed impact evaluations must: 1) provide evidence that will be relevant to informing the design and effectiveness of a project or government policy that has direct or indirect effects on child labor or forced labor; 2) utilize partnerships between researchers, contractors, and/or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local organizations in the country where the proposed impact evaluation will take place; 3) ensure that impact evaluation results will be available within the time-period of the cooperative agreement; 4) build the evidence base on child labor or forced labor in OCFT's intervention areas and/or outcomes of interest; 5) test interventions or combinations of interventions; 6) examine interventions that are relevant and promising; 7) ensure that study designs, surveys, and analysis conform to international and national definitions and standards on child labor and forced labor; and 8) use RCT designs.

In accordance with the terms of the Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978, FMCS considers applications from plant, geographic or area-wide committees. During the 2016 grant cycle, we especially encourage applications from area-wide, industry or sectoral joint labor-management committees focused on the 21st century economy and the challenges of a rapidly evolving workplace, such as: job security and skills; working conditions for an increasingly mobile workforce; consensus solutions to workplace standards; organizational effectiveness; economic development and competitiveness for entire communities; hiring and retaining the next generations of workers.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects to address the potential negative human rights and labor rights impacts of international mega-sporting events.

The Russell Sage Foundation/Kellogg Foundation's Initiative on Non-Standard Employment seeks to support innovative social science research on the causes and consequences of the increased incidence of alternative work arrangements in the United States. We define alternative work arrangements as temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers. We use the terms non-standard employment and alternative work arrangements interchangeably. This initiative falls under RSF's Future of Work Program and represents a special area of interest within the core program, which continues to encourage proposals on a broader range of labor market issues. We are especially interested in novel uses of new or under-utilized data and the development of new methods for analyzing these data. Potential sources of data include the 2015 Survey of Enterprising and Informal Work Activities (EIWA) of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the 2017 Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS) of the Current Population Survey. Proposals to conduct field experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies are also encouraged. Smaller projects might consist of exploratory fieldwork, a pilot study, or the analysis of existing data. RSF encourages methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration. The foundation will consider proposals for cross-national research that has clear implications for the U.S. labor market.

One of the oldest American foundations, the Russell Sage Foundation was established by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." In pursuit of this mission, the foundation now dedicates itself to strengthening the methods, data, knowledge, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of diagnosing social problems and improving social policies. The foundation's program on Social Inequality supports research on the social, economic, political, and labor market consequences of rising economic inequalities in the United States. The program seeks Letters of Inquiry for investigator-initiated research projects that will broaden current understanding of the causes and consequences of rising economic inequalities. Priority will be given to projects that use innovative data or methodologies to address important questions about inequality. Examples of the kinds of topics that are of interest include, but are not limited to, economic well-being, equality of opportunity, and intergenerational mobility; the political process and the resulting policies; psychological and/or cultural change; education; labor markets; child development and child outcomes; neighborhoods and communities; families, family structure, and family formation; and other forms of inequality.

WorkRise, a research-to-action network for jobs, workers, and mobility, is launching a drive to rapidly develop and share actionable evidence on what works to shore up workers' economic security during the COVID-19 crisis and promote their longer-term upward mobility as they rebuild their lives. This initiative will provide up to $2 million for research on pilot or existing programs, policies, and practices to rapidly develop rigorous evidence that can inform and drive effective action toward a labor market that boosts workers' mobility; create a clearinghouse for innovative responses to the current labor market crisis taken by the private sector, civil society, and government; and elevate promising policies and practices to key decisionmakers, including philanthropic leaders; local, state, and federal policymakers; worker advocates; and business leaders. To achieve these objectives, WorkRise is issuing both a request for proposals (RFP) and a request for information (RFI) to identify and accelerate innovative solutions-including programs, policies, and practices-that both provide immediate economic relief to struggling workers and create pathways for long-term economic security and upward mobility.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support the diversification of the Bangladesh economy by assisting efforts to promote good jobs in sectors beyond the ready-made garment sector.

In accordance with the terms of the Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978, FMCS considers applicants from plant, industry, geographic or area-wide committees. During this grant cycle, we especially encourage applications from committees focused on the 21st century economy and the challenges of a rapidly evolving workplace, such as; job security and skills; working conditions for an increasingly mobile workforce; consensus solutions to workplace standards; organizational effectiveness; economic development and competitiveness for entire communities; hiring and retaining the next generation of workers.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' (ODJFS) announces the release of Request for Proposals (RFP) number JFSR1617158114 for the purpose of competitively selecting one state-funded Ohio college or university to conduct a formal evaluation study of the Wage Pathway grant project (Project) administered by the ODJFS Office of Workforce Development (OWD) under a Workforce Innovation Fund grant awarded by the United States Department of Labor (DOL). The Project will pilot the Wage Pathway Model, which is a skills-focused approach to place low-income, low-skill youth and young adults aged 16-24 in occupations that will lead to in-demand jobs. The selected vendor will design, plan, and implement methodologies, tools, and processes to evaluate the results of the Wage Pathway Model on the employment outcomes of Project participants. This opportunity is only available to state-funded Ohio colleges and universities. Consideration will be given to those with proposals that effectively demonstrate the capacity, experience, and expertise to effectively and accurately complete the deliverables and other activities described herein in a timely manner.

This Russell Sage Foundation initiative will support innovative social science research on the social, economic and political effects of the Affordable Care Act. We are especially interested in funding analyses that address important questions about the effects of the reform on outcomes such as financial security and family economic well-being, labor supply and demand, participation in other public programs, family and children's outcomes, and differential effects by age, race, ethnicity, nativity, or disability status. We are also interested in research that examines the political effects of the implementation of the new law, including changes in views about government, support for future government policy changes, or the impact on policy development outside of health care.

The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization -- societies, institutions, groups and demography -- and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles, and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both original data collections and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. Theoretically grounded projects that offer methodological innovations and improvements for data collection and analysis are also welcomed.

The Economics program supports research designed to improve the understanding of the processes and institutions of the U.S. economy and of the world system of which it is a part. This program also strengthens both empirical and theoretical economic analysis as well as the methods for rigorous research on economic behavior. It supports research in almost every area of economics, including econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance. The Economics program welcomes proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, conferences, workshops, symposia, experimental research, data collection and dissemination, computer equipment and other instrumentation, and research experience for undergraduates. The program places a high priority on interdisciplinary research. Investigators are encouraged to submit proposals of joint interest to the Economics Program and other NSF programs and NSF initiative areas. The program places a high priority on broadening participation and encourages proposals from junior faculty, women, other underrepresented minorities, Research Undergraduate Institutions, and EPSCoR states. The program also funds conferences and interdisciplinary research that strengthens links among economics and the other social and behavioral sciences as well as mathematics and statistics.

One of the oldest foundations in the United States, the Russell Sage Foundation was established by  Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." In pursuit of that mission, the foundation now dedicates itself to strengthening the methods, data, knowledge, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of diagnosing social problems and improving social policies. The foundation's program on Social Inequality supports research on the social, economic, political, and labor market consequences of rising economic inequality in the United States. The program seeks Letters of Inquiry for investigator-initiated research projects that will broaden  understanding of the causes and consequences of rising economic inequalities. Priority will be given to projects that use innovative data or methodologies to address important questions related to inequality.

The Russell Sage Foundation's program on the Future of Work supports research on the causes and consequences of changes in the quality of jobs for less- and moderately-skilled workers in the United States. We seek research proposals that will broaden our understanding of the role of changes in employer practices, the nature of the labor market and public policies on the employment, earnings, and the quality of jobs of American workers. We are especially interested in funding analyses of original qualitative and quantitative data sources, and novel uses of existing sources of data to address important questions about the interplay of market and non-market forces in shaping the wellbeing of workers, today and in the future.

The Economics program supports research designed to improve the understanding of the processes and institutions of the U.S. economy and of the world system of which it is a part. This program also strengthens both empirical and theoretical economic analysis as well as the methods for rigorous research on economic behavior. It supports research in almost every area of economics, including econometrics, economic history, environmental economics, finance, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and public finance.The Economics program welcomes proposals for individual or multi-investigator research projects, doctoral dissertation improvement awards, conferences, workshops, symposia, experimental research, data collection and dissemination, computer equipment and other instrumentation, and research experience for undergraduates. The program places a high priority on interdisciplinary research. Investigators are encouraged to submit proposals of joint interest to the Economics Program and other NSF programs and NSF initiative areas. The program places a high priority on broadening participation and encourages proposals from junior faculty, women, other underrepresented minorities, Research Undergraduate Institutions, and EPSCoR states.The program also funds conferences and interdisciplinary research that strengthens links among economics and the other social and behavioral sciences as well as mathematics and statistics.For additional funding opportunities, we invite you to also look at the Cross Disciplinary Activities homepage.For program specific guidelines on the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in Economics, please visit: Doctoral Preparation Checklist.

AGOA legislation, authorized to 2025, calls for the establishment of a United States-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (AGOA Forum) to meet annually to discuss trade and investment between the United States and the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, and the implementation of AGOA. To ensure civil society participation in AGOA trade discussions and promote strong and inclusive sub-Saharan African economies, DRL requests proposals for a $950,000 cooperative agreement to support leadership and development of a transparent and comprehensive AGOA civil society network. In conjunction with the annual AGOA forum, projects should support the network to effectively provide observations and recommendations regarding country compliance with AGOA eligibility criteria - including the establishment of or progress toward political pluralism and the rule of law, a system to combat corruption and bribery, and protection of internationally recognized worker rights - as well as effective utilization of AGOA benefits. Programs should also support local civil society to provide input on country compliance with requirements to not engage in gross violations of human rights and to cooperate with international efforts to eliminate human rights violations. Activities may include, but are not limited to: outreach, support, and mentoring for human rights and labor rights civil society organizations (CSOs) in AGOA eligible countries; assistance for local CSOs to prioritize and monitor key issues; and support to strategize, prepare for and attend the Forum and follow-up on Forum recommendations throughout the year.

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) outlining project concepts and capacity to manage programs in Iraq that will: strengthen effective governance; increase political participation and civic activism; promote fundamental freedoms; and support atrocities prevention, accountability, and conflict mitigation.