Combatting Transnational Organized Crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina through Enhanced Forensic Accounting | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title of this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Combatting Transnational Organized Crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina through Enhanced Forensic Accounting."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number is OFOP0002766.

Which U.S. government office is offering this grant?

This is a discretionary U.S. government grant issued by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

What is the main purpose of the grant?

The grant focuses on strengthening Bosnia and Herzegovina's ability to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations by building practical forensic accounting and financial investigation capacity among prosecutors and investigators.

What problem is the program trying to address?

The opportunity describes transnational criminal organizations exploiting Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of a broader trafficking corridor (the Balkan route) used for narcotics, weapons, and migrant smuggling, while laundering what the notice characterizes as hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The program targets a specific capability gap: insufficient specialized financial investigation skills within the law enforcement and prosecutorial community to follow the money and support strong prosecutions.

Why does the grant emphasize forensic accounting and financial investigations?

The opportunity states that organized crime groups rely on complex money laundering methods to protect profits and sustain operations. Improving financial investigative skills is positioned as a direct way to disrupt these networks by identifying illicit flows, connecting assets to criminal enterprises, and strengthening evidence presented in court.

Who are the intended beneficiaries of the training and capacity-building?

The intended beneficiaries are prosecutors and investigators in Bosnia and Herzegovina who work on cases involving transnational organized crime, with an emphasis on practical forensic accounting and financial investigation skills.

What types of activities does the grant prioritize?

Based on the description provided, the grant prioritizes targeted forensic accounting training and related capacity-building activities that improve the ability to trace, analyze, document, and present financial evidence tied to organized crime and money laundering schemes.

What outcomes does INL expect from this program?

The opportunity frames the intended outcome as more effective casework, stronger evidentiary packages that can withstand legal scrutiny, and an increased ability to dismantle or materially degrade organized criminal networks by identifying facilitators, financial nodes, and hidden proceeds.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $350,000.

How many awards does the program expect to make?

The program expects to make one award.

What type of funding instrument is being used?

Funding is provided as a grant.

When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on 2026-05-14.

What is the application closing date?

The original closing date is 2026-07-15.

What is the program area or activity category?

The activity category is listed as Law, Justice and Legal Services.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number included is 19.703, which is commonly associated with INL assistance programming.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility includes:

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations
• U.S.-based educational institutions that qualify under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or under 26 U.S.C. 115
• Foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations
• Foreign-based educational institutions

Are foreign organizations allowed to apply?

Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations and foreign-based educational institutions.

Does an applicant need to be a U.S. organization to be eligible?

No. The eligibility list includes both U.S.-based and foreign-based organizations, as long as they fit the specified organizational types (non-profit/NGO or educational institutions) described in the notice.

What kinds of organizations are likely to be competitive?

Based on the information provided, the opportunity is open to experienced training providers, universities, and specialized NGOs that can demonstrate credible expertise in forensic accounting, financial investigations, anti-money laundering methods, and practical support to prosecutors and investigators working transnational organized crime cases.

Is this grant intended to fund broad crime prevention or general institutional reform?

No. The opportunity is described as a targeted capacity-building intervention. It prioritizes specialized skills to trace, analyze, and present financial evidence tied to trafficking and laundering schemes, rather than funding general crime prevention or broad institutional reform.

How does the program relate to the Balkan route and transnational trafficking?

The opportunity describes Bosnia and Herzegovina as being exploited as part of a broader trafficking corridor along the Balkan route involving narcotics, weapons, and migrant smuggling. The grant aims to counter these networks by strengthening the financial investigation capabilities that can expose and disrupt the money flows that enable such operations.

What is the strategic idea behind "following the money" in this grant?

The notice presents financial investigation and forensic accounting as a way to move beyond reacting to individual criminal acts, and instead target the financial infrastructure of organized crime by identifying facilitators, financial nodes, and hidden proceeds that keep criminal organizations operating profitably.