Deadline for Applications:              August 31, 2021

CFDA Number:                              19.040 – Public Diplomacy Programs

Total Amount Available:               $300,000

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

U.S. Embassy The Hague, Public Affairs Section (PAS), announces a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a program to engage local government officials and community leaders in the Netherlands and Europe writ large on best practices for preventing and countering racially/ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE). Specifically, the awardee will, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Strong Cities Network will: 1) facilitate travel by a delegation of Dutch mayors to Washington, D.C. to participate in the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting (five days/four nights for up to 10 people) in January 2022; 2) organize a two-day summit on REMVE for mayors from the Netherlands, other European countries, and the United States in fall 2022; and 3) facilitate follow-on site visits and meetings in the Netherlands for U.S. mayors attending the summit (six days/five nights for up to 10 people). The awardee will be asked to arrange a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which manages the Strong Cities Network, to work with them as a sub-awardee (budget estimate: TBD).

PROJECT GOALS

1) Raise awareness among local government officials and community leaders about the spread of hateful and intolerant ideologies by racially/ethnically motivated violent extremists, including via propaganda imported from third countries.

2) Encourage local government officials to work with community leaders and national government officials to actively counter hateful and intolerant ideologies.

3) Encourage local government officials to share best practices and lessons learned on countering racially/ethnically motivated violent extremism with counterparts from third countries, including via the Strong Cities Network.

BACKGROUND

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) is an essential counterterrorism tool, consisting of a broad spectrum of activities that range from awareness raising about the signs of radicalization and recruitment to more direct actions, including interventions of individuals on the path to violence by parents, educators, mental health professionals, and social workers. Since 2015, the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at U.S. Embassy The Hague has supported exchanges focused on local and community efforts focused on countering violent extremism (CVE). The summit and the corresponding activities outlined in this NOFO are intended to help expand that engagement and encourage cities in the Netherlands and other countries to actively participate in the Strong Cities Network, which the State Department helped create in 2015.

From Christchurch to El Paso, violent extremism fueled by hate and intolerance towards religious and ethnic minorities has challenged municipalities across the globe. While cities, towns, and villages have been the staging grounds for a range of targeted violence, they are also highly attuned to the best approaches required to prevent, challenge, and respond to these threats. They also remain the first line of defense to violent extremism, being best placed to identify,

raise awareness, and respond to radicalization, recruitment, mobilization, and inspiration. In 2015, the U.S. Department of State partnered with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) to create and launch the Strong Cities Network (SCN). In its first five years, SCN has provided its 150+ members with dozens of training and networking opportunities around the world. To encourage more active participation in SCN by local governments in the Netherlands and other European countries, U.S. Embassy The Hague seeks proposals for organizing a two-day summit in Amsterdam and/or The Hague and other activities in coordination with the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Strong Cities Network. The activities will include participants from the Netherlands, other European countries, and the United States with speakers from the United States and Europe. The awardee will be expected to work with all stakeholders to identify relevant local government leaders to participate in the summit and follow-on activities.

Priority Region: Europe

Participants and Audiences: local government officials from the Netherlands, other European countries to be identified, and the United States

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 18 months

Number of awards anticipated: 1 award

Total available funding: $300,000

Type of Funding: FY20 Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds

Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2021

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Funding Instrument Type: Grant or Fixed Amount Award

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 18 months or less.

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

1.     Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations based in the Netherlands.

2.     Cost Sharing or Matching

No cost sharing required.

3.     Other Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (Data Universal Numbering System/DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet), as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a unique entity identifier or be registered in SAM.gov.

Applicants must be registered in the System for Award management (SAM.gov) before submitting their application.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1.     Application Package

Application forms required below are available at: https://sk.usembassy.gov/education-culture/public-affairs-section-grant-opportunities/

Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible.

Content of Application

Please ensure:

• The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity
• All documents are in English

·        All budgets are in U.S. dollars

·        All pages are numbered

• All documents are formatted to A4 paper, and
• All Microsoft Word documents are preferably single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

The following documents are required: 

1. Mandatory application forms

·        SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) 

·        SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

**** See link for full Funding Opportunity Notice - https://nl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/small-grant-program/