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MENA governments - especially in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia - have undertaken important reform initiatives to modernize their public administrations and pass access to information laws. Several have applied to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international initiative that aims to leverage capabilities of new technologies to strengthen participatory governance and fight corruption. Further actions are required to sustain this progress and implement open government principles that foster civil society collaboration with government. This project will assist governments in developing action plans to improve management and governance activities such as: budgeting, human resources management, regulatory practices, public integrity, public procurement, digital government, open government and data, risk management, and innovations. By focusing on public governance areas and creating inclusive economies and societies, this project will guide governments to benchmark their countries' progress on public sector reforms at the national and regional levels, and to compare them against international standards. Additionally, it will create the first MENA long-term strategic partnership and governance network for policy dialogue and exchange of good practices. Finally, it will deliver ad hoc policy recommendations to advance public sector reform agendas in specific sectors at the national or regional level with a focus on policies pertaining to women and youth.

RGN will serve leading governance activity in Niger under the USAID's Resilience in the Sahel II Project (RISE II). RGN will address Objective 4: Enhance governance of institutions and organizations, of the RISE II results framework (attached), specifically sub-IR 4.1: Improved performance of sub-national state institutions and sub-IR 4.2: Strengthened local civil society and community based organizations. The Activity is intended to support locally-driven, politically feasible approaches to enhance: Municipal government and citizen understanding of the roles and responsibilities of municipal governments and deconcentrated national authorities, and intergovernmental communications concerning local governance; Planning, budgeting and administrative capacity of municipal governments to manage and mobilize financial and human resources for locally-determined service and infrastructure needs; and Civic engagement in communal governance - in determining local priorities, and in holding government accountable to meet its obligations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to create social and economic opportunity to strengthen citizen security, and promote government transparency to encourage a culture that resists corruption. U.S. Embassy San Jose intends to issue four awards in an amount not to exceed $900,000 in total funding. The anticipated start date for this activity is September 30, 2015, and project periods should not exceed two years. This funding will support United States Government (USG) objectives under the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI). 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 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. U.S. Embassy San Jose invites qualified 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 public international organizations to submit proposals that include an implementation strategy to address one of the following two objectives: 1. Provide job creation opportunities for youth and women in economically-disadvantaged communities. Proposals should help create safe streets by providing economic opportunities in these communities as attractive alternatives for at-risk populations that may turn to crime and illicit drugs for their livelihood. 2. Promote and improve government transparency to increase citizens' access to and awareness of all levels and formats of government services with an emphasis on e-government. Proposals should promote st

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission for Sri Lanka and Maldives will support the Increased Demand and Engagement for Accountability (IDEA) activity for Sri Lanka. This is a three-year activity designed to ensure that Sri Lanka has a vibrant civil society which empowers citizen participation to advance democratic values and government accountability around a range of governance and reform issues. The activity will build upon civil society engagement for good governance and accountability and will complement other U.S. Government (USG) and USAID programming that supports democratic governance. Whereas much of USAID's assistance in Sri Lanka includes an element of support to civil society, this activity will focus on strengthening the civil society sector as a whole with an emphasis on working in all regions of Sri Lanka and supporting CSO participation in national and local governance processes.

The United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), anticipates issuing a request for applications (RFA), early-May 2013, inviting applications for a Cooperative Agreement to implement the Strengthening Democratic Local Governance Program in South Sudan to strengthen democratic local governance through improving local government's ability to perform its core functions and supporting the development of strong and credible state and local systems. Specifically, the program will engender a bottom-up and inclusive public participatory approach in the decision-making, implementation and accountability of government service delivery and further strengthen linkages within national, state, and local (payam) governments and International/NGOs for better coordination, delivery of services and accountability to the people. Subject to the availability of funds, this competitively awarded five-year, Cooperative Agreement shall focus on implementing projects primarily in high conflict, disaster prone and low resource areas. USAID will advise applicants of project objectives and desired outcome; however, applicants must provide the methodology or approach for implementation of the project. Applicants will have the opportunity to propose a sound, cost effective approach for the Program. Additionally, Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider implementation through a consortium with other organizations including PIOs and local organizations; however, principal responsibility for implementation of the program should rest with the applicant who should act as prime and have final responsibility for implementation and performance monitoring of the program.

The U.S. Embassy Panama announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to promote democratic institutions, accountability, and good governance in Panama with up to $750,000 in Fiscal Year 2018 Economic Support Funds for a project period between 18-24 months. The anticipated start date for this activity is September 30, 2019. The U.S. Embassy Panama anticipates funding a minimum of one award and a maximum of five awards as a result of this NOFO. The focus for this funding opportunity is on democracy, accountability, and governance. Successful proposals will develop projects aimed at: 1) supporting a competent and independent civil service within the Panamanian government; 2) promoting government accountability in handling public resources and increasing revenues; 3) promoting Panamanian civil society to keep the government accountable; and 4) strengthening the rule of law within the Panamanian judicial sector. Funding awarded under this NOFO cannot be used for law enforcement or to train members of law enforcement. Projects may focus on one or more of the objectives and must fulfill at least one sub-objective of the corresponding objectives outlined in Section I, Project Description, herein.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv announces a funding opportunity establish an academic partnership between a U.S. university and a Ukrainian institution to develop an academic program in government communications. The university partnership will develop a degree-granting higher education program for government communications students (i.e. pre-service training for potential public servants in government communications offices). The partnership will also develop in-service training for government officials through a professional extension program. Elements of the university partnership will include a needs assessment, faculty and student exchanges, curriculum development, joint online courses, and opportunities for joint research among American and Ukrainian faculty and students, and evaluation and measurement of the partnership's impact.

The purpose of the Policy for Ukraine Local Self-Governance (PULSE) activity is to strengthen local governance, deepen democracy, improve conditions for development of communities and promote stability. PULSE's objective is to support the Government of Ukraine to adopt and implement a sound decentralization policy for Ukraine.

The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions.In recent years, program awards have supported research projects on bargaining processes; campaigns and elections, electoral choice, and electoral systems; citizen support in emerging and established democracies; democratization, political change, and regime transitions; domestic and international conflict; international political economy; party activism; political psychology and political tolerance. The Program also has supported research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations, in the discipline.Besides information on the Political Science Program, we invite you to also look at the Cross-Directorate Activities program web site.Furthermore, for program specific guidelines on the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, please view the: Doctoral Preparation Checklist.

In response to the White House and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) call to action for evidence-based reforms across the federal government, the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is launching a competition for low-cost randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that seek to build valid, actionable evidence about "what works" in U.S. social spending. This is designed as a high-visibility, three-year initiative, whose purpose is to demonstrate the feasibility and value of low-cost RCTs to a wide policy and philanthropic audience. In its first year, the competition will select and fund three low-cost RCTs that meet the criteria for policy importance and other factors described in the application packet. We will also be co-sponsoring a workshop on low-cost RCTs with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in mid-2014 in Washington DC, aimed at exploring wider government and philanthropic use of such studies with leading researchers, and officials of the White House and OMB, federal agencies, Congress, philanthropic foundations, state/local government, and other organizations that help shape social spending.

The U.S. Embassy Panama announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to promote democratic institutions and accountability in Panama with up to $1,261,667 in FY 2017 Economic Support Funds for a project period between 18-24 months; however, the Embassy will consider award periods of up to three years for exceptional proposals on a case-by-case basis. The anticipated start date for this activity is September 30, 2018. The U.S. Embassy Panama anticipates funding up to five awards as a result of this NOFO. The focus for this funding opportunity is on governance, including the roles and responsibilities of civil society and the government. Successful proposals will develop projects aimed at: 1) supporting Panama's democratic institutions; 2) strengthening civil society; and 3) promoting government accountability and transparency, as well as public access to information. Funding awarded under this NOFO cannot be used for law enforcement or to train members of law enforcement. Projects may focus on one or more of the objectives and must fulfill at least one sub-objective of the corresponding objectives outlined in Section I, Project Description, herein. U.S. Embassy Panama reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and will determine the resulting level of funding for the award. The authority for this NOFO is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. Eligible organizations interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of project sought and the application submission requirements and evaluation process. For further information, please contact: PanamaGrants@state.gov

The goal of the Guinea Financial Accountability Support (GFAS) project is to enhance Guinea's fiscal transparency and government accountability for budget expenditure programs. Specific project objectives include the following: facilitate the publication of government budget through the application of print and social media in partnership with CSOs and private sector partners serving as third-party reporters of fiscal and budget data; advocate for reliable, complete, publically available and timely budget data. This Activity will help support the Mission's overall development goal, as set forth in the 2015-2019 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), which is "More Participatory Governance for a Healthier Guinea". Cette activité contribuera à soutenir l'objectif global de développement de la Mission, tel qu'énoncé dans la Stratégie Pays pour la Coopération et le Développement 2015-2019 (CDCS), qui s'énonce comme suit : «Plus de Gouvernance Participative pour une Guinée en Meilleure Santé»

The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions. In recent years, program awards have supported research projects on bargaining processes; campaigns and elections, electoral choice, and electoral systems; citizen support in emerging and established democracies; democratization, political change, and regime transitions; domestic and international conflict; international political economy; party activism; political psychology and political tolerance. The Program also has supported research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations, in the discipline.

The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions. In recent years, program awards have supported research projects on bargaining processes; campaigns and elections, electoral choice, and electoral systems; citizen support in emerging and established democracies; democratization, political change, and regime transitions; domestic and international conflict; international political economy; party activism; political psychology and political tolerance. The Program also has supported research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations, in the discipline.

The U.S. Embassy Panama announces a Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to promote sustainability and accountability in Panama with up to $1,500,000 in FY 2016 Economic Support Funds for a project period between 12-24 months; however, the Embassy will consider award periods of up to three years for exceptional proposals on a case-by-case basis. The anticipated start date for this activity is September 30, 2017. The U.S. Embassy Panama anticipates funding up to ten awards as a result of this NOFO. The focus for this funding opportunity is on governance, including the roles and responsibilities of civil society and the government. Successful proposals will develop projects aimed at: 1) strengthening civil society and democratic institutions in Panama; 2) strengthening the rule of law and government accountability and transparency; 3) prison reform programs; or 4) supporting the government's ability to deliver social services to underserved populations.

The Political Science Program supports scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. Research proposals are expected to be theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented. Substantive areas include, but are not limited to, American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, political behavior, political economy, and political institutions.

Foster the foundation for a social contract in which Haitian citizens hold government accountable for more transparent governance and the provision of essential services, and public officials (both elected and appointed) are more responsive to all of their constituents.

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 main purpose of the TAPAS activity is to financially support Ukrainian citizens and the Government of Ukraine in reducing or eliminating corruption in key public administration functions and services and build trust of Ukrainians in their government based on demonstrated transparency, accountability and improved services. The TAPAS activity has three sub-objectives: 1) large scale use of electronic procurement in Ukraine; 2) an effective Open Data program; and 3) transparent and efficient public services in the form of eServices. Please refer to USAID's program description, Section I of this NFO for an example of the type of program that USAID is willing to fund.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) envisions a nation where our children are healthy, educated, and free from violence. If they come into contact with the juvenile justice system, the contact should be rare, fair, and beneficial to them. To help OJJDP fulfill this vision, this program will fund training and technical assistance to states, state and local courts, units of local government, and tribal governments that will build their capacity to develop, maintain, and enhance juvenile drug courts for substance-abusing youth.