Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Joint Request for Statements of Interest Internet Freedom Programs | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) issued a joint Request for Statements of Interest (SOI) seeking early-stage program concepts for projects that advance internet freedom under the U.S. foreign assistance objective of "Governing Justly and Democratically." This is not a formal Request for Proposals; instead, organizations submit an SOI describing their idea and their ability to manage the work, and the Department of State may later invite selected respondents to submit a full proposal.

The overall aim is to foster freedom of expression and the free flow of information online (and through related connectivity technologies) in places where governments or other powerful actors restrict, filter, surveil, or otherwise control digital communications. The geographic scope is broad and includes East Asia (including China), the Near East (including Iran and Syria), Southeast Asia (including Burma), the South Caucasus, Eurasia (including Russia), Central Asia, Latin America (including Cuba and Venezuela), and Africa. Proposed activities may be delivered in multiple languages such as Farsi, Chinese, Russian, Burmese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, and others. DRL and NEA indicate they will consider concepts that are global, regional, or country-specific, as long as they clearly align with internet freedom goals and respond to hostile or restrictive operating environments.

The opportunity reflects the State Department's view that while past U.S.-funded internet freedom programs have made meaningful progress, the tools and tactics of digital repression continue to evolve. The notice points to a continuing need for strong anti-censorship and secure communications technologies, practical training for users at different risk levels, and real-time monitoring and analysis of threats. It also highlights newer challenges, such as the growing demand for private or anonymous communication in heavily monitored environments, and the fact that secure communications themselves are increasingly targeted for blocking. In response, DRL and NEA emphasize the importance of innovations that keep communications secure without weakening encryption, as well as the need for usability and broader public awareness so that security tools and basic "digital hygiene" practices can be adopted by larger populations, not only technical experts.

SOIs are expected to fit within one of two high-level tracks. The first focuses on direct support for the free flow of information and practical support to digital activists and civil society actors exercising rights to expression, assembly, and association in acutely hostile internet environments. The second centers on advocacy, evaluation, and research designed to strengthen global internet freedom policy and diplomacy. Within those tracks, applicants are encouraged to propose one or more program activity types. On the technology side, the notice calls for work expanding open and uncensored access through web and mobile anti-censorship tools, including circumvention methods such as proxies and routing services, alternative network infrastructures, and tools that help manage and support content and sites. Projects can involve maintaining and scaling proven tools, improving security, availability, discoverability, unblockability, usability, and localization, or developing entirely new approaches, including methods for reintroducing content behind firewalls and improving collaboration among developers. Where specific technologies are involved, the solicitation signals a preference for peer-reviewed technologies and for solutions that protect user privacy and identity against network-level monitoring.

A second technology area is secure communications, where DRL and NEA invite concepts that strengthen privacy and security for communications and information sharing, especially on mobile platforms. Example activities include supporting or building anonymizing and privacy-protecting tools, offering secure web services like hardened email or hosting with strong defenses against hacking, developing or adapting mobile security tools for widely used platforms, creating hardened devices or secure operating systems that resist intrusion, improving interfaces and usability to broaden adoption, and developing ways to make encrypted traffic less conspicuous (for example, disguising it as ordinary traffic) without undermining encryption.

Training and rapid response are also central. The solicitation encourages digital safety training that measurably improves user security in repressive contexts, ranging from intensive, tailored support for high-risk activists, journalists, and bloggers (including mentorship and guided practice) to building and sustaining a global network of trainers, and even broad, public-health-style awareness campaigns that normalize basic protective behaviors and inform people about available tools. In addition, DRL and NEA describe "emergency support" concepts that can respond quickly when individuals are threatened due to online activity. This can include legal support, technical help after hacking or cyber intrusions (including Distributed Denial of Service attacks), and rapid advocacy, research, or information dissemination in response to sudden crackdowns or new censorship actions. Emergency mechanisms are expected to be global or regional in scope and capable of intervening wherever urgent cases arise.

For the policy, advocacy, research, and evaluation track, DRL and NEA are looking for initiatives that push back against negative trends toward repression and position internet freedom as a core human rights issue. These efforts should focus on countries where government actions could create especially hostile environments and should engage both civil society and the business community. Research and evaluation topics include tracking how technological and political conditions change over time, testing the effectiveness of anti-censorship and secure communications tools against evolving threats, understanding how tools that enable expression spread as well as how restriction mechanisms proliferate, measuring the impact of training and advocacy, and evaluating how well U.S.-funded programs are adapting to emerging challenges. A specific research priority also appears: examining options to expand connectivity and the flow of information in restrictive societies with low penetration and limited bandwidth, including immediate, medium-term, and long-term solutions and potentially country-wide wireless approaches that do not depend on fixed-location infrastructure.

Several practical constraints and competitiveness factors are spelled out. DRL and NEA want projects that can show near-term impact while contributing to longer-term, sustainable reform, and they prefer work that can continue beyond DRL/NEA funding rather than ending when the grant ends. Proposals must not duplicate or simply add to other entities' efforts, and the agencies state they will not consider any project that provides support of any kind to a designated terrorist organization or its members, affiliates, or representatives. Organizations invited to submit full proposals and ultimately selected for an award may face a vetting requirement for the organization and key individuals, and awards may be contingent on completing that process. The main project period is expected to run one to three years. The notice also cautions that study tours, scholarships, and exchange projects are not competitive in this funding stream, and that projects focused on commercial law or economic development will likewise not be rated as competitive.

Funding for these internet freedom efforts is substantial. The notice references roughly $23 million available in FY 2012 internet freedom funds (with the possibility of additional regional or country resources). DRL and NEA anticipate awards ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000, and SOIs outside that range are deemed technically ineligible. The funding instrument is a discretionary grant under CFDA 19.345 (International Programs to Support Democracy, Human Rights and Labor), and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated.

Eligible applicants include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), public and private institutions of higher education, small businesses, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The required submission channel is online only, through GrantSolutions.gov or Grants.gov, and submissions via email, fax, postal mail, or courier are not accepted. The deadline listed in the announcement is May 31, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. EST. The funding opportunity number is DRLA DRLAQM 12 050, and the administering bureau is the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, working jointly with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification)

Next opportunity: Design and Construction of Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRV)

Previous opportunity: Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants financed by 2012 Prevention and Public Health Funds (PPHF 2012)

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for DRLA DRLAQM 12 050

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (DRLA DRLAQM 12 050) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "DRLA DRLAQM 12 050", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.