Opportunity Information: Apply for DRL 08 FORENSIC 051509
Apply for DRL 08 FORENSIC 051509
- The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Forensic Assistance Programs in AF, EAP, and SCA" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2009 and posted on May 15, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 17, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- A public international organization or similarly situated institution
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announced this grant competition to fund forensic assistance projects across three regions: Africa (focused on the Democratic Republic of the Congo), East Asia and the Pacific (focused on Vietnam), and South and Central Asia (focused on Afghanistan, Nepal, and Uzbekistan). The opportunity is designed to strengthen the ability of local institutions and civil society partners to collect, preserve, analyze, and use forensic evidence in ways that support accountability, rule of law, and family closure after conflict, violence, and disappearances. Projects are expected to be practical and capacity-building in nature, often combining infrastructure improvements with hands-on technical training and systems for managing sensitive evidence and reference data.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRL frames the need around the scale of conflict-related killings, mass graves, disappearances, and widespread sexual violence in eastern DRC, alongside persistent impunity and limited local capacity. The grant seeks proposals that can either (1) improve the collection and preservation of rape evidence and/or (2) support identification of human remains. Proposed activities can include establishing or renovating laboratories and training personnel in forensic anthropology and related disciplines; expanding sample collection through exhumations and community engagement to encourage voluntary DNA donation; creating databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains to enable matching; distributing rape kits and setting up procedures to collect and preserve evidence for possible later prosecutions even when survivors are not ready to report immediately; providing legal and psychological support to survivors and families; conducting public outreach and advocacy; and building information-sharing networks among Congolese NGOs and between those NGOs and key stakeholders such as international organizations, police, and judicial authorities to improve coordination, sustainability, and effectiveness.
In Vietnam, the focus is on improving the country’s ability to locate, excavate, and identify remains from past conflicts, recognizing that Vietnam has gained partial exposure to modern recovery and identification methods through joint operations with the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting efforts but still lacks robust national capacity. DRL highlights that many remains have been interred without identification and that excavation teams are largely military, often without specialized anthropologists or archaeologists, while DNA capability is limited. Proposals are expected to strengthen excavation and identification operations through training (including limited training abroad where appropriate), laboratory renovation and technical training to expand forensic anthropology and processing capability, increased exhumations and community engagement to encourage DNA reference donations, and creation of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains to improve matching and identification outcomes. The program rationale emphasizes both humanitarian closure for families and broader reconciliation and goodwill benefits tied to accounting for missing persons.
In South and Central Asia, the opportunity is tailored by country. For Afghanistan, DRL emphasizes victim- and family-centered support, specifically encouraging projects that provide legal and psychological assistance to victims’ families and that create information-sharing networks among NGOs to improve productivity, resource use, and sustainability. For Nepal, the goal is to support identification of remains while building the capacity of local NGOs to conduct timely and reliable DNA testing. Eligible activities mirror the core forensic capacity themes: laboratory renovation and technical training (with limited potential training abroad), expanded sample collection through exhumations and public information campaigns to encourage DNA donation, and development of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains, with optional legal and psychological support for families of victims and missing persons. For Uzbekistan, the emphasis is narrower and centers on laboratory renovation and technical training to increase scientific capacity and processing capability in forensic anthropology, again with limited potential training abroad.
Administratively, this is a DRL grant competition (Funding Opportunity Number DRL 08 FORENSIC 051509) categorized as an earmark and using a grant funding instrument. The total award size is substantial, with an award floor of $500,000 and an award ceiling of $1,500,000, and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and public international organizations or similarly situated institutions. The opportunity was posted May 15, 2009, with a closing date of June 17, 2009, and it was archived July 16, 2009. A listed point of contact for access issues was Megan Oates, Program Officer at DRL (202-261-8030, oatesml@state.gov).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) grant competition to fund forensic assistance projects. The opportunity supports practical, capacity-building work that improves how local institutions and civil society collect, preserve, analyze, and use forensic evidence for accountability, rule of law, and family closure after conflict, violence, and disappearances.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this competition?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DRL 08 FORENSIC 051509.
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
The opportunity uses a grant funding instrument and is categorized as an earmark.
Which regions and countries are included?
The competition covers three regions with specific country focuses:
- Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
- East Asia and the Pacific: Vietnam
- South and Central Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal, and Uzbekistan
What is the overall purpose of the projects DRL wants to fund?
Projects are intended to strengthen local capacity to handle forensic evidence in sensitive contexts. The emphasis is on building practical capability (often combining infrastructure improvements with hands-on technical training and systems for managing sensitive evidence and reference data) so forensic work can better support accountability efforts, rule of law objectives, and humanitarian family closure.
What kinds of activities are generally expected or encouraged?
Across the targeted countries, projects are expected to be practical and capacity-building. Examples described in the opportunity include laboratory establishment/renovation, technical training (including limited training abroad where appropriate), exhumations and sample collection, community engagement to encourage voluntary DNA reference donation, creation of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains, and systems to manage sensitive evidence and reference data. In several contexts, legal and psychological support for survivors and families is also included as a potential activity.
What is the funding range for awards under this opportunity?
The award floor is $500,000 and the award ceiling is $1,500,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include:
- Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Public international organizations or similarly situated institutions
What is the focus of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) component?
In the DRC, DRL frames the need around conflict-related killings, mass graves, disappearances, widespread sexual violence in eastern DRC, persistent impunity, and limited local capacity. Proposals are sought that can either (1) improve the collection and preservation of rape evidence and/or (2) support identification of human remains.
What activities are specifically mentioned for projects in the DRC?
Examples of proposed activities listed for the DRC include:
- Establishing or renovating laboratories
- Training personnel in forensic anthropology and related disciplines
- Expanding sample collection through exhumations
- Community engagement to encourage voluntary DNA donation
- Creating databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains to enable matching
- Distributing rape kits and setting up procedures to collect and preserve rape evidence for possible later prosecutions (including circumstances where survivors are not ready to report immediately)
- Providing legal and psychological support to survivors and families
- Conducting public outreach and advocacy
- Building information-sharing networks among Congolese NGOs and with stakeholders such as international organizations, police, and judicial authorities to improve coordination, sustainability, and effectiveness
What is the focus of the Vietnam component?
In Vietnam, the focus is improving the country’s ability to locate, excavate, and identify remains from past conflicts. DRL notes Vietnam has had partial exposure to modern recovery and identification methods through joint operations connected to U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting efforts, but still lacks robust national capacity. The opportunity highlights that many remains were interred without identification, excavation teams are largely military and may lack specialized anthropologists or archaeologists, and DNA capability is limited.
What activities are specifically mentioned for projects in Vietnam?
Examples of activities described for Vietnam include:
- Training to strengthen excavation and identification operations (including limited training abroad where appropriate)
- Laboratory renovation and technical training to expand forensic anthropology and processing capability
- Increased exhumations
- Community engagement to encourage DNA reference donations
- Creation of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains to improve matching and identification outcomes
How does DRL describe the rationale for the Vietnam work?
The program rationale emphasizes humanitarian closure for families as well as broader reconciliation and goodwill benefits associated with accounting for missing persons.
What is the focus in Afghanistan under the South and Central Asia component?
For Afghanistan, DRL emphasizes victim- and family-centered support. The opportunity specifically encourages projects that provide legal and psychological assistance to victims’ families and that create information-sharing networks among NGOs to improve productivity, resource use, and sustainability.
What is the focus in Nepal under the South and Central Asia component?
For Nepal, the goal is to support identification of remains while building the capacity of local NGOs to conduct timely and reliable DNA testing.
What activities are specifically mentioned for projects in Nepal?
Eligible activities described for Nepal include:
- Laboratory renovation and technical training (with limited potential training abroad)
- Expanded sample collection through exhumations
- Public information campaigns to encourage DNA donation
- Development of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains
- Optional legal and psychological support for families of victims and missing persons
What is the focus in Uzbekistan under the South and Central Asia component?
For Uzbekistan, the emphasis is narrower and centers on laboratory renovation and technical training to increase scientific capacity and processing capability in forensic anthropology, with limited potential training abroad.
Are projects expected to include both infrastructure improvements and training?
Yes. The opportunity describes projects as practical and capacity-building, and notes they often combine infrastructure improvements (such as establishing or renovating laboratories) with hands-on technical training and systems for managing sensitive evidence and reference data.
Are databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains part of the expected approach?
Yes. The creation or development of databases for family reference samples and skeletal remains is explicitly mentioned as a way to enable matching and improve identification outcomes in multiple country contexts (including DRC, Vietnam, and Nepal).
Does the opportunity mention community engagement related to DNA reference samples?
Yes. Community engagement to encourage voluntary DNA donation (or DNA reference donations) is explicitly included as a proposed activity in the DRC and Vietnam descriptions, and public information campaigns to encourage DNA donation are mentioned for Nepal.
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on May 15, 2009, and the closing date was June 17, 2009.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The listing states it was archived on July 16, 2009.
Who is the point of contact listed for access issues?
The listed point of contact for access issues is Megan Oates, Program Officer at DRL. Phone: 202-261-8030. Email: oatesml@state.gov.
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