Funding Wizard

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support WHA’s Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion (RESI) policy goals in Brazil and Colombia to advance reforms that promote equity and equality, eliminate barriers to inclusion, and create equal access and opportunities for members of marginalized and underserved communities.This project aims to increase collaboration and strengthen networks among host country civil society partners in Brazil and Colombia to advance reforms that promote equity and equality, eliminate barriers to inclusion, and create equal access and opportunities for members of marginalized and underserved communities. In Colombia, projects should include focus on civil society engagement in the U.S. - Colombia Action Plan on Racial and Ethnic Equality (CAPREE), including but not limited to utilizing CAPREE to advance a U.S. government priority of full implementation of the Ethnic Chapter of Colombia’s 2016 Peace Accord. In Brazil, projects should include a focus on the U.S. - Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER). Through training of diverse civil society leaders and capacity building of civil society and community networks, this project seeks to further RESI goals. Proposals must provide concrete examples linking to the objectives of these bilateral agreements.

The Building Leaders in Cuban Civil Society project will support the participation of cohorts of young emerging leaders from Cuban civil society in a professional development project, ideally for four to six months with an alumni follow-on component. The project will include bringing two to three small cohorts of civil-society leaders and/or young professionals to a third country, for no longer than three weeks per cohort, for in-depth training in required skillsets for fostering grassroots civil society in Cuba as a means of developing the skills needed to build up Cuban democracy. Such skills may include, but are not limited to, communications for spreading democratic ideals, presenting democracy-building and human rights ideas to audiences, and starting or growing community-level organizations related to democracy-building. Targeted skills to develop could include reaching remote areas to spread ideas related to democracy or democratic principles, presenting a program or project idea to potential NGO partners related to democracy-building, learning international communication tools and operating in the international organization community, and/or assessing unmet community needs, leadership and team building, strategic communications, office skills, organizational effectiveness, practical application of skills, or other topics consistent with the LIBERTAD Act.