U.S. Embassy in Managua Anti-Corruption Program Grant

• The proposed activities for Project Component A (below) are linked to USAID’s existing transparency related programs in the selected departments.

• The project has a tangible outcome/result.
• The proposal must contain a component for long term long-term sustainability; and portability to other areas of the country of best practices and lessons learned.
• The organization has demonstrated that they have technical capacity, organizational capacity, and leadership to carry out the project.

• The project is scheduled (and likely) to be completed in six months.

• The costs are reasonable, allowable, and allocable and the proposal is cost effective.

• The organization is non-partisan and not working on behalf of a specific political party or lobbying for a particular political agenda.

• The proposal includes all sectors working against corruption and raising awareness among Nicaraguan businessmen, civil society activists and journalists on the negative impact of corruption and ways in which to report it.

Project Components:
Component A. Society’s Concept of Corruption ($55,000):
A Nicaraguan Civil Society Organization (CSO) will partner with a private sector chamber of commerce to conduct a series of workshops/trainings (combined with any other innovative events) of local civil society activists, journalists, and businessmen in the country’s five targeted Departments. These workshops/trainings and other innovative events will focus on defining corruption in general and specific terms, and highlighting examples of corruption at the local level, with an emphasis on showing the impact of corrupt practices on society and the economy in general. These trainings will also highlight the ways in which citizens can report corrupt practices, both to the government and through already established civil society avenues. Additionally, a public media campaign in these communities will accompany the focused workshops.
Component B. Annual Report ($0.00):
Some CSOs are already tracking corruption data and developing annual reports on corruption in Nicaragua. The grantee will track, in as detailed a manner as possible, cases of corruption within the government and the private sector, highlighting annual trends.
Component C. Presentation of Report and Ethics Awards ($10,000):
A Nicaraguan CSO will partner with private sector organizations to hold annual Ethics Awards event and present the annual report. The event will bring together the private sector and civil society to highlight the problem of corruption in the country by holding up positive examples from the private sector, the government, media and civil society of the fight against corruption. The annual report will also be presented at the event and vast media attention should be given to it (including new media).
The grant will be awarded through an open, merit-based competition. The purpose of this request for proposals is to inform potential applicant organizations of programmatic, procedural and funding information for the Anti-Corruption Grant Program. Applications are only accepted in English. Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via www.grants.gov and to ManaguaINL@state.gov by August 20th, 2012 before 1700 hours; 2) heed all instructions contained in the solicitation documents and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission; 3) do not violate any of the guidelines stated in the solicitation and this document. All inquires should be directed to ManaguaINL@state.gov. We look forward to working with you. This RFA is pending availability of funds.