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The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) seeks single-country proposals for its Local Grants program. The Local Grants program serves as MEPI's most direct means of supporting organizations and individuals in the Middle East and North Africa. These grants are designed to: * Promote positive change, advocacy, and civic activism; * Strengthen civil society; * Support citizen's efforts to achieve economic, social, and political empowerment; * Expand opportunities for women and youth; * Strengthen the rule of law; * Develop independent media; and * Help communities work alongside governments in shaping their own futures. MEPI's regional offices, located in the Middle East and North Africa, manage the program. For more information about MEPI's regional offices, or to contact them, visit: www.medregion.mepi.state.gov or www.arabianpeninsula.mepi.state.gov. A MEPI Committee at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate within each country of origin reviews all Local Grant proposals, and forwards only the most competitive proposals to one of MEPI's two regional offices to negotiate the awards. MEPI accepts proposals to this program on a rolling basis, but each U.S. Embassy or Consulate has a unique selection process for submissions. Applicants should ask the respective U.S. Embassies or Consulates about their selection processes before preparing their submissions.

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 Religious Freedom globally. "Religious freedom" refers to the right set out in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the freedom to adopt a religion or beliefs, change your beliefs, practice and teach your beliefs (which may include through publications, public and private speech, and the display of religious attire or symbols), gather in community with others to worship and observe your beliefs, and teach your beliefs to your children. Proposed programming must be responsive to restrictions on religious freedom and must be in line with the U.S. Government's religious freedom, democracy, Governance, and human rights goals. Helpful resources for applicants include the annual country-specific International Religious Freedom Reports https://www.state.Gov/international-religious-freedom-reports/ and annual country-specific Human Rights Reports https://www.state.Gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/. Applicants will be responsible for ensuring program activities and products are implemented in accordance with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. DRL programming will engage youth to foster an environment of greater inter-communal and intra-communal respect and peaceful coexistence among religious communities in Pakistan promoting the rights of all people to live free from discrimination, abuse, and violence on account of their religious identity, practices, or affiliation. Proposals should be gender inclusive and include religious minorities.

The Library of Congress invites qualified scholars to conduct research in the John W. Kluge Center using the Library of Congress collections and resources for a period of up to eleven months. Established in 2000 through an endowment of $60 million from John W. Kluge, the Center is located in the splendid Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The Kluge Center furnishes attractive work and discussion space for Kluge Chair holders, for distinguished visiting scholars, and for post-doctoral Fellows supported by other private foundation gifts. Residents have easy access to the Library's specialized staff and to the intellectual community of Washington. The Kluge Center especially encourages humanistic and social science research that makes use of the Library's large and varied collections. Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, or multi-lingual research is particularly welcome. Among the collections available to researchers are the world's largest law library and outstanding multi-lingual collections of books and periodicals. Deep special collections of manuscripts, maps, music, films, recorded sound, prints and photographs are also available. Further information about the Library's collections can be found on the Library's website: http://www.loc.gov/rr/.

The National Science Foundation is announcing its intentions to build upon the success of previous Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGERs) in the area supported by the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program (see solicitation 13-578: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13578/nsf13578.htm) and to accept additional EAGER proposals that encourage novel interdisciplinary research resulting from new collaborations between one or more Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) researchers and one or more Social, Behavioral and Economic Science (SBE) researchers. (Research teams with a history of collaborating together should instead submit directly to the SaTC solicitation.) The proposed research should fit both the Trustworthy Computing (TWC) and the Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Sciences perspectives within the SaTC solicitation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP) requests applications from U.S. colleges and universities to serve as a partner institution to the Center for Borders, Trade and Immigration Research (CBTIR). OUP is posting a separate FOA for eligible applicants to submit lead proposals for consideration. Please see FOA Number DHS-14-ST-061-COE-002A on http://www.grants.gov. DHS may add individual project partners from applications received for either the Center Lead FOA or the Center Partner FOA to the CBTIR. Principal Investigators that are already Partners under a Center Lead application may not submit an application under this Partner FOA.

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

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for basic or applied research and development projects. An NIJ forensic science research and development grant supports a discrete, specified, circumscribed project that will: (1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice, or (2) lead to the production of useful material(s), device(s), system(s), or method(s) that have the potential for forensic application. The intent of this program is to direct the findings of basic scientific research; research and development in broader scientific fields applicable to forensic science; and ongoing forensic science research toward the development of highly-discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and rapid methods for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of physical evidence for criminal justice purposes. Projects should address the challenges and needs of the forensic science community. The operational needs discussed at NIJ’s FY 2016 Forensic Science TWG meeting may be found on NIJ.gov. Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees website. While the goals and deliverables of proposed projects do not necessarily need to result in immediate solutions to the posted challenges or needs, they should speak to them and produce knowledge that adds to work towards eventual resolutions.

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

This solicitation seeks applications for funding for research and evaluation projects that will address the knowledge gaps related to trafficking in persons, with clear implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. NIJ has funded research on trafficking in persons for over a decade, and is particularly interested in proposals that build upon and complement its earlier research investments. NIJ’s current portfolio of human trafficking research comprehensively addresses such topics as: scope, prevalence, and perpetration of the crime; effective criminal justice responses and challenges thereto; victimization experiences and meeting victim needs; and how best to reduce the demand for trafficking victims. Applicants should familiarize themselves with this prior NIJ-funded research and include relevant research in their literature review. For a summary of NIJ-funded research projects on the subject of human trafficking, see www.nij.gov/nij/topics/crime/human-trafficking/welcome.htm.

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program makes available Federal funds to State, Local and Tribal Governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters. FEMA will provide allocations of $575,000 as required by the Stafford Act to states and territories; and a tribal set aside of $20 million for allocations up to $575,000 for Native American Indian tribal Governments to support overall mitigation planning and projects. The remaining PDM funds will be awarded on a competitive basis with a focus on multi-state/tribal mitigation initiatives. Applicants must submit applications via the Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal: https://portal.fema.Gov. Applicants may submit a maximum of 9 project sub-applications notwithstanding any project(s) submitted for the state/territory allocation or tribal set aside. In addition, any state or tribe willing to serve as the applicant for a multi-state or tribal activity may submit one additional plan or project sub application.

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance award through this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the International Affairs Partnership Program with the School of Law and Politics (SLP) at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). The Public Affairs Section (PAS) invites U.S. academic institutions (U.S. University International Relations/Political Science/Foreign Policy programs) to submit proposals for a three-year partnership project to improve the standard of International Relations instruction and assist in the long-term institutional development of the School of Law and Politics (SLP). The means for achieving this goal may include: faculty development, curricula and materials development, program development (to include joint long-distance MA degree program), professor and student exchanges, and joint research. PAS will award approximately $495,000 for a three year long project.

The purpose of the Responsible, Accountable Democratic Assembly (RADA) program is to strengthen the legislature to become more accountable, representative and independent and to improve civic engagement in the legislative process. The program will pursue three main objectives: Objective 1: Improved public representation in the legislative process. Objective 2: Expanded role of citizens in monitoring the work of Parliament. Objective 3: Role of legislature in providing independent oversight of the Executive branch strengthened.

The National Science Foundation's Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES), National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), and the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (SMA) award grants to doctoral students to improve the quality of dissertation research. These grants provide funds for items not normally available through the student's university. Additionally, these grants allow doctoral students to undertake significant data-gathering projects and to conduct field research in settings away from their campus that would not otherwise be possible. Proposals are judged on the basis of their scientific merit, including the theoretical importance of the research question and the appropriateness of the proposed data and methodology to be used in addressing the question. In an effort to improve the quality of dissertation research, many programs in both BCS and SES, the Research on Science and Technology Surveys and Statistics program within NCSES, and the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program in SMA accept doctoral dissertation improvement grant proposals. Requirements vary across programs, so proposers are advised to consult the relevant program's webpage for specific information and contact the program director if necessary.

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.

DRL invites organizations to submit proposals outlining program concepts and organizational capacity to manage projects in Vietnam. Our objectives in Vietnam are to: increase Vietnamese citizens? access to alternative, credible information; promote the growth of civil society; and support individuals who use existing institutional platforms to press for increased freedoms and rights in Vietnam. Please refer to the announcement for details on specific program areas we seek to support.

The three principal objectives of the activity are as follows: 1) Increase the representation and engagement of women and youth within political parties, including within leadership structures; 2) Strengthen the internal organizational capacity of political parties; and 3) Improve the ability of political parties to represent and respond to citizens' interests.

The Law & Social Sciences Program considers proposals that address social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules.  The program is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological.  Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between law or legal processes and human behavior.  Social scientific studies of law often approach law as dynamic, made in multiple arenas, with the participation of multiple actors.  Fields of study include many disciplines, and often address problems including though not limited to: Crime, Violence and Punishment Economic Issues Governance Legal Decisionmaking Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice Litigation and the Legal Profession LSS provides the following modes of support: Standard Research Grants and Grants for Collaborative Research Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellowships Workshop and Conference Proposals

As part of NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21) activity, the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure seek to enable research communities to develop visions, teams, and capabilities dedicated to creating new, large-scale, next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research for the SBE and EHR areas of research.  Successful proposals will outline activities that will have significant impacts across multiple fields by enabling new types of data-intensive research.  Investigators should think broadly and create a vision that extends intellectually across multiple disciplines and that includes--but is not limited to--the SBE or EHR areas of research.

Recognizing disciplinary differences and priorities, NSF's investment in research and development in undergraduate STEM education encompasses a range of approaches. These approaches include: experiential learning, assessment/metrics of learning and practice, scholarships, foundational education research, professional development/institutional change, formal and informal learning environments, and undergraduate disciplinary research. Both individually and integrated in a range of combinations, these approaches can lead to outcomes including: developing the STEM and STEM-related workforce, advancing science, broadening participation in STEM, educating a STEM-literate populace, improving K-12 STEM education, encouraging life-long learning, and building capacity in higher education.

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) offers Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in two tracks: (i) Broadening Participation (SPRF-BP), and (ii) Interdisciplinary Research in Behavioral and Social Sciences (SPRF-IBSS).  See the full text of the solicitation for detailed description of these tracks.