Opportunity Information: Apply for SOL OAA 16 000018
Apply for SOL OAA 16 000018
- The USAID in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2015 and posted on Dec 04, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 15, 2016. (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 $25,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM) is a USAID-funded global grant opportunity designed to serve as the agency's flagship vehicle for supporting human rights protection programs worldwide. It is grounded in priorities identified by USAID Missions in different countries and in the commitments laid out in USAID's 2013 Strategy on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance. At its core, HRSM is meant to help prevent human rights violations, reduce harm when abuses occur, and strengthen the ability of people and institutions to seek and obtain effective remedies, with particular emphasis on violations affecting the most vulnerable populations.
The award is structured as a five-year "Leader with Associates" cooperative agreement. In practical terms, this means USAID intends to make one main, centrally managed (Leader) award that can be complemented by additional, Mission-driven agreements (Associates) over time, allowing country Missions to tap into the mechanism as needs arise. Because it is a cooperative agreement, USAID expects to have substantial involvement in implementation, such as shaping activities, coordinating responses, and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives rather than simply providing funds with minimal oversight.
HRSM is expected to support three broad types of work. First, it will invest in improving the enabling environment that helps prevent human rights violations and abuses. This can include strengthening laws, policies, institutions, civil society capacity, accountability systems, and other conditions that make rights protections more likely to be respected and enforced. Second, it will support responsive actions that mitigate the impacts of violations and abuses, recognizing that in many settings people face immediate threats that require practical protection measures, urgent assistance, or crisis-focused interventions. Third, it will support effective remedies to violations and abuses, which generally refers to strengthening avenues for justice and redress, such as access to legal support, documentation and evidence collection, advocacy for accountability, and mechanisms that help survivors and affected communities pursue remedies.
A notable feature of the HRSM description is the explicit focus on learning and rapid response. Through the Leader award, USAID plans to identify and promote effective approaches to protecting human rights through assistance activities, which signals an interest not only in delivering programs but also in generating usable evidence about what works across different contexts. The mechanism is also intended to provide rapid response capacity for urgent and unforeseen crises, enabling USAID to mobilize support quickly when sudden escalations in repression, violence, or other acute rights threats emerge.
From an administrative perspective, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding under USAID, with the funding activity category identified as Humanities (with reference to Cultural Affairs in CFDA). The CFDA number is 98.001. USAID anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $25,000,000 for the mechanism. The funding opportunity number is SOL OAA 16 000018. The posting date and creation date were December 4, 2015, and the closing date was January 15, 2016. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced as being provided in a separate eligibility clarification field in the full announcement.
Overall, HRSM is best understood as a flexible, multi-year, worldwide platform that USAID can use to deliver targeted human rights protection support across countries and situations. Its design emphasizes both upstream prevention and downstream response, with an intentional focus on vulnerable groups, concrete mitigation when abuses occur, pathways to remedy, and the ability to react quickly when unexpected crises create immediate human rights protection needs.
Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM)?
The Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM) is a USAID-funded global grant opportunity intended to serve as USAID's flagship vehicle for supporting human rights protection programs worldwide.
2) What is HRSM designed to achieve?
HRSM is designed to help prevent human rights violations, reduce harm when abuses occur, and strengthen the ability of people and institutions to seek and obtain effective remedies. It places particular emphasis on violations affecting the most vulnerable populations.
3) What USAID priorities or strategies is HRSM based on?
HRSM is grounded in priorities identified by USAID Missions in different countries and in commitments laid out in USAID's 2013 Strategy on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance.
4) Is HRSM a country-specific program or a global mechanism?
HRSM is described as a global, worldwide platform that USAID can use to deliver targeted human rights protection support across countries and situations.
5) What type of award is HRSM?
HRSM is structured as a five-year "Leader with Associates" cooperative agreement.
6) What does "Leader with Associates" mean in practice?
USAID intends to make one main, centrally managed "Leader" award. Over time, that Leader award can be complemented by additional Mission-driven "Associate" agreements, allowing USAID country Missions to use the mechanism as needs arise.
7) What does it mean that HRSM is a cooperative agreement?
Because it is a cooperative agreement, USAID expects to have substantial involvement in implementation. This may include shaping activities, coordinating responses, and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, rather than only providing funds with minimal oversight.
8) How long is HRSM expected to run?
The opportunity is described as a five-year cooperative agreement.
9) How many awards did USAID anticipate making under this opportunity?
USAID anticipated making a single award for the mechanism (the centrally managed Leader award).
10) What is the funding ceiling for HRSM?
The award ceiling listed for the mechanism is $25,000,000.
11) What are the main categories of work HRSM is expected to support?
HRSM is expected to support three broad types of work: (1) improving the enabling environment to help prevent violations and abuses, (2) responsive actions that mitigate impacts when violations and abuses occur, and (3) supporting effective remedies to violations and abuses.
12) What does "improving the enabling environment" include under HRSM?
This can include strengthening laws, policies, institutions, civil society capacity, accountability systems, and other conditions that make rights protections more likely to be respected and enforced.
13) What does HRSM mean by "responsive actions" to mitigate impacts?
HRSM recognizes that in many settings people face immediate threats. Responsive actions can involve practical protection measures, urgent assistance, or crisis-focused interventions intended to reduce harm.
14) What does "effective remedies" refer to in the HRSM description?
Effective remedies generally refer to strengthening avenues for justice and redress, such as access to legal support, documentation and evidence collection, advocacy for accountability, and mechanisms that help survivors and affected communities pursue remedies.
15) Does HRSM emphasize learning or evidence about what works?
Yes. A notable feature is an explicit focus on learning. Through the Leader award, USAID plans to identify and promote effective approaches to protecting human rights through assistance activities, signaling interest in generating usable evidence across different contexts.
16) Does HRSM include a rapid response component?
Yes. The mechanism is intended to provide rapid response capacity for urgent and unforeseen crises, enabling USAID to mobilize support quickly when sudden escalations in repression, violence, or other acute rights threats emerge.
17) Who identifies the priorities HRSM will respond to?
HRSM is grounded in priorities identified by USAID Missions in different countries, and the Associate structure is designed to allow Missions to access the mechanism as needs arise.
18) What is the funding agency for this opportunity?
The funding agency is USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development).
19) What is the funding opportunity number for HRSM?
The funding opportunity number is SOL OAA 16 000018.
20) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 98.001.
21) What is the funding activity category for HRSM?
The opportunity is listed under the funding activity category "Humanities" (with reference to Cultural Affairs in CFDA).
22) Is this opportunity discretionary funding?
Yes. It is listed as discretionary funding under USAID.
23) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The posting date and creation date were December 4, 2015, and the closing date was January 15, 2016.
24) What is the stated eligibility for HRSM?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced as being provided in a separate eligibility clarification field in the full announcement.
25) What is the overall purpose of HRSM as described?
Overall, HRSM is described as a flexible, multi-year, worldwide platform for targeted human rights protection support, emphasizing upstream prevention and downstream response, a focus on vulnerable groups, concrete mitigation when abuses occur, pathways to remedy, and the ability to react quickly when unexpected crises create immediate human rights protection needs.
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