Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0006516
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity under its Evaluation Innovation Fund titled "DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund - Understanding Factors and Conditions for Democracy and Rights Organizations" (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0006516; CFDA 19.345). The competition is aimed at organizations that can design and carry out projects that improve understanding of what makes pro-democracy, human rights, and labor rights organizations effective. In practical terms, the fund is looking for work that helps identify and assess the key factors, dynamics, and conditions that contribute to success for these kinds of organizations, with an emphasis on generating credible insights that can strengthen programming, strategy, and learning in the democracy and rights space.
The central focus is evaluation and learning rather than direct service delivery. DRL is seeking proposals that go beyond describing activities and instead examine what drives outcomes for organizations working on democracy, human rights, and labor rights, and under what circumstances those drivers matter. This includes studying enabling or constraining environments, internal organizational capabilities, networks and partnerships, political or legal context, security conditions, and other contextual elements that can influence performance and impact. The intent is to support analytical work that can clarify "what works, for whom, and under what conditions" for organizations operating in often complex and restrictive environments.
The award is structured as a grant, with an announced ceiling of $400,000. The opportunity was posted on February 25, 2020, and the original application deadline was April 28, 2020. The listing indicates "Expected Awards: 0," which can appear in government postings for a variety of administrative reasons (for example, awards depending on available funding or the quality of applications), so applicants typically interpret that field cautiously and rely on the narrative description and budget ceiling to understand the realistic scale of potential funding.
Eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. In similar DRL opportunities, "Others" often signals that a broader range of entities may apply than the standard categories shown on the summary page, but the specific eligible applicant types and any restrictions would be spelled out in the full solicitation. The funding activity category is listed as "Other," suggesting that the work does not fit neatly into a single conventional assistance category and may include mixed research, evaluation design, methodological innovation, and applied learning products tailored to DRL and the wider democracy and human rights community.
Overall, this opportunity supports projects that can produce rigorous, usable evidence about the conditions and drivers of success for democracy and rights organizations, helping DRL and partners make better-informed decisions about program design, support strategies, and long-term effectiveness in advancing democratic governance, human rights protections, and labor rights.Apply for SFOP0006516
- The Department of State, 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 "DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund – Understanding Factors and Conditions for Democracy and Rights Organizations" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.345.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 25, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 28, 2020. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund - Understanding Factors and Conditions for Democracy and Rights Organizations (SFOP0006516)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) under the Evaluation Innovation Fund. The opportunity is titled "DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund - Understanding Factors and Conditions for Democracy and Rights Organizations."
What is the goal of this grant competition?
The goal is to support projects that improve understanding of what makes pro-democracy, human rights, and labor rights organizations effective. The focus is on generating credible, usable insights that can strengthen programming, strategy, and learning across the democracy and rights space.
What kinds of organizations or work does the opportunity focus on?
The opportunity focuses on organizations working on democracy, human rights, and labor rights. The supported work is meant to identify and assess the factors, dynamics, and conditions that contribute to organizational success and impact.
Is this grant meant to fund direct services or on-the-ground program delivery?
No. The central focus is evaluation and learning rather than direct service delivery. Proposals are expected to go beyond describing activities and instead examine what drives outcomes and effectiveness for organizations in the democracy and rights ecosystem.
What does DRL want applicants to evaluate or learn about?
DRL is seeking analytical work that clarifies "what works, for whom, and under what conditions" for democracy and rights organizations. This includes examining drivers of success and the contexts in which those drivers matter.
What types of factors and conditions are specifically mentioned as areas to study?
The opportunity specifically mentions studying enabling or constraining environments; internal organizational capabilities; networks and partnerships; political or legal context; security conditions; and other contextual elements that can influence performance and impact.
What makes a proposal responsive based on the description provided?
A responsive proposal would prioritize rigorous evaluation and learning, aim to produce credible insights about drivers of organizational effectiveness, and pay close attention to the conditions under which those drivers contribute to outcomes, especially in complex or restrictive environments.
What is the funding instrument type?
The award is structured as a grant.
What is the maximum award amount?
The announced funding ceiling is $400,000.
When was the opportunity posted, and what was the application deadline?
The opportunity was posted on February 25, 2020. The original application deadline was April 28, 2020.
What do the identifiers SFOP0006516 and CFDA 19.345 refer to?
SFOP0006516 is the Funding Opportunity Number listed for this competition. CFDA 19.345 is the assistance listing identifier referenced in the opportunity summary.
The listing shows "Expected Awards: 0." Does that mean no awards will be made?
Not necessarily. Government postings sometimes show "Expected Awards: 0" for administrative reasons, such as awards depending on available funding or the quality of applications. Applicants typically interpret that field cautiously and rely on the narrative description and budget ceiling to understand the potential scale of funding.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. The summary suggests a potentially broader range of eligible entities than standard categories, but the specific eligible applicant types and any restrictions would be spelled out in the full solicitation.
What is the funding activity category?
The funding activity category is listed as "Other," indicating the work may not fit neatly into a single conventional assistance category and may include mixed research, evaluation design, methodological innovation, and applied learning products.
What kinds of outputs or deliverables are implied by the description?
The description points toward outputs that produce rigorous, usable evidence about organizational effectiveness, including analysis of drivers and conditions of success and learning products that can inform DRL and the broader democracy and human rights community.
How does this opportunity aim to be used by DRL and partners?
The intent is to help DRL and partners make better-informed decisions about program design, support strategies, and long-term effectiveness in advancing democratic governance, human rights protections, and labor rights.
Does the opportunity emphasize context and operating environments?
Yes. It explicitly highlights the importance of understanding enabling and constraining environments and notes that many organizations operate in complex and restrictive contexts where political, legal, and security conditions can shape outcomes.
Is the opportunity more about describing what organizations do or understanding why they succeed?
It is more about understanding why and when organizations succeed. The opportunity emphasizes examining drivers of outcomes and effectiveness rather than simply describing activities.
What is the core theme of the Evaluation Innovation Fund in this solicitation?
The core theme is evaluation and learning innovation focused on understanding the factors and conditions that make democracy, human rights, and labor rights organizations effective, and translating that understanding into credible insights that can strengthen strategy and programming.
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| FY 2020 Office of the U.S. Speaker Program Apply for SFOP0006534 Funding Number: SFOP0006534 Agency: Department of State, Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $4,200,000 |
| DRL Evaluation Innovation Fund – Community-Defined Impact Apply for SFOP0006512 Funding Number: SFOP0006512 Agency: Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| DRL Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Libya Apply for SFOP0006451 Funding Number: SFOP0006451 Agency: Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $1,200,000 |
| Open Government Partnership Reforms Apply for SFOP0006524 Funding Number: SFOP0006524 Agency: Department of State, Assistance Coordination Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Mozambique PAS Annual Program Statement Apply for AFMAP FY20 04 Funding Number: AFMAP FY20 04 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Mozambique Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| FY 2020 Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy Programs Apply for SFOP0006541 Funding Number: SFOP0006541 Agency: Department of State, Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $2,750,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Haiti PD Annual Program Statement Apply for DOS PD PAP GG 20 Funding Number: DOS PD PAP GG 20 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Haiti Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $23,000 |
| Women, Peace, and Security: Supporting Women’s Networks to Prevent, Resolve, and Mitigate Conflict Apply for SFOP0006547 Funding Number: SFOP0006547 Agency: Department of State, Office of the Secretary Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Women, Peace, and Security: Supporting Women’s Networks to Prevent, Resolve, and Mitigate Conflict Apply for SFOP0006548 Funding Number: SFOP0006548 Agency: Department of State, Office of Global Womens Issues Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Afghan University Student Exchange Program (AUSEP) Apply for SCAKAB 20 CA 002 SCA 02292020 Funding Number: SCAKAB 20 CA 002 SCA 02292020 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Afghanistan Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Annual Program Statement for Cultural Affairs Apply for PAS KTM APS FY2020 Funding Number: PAS KTM APS FY2020 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Nepal Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $24,500 |
| Speakers Program Apply for PAS CHISINAU FY20 08 SPEAKER Funding Number: PAS CHISINAU FY20 08 SPEAKER Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Moldova Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Praia Public Affairs Annual Program Statement Apply for AFPRA 20 02 Funding Number: AFPRA 20 02 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Cape Verde Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $7,500 |
| Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Apply for SFOP0006568 Funding Number: SFOP0006568 Agency: Department of State, Office of the Secretary Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Apply for SFOP0006573 Funding Number: SFOP0006573 Agency: Department of State, Office of Global Womens Issues Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Strategic Trends Division Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Apply for HDTRA1 20 S 0002BAA Funding Number: HDTRA1 20 S 0002BAA Agency: Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Notice of Intent: Completion of Magnetotelluric Array in CONUS Apply for USGS FA 20 0094 Funding Number: USGS FA 20 0094 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $2,700,000 |
| U.S. Embassy Lilongwe Public Affairs Section (PAS) Public Diplomacy FY2020 Small Grants Program Apply for AFMWI 20 01 Funding Number: AFMWI 20 01 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Malawi Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| DRL FY19 IRF Addressing Societal Constraints on Religious Freedom in Pakistan Apply for SFOP0006584 Funding Number: SFOP0006584 Agency: Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
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