Community-Based Activities to Build Civil Society and Youth Capacity in Mali

1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
   The U.S. Embassy in Mali of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program (or programs) to help counter violent extremism through cultural events and civic dialogue. Please carefully follow all instructions below.

Priority Region: Only projects that are executed in Mali will be considered. Particular priority will be given to projects that focus on building community resilience in underserved areas in Mali outside of Bamako.

Program Objectives:

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako works with partner organizations on a number of projects to advance shared objectives of a stable and prosperous Mali. One way this work is funded is through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP). TSCTP is the U.S. Government’s primary multi-year interagency vehicle to cooperate with partner countries in the Sahel and the Maghreb to strengthen civilian, military, and law enforcement capacity to counter terrorism and the spread of violent extremism. Under this Notice of Funding Opportunity, U.S. Embassy Bamako will consider proposals to receive funding for countering violent extremism (CVE) projects that increase young peoples’ and underserved populations’ access to information and civic dialogue via cultural gatherings, community events and workshops.

Proposals should outline programs that will bring young people in underserved populations / regions together through cultural gatherings, including music and sport caravans and festivals.  During these gatherings, young people from different communities should have the opportunity to engage with local government authorities, traditional community leaders, and members of other communities to come up with community-based, local and regional solutions for issues that threaten their communities, including violent extremism. All events should be organized entirely by Malian young activists and apprentices who learn transferable skills including planning, budgeting, and coordination, media and strategic communication, mediation, and negotiation.

Programs should also include a media / outreach component to broaden local awareness and extend the impact of programming. This could include citizen reporting on events and workshops, training for said citizen journalists on reporting, or radio coverage through established media outlets. All of these skills and activities should be designed as an integrated approach to increase economic empowerment and government stability via citizen interaction and empowerment.

In addition to the above, proposals should have as explicit objectives:

– Building resilience to violent extremism among vulnerable communities

– Supporting economic development in regions at risk of extremism due to a lack of economic opportunity by ensuring members of the local community are involved in carrying out and executing events

– Providing positive alternatives to populations vulnerable to recruitment and violent extremist messages

– Strengthening civil society capacity to counter violent extremism

– Countering violent extremist messaging and narratives

– Using cultural preservation to raise awareness about geographically isolated regions

– Women’s and youth empowerment and economic programs that include security and peace components

– Building connections and dialogue between local, regional, and national government officials and the communities they serve

Proposed projects must outline how they will ensure inclusion of different ethnic groups, women, and other underserved populations (as relevant).

Proposed budgets should include all costs necessary to carry out the program, in US dollars. Submitting organizations are encouraged to account for the impact that fluctuation in local currency rates may have on final project costs. Projects that propose construction will not be considered, and funds may not be spent on alcoholic beverages. See Section H, “Other Information,” for additional details on prohibited expenses below.

Participants and Audiences:

Including but not limited to: youth, populations in economically disadvantaged regions outside Bamako, civil society actors, local leaders, journalists.