Notice of Intent: Program to End Modern Slavery FY 2025

Note: This is a Notice of Intent. An announcement is not related to this notice. The TIP Office is not accepting applications at this time. Please review the attached notice for full details. Background: The goal of PEMS is to measurably and substantially reduce the prevalence of human trafficking and the harms associated with the crime in targeted populations through innovative interventions driven by research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and the expansion of partnerships with government, academia, civil society organizations, international organizations and the private sector. The U.S. Congress has appropriated $25 million annually since 2016 for PEMS, with $200 million in funding obligated to date. The TIP Office intends to further build the evidence base around what interventions work effectively to address trafficking in persons through funding the implementation and rigorous evaluation of high-potential and high-impact promising interventions. The TIP Office intends to consider interventions that have some evidence pointing to their effectiveness which could benefit from an evaluation to validate the intervention approach and answer important research questions about what is effective in anti-trafficking in persons programming. The TIP Office will consider interventions that have shown promise but have not had the funding to be rigorously evaluated; interventions that have shown success in other fields but have not been adapted and tested as a human trafficking intervention; and interventions for which there is a design for programming supported by significant research, which have not yet had the funding to implement and evaluate. Local expertise will be considered critical for implementing projects under this future opportunity. Please review the full notice attached.

Details

• Agency: Office to Monitor-Combat Trafficking in Persons
• Department: Department of State
• Opportunity #: DFOP0017042
• Expected Awards: 0
• Instrument: other

Eligibility

Any commercial, international, educational, or non-profit organization(s), including any faith-based, community-based, or public international organization(s) are eligible to apply if and when a Statement of Intent and/or a Notice of Funding Opportunity is published. Lack of past experience with U.S. Department of State cooperative agreements, grants, or contracts does not bar eligibility. All applicants for TIP Office funding opportunities must have a valid Unique Entity Identifier. Although not required for submission of an application via SAMS Domestic on https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants, a valid UEI number is required for organizations selected for an award. Organizations should verify their UEI number or take the steps needed to obtain one as soon as possible. Instructions for obtaining a UEI number can be found at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

FAQ

QUESTIONS TO AND ANSWERS FROM THE OFFICE TO MONITOR AND
COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP OFFICE) ABOUT ITS PROGRAM TO
END MODERN SLAVERY (PEMS) FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ELIGIBILITY
LOGISTICS
BUDGET AND TIMELINE
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
SOI CONTENT
COMPTETITIVE REVIEW
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
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ELIGIBILITY
1. Who is eligible to apply for funding?
U.S.-based and foreign non-governmental organizations (including faith-based
organizations), U.S. based and foreign non-profits, public international
organizations (PIOs), institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations
are eligible to apply.
The Department of State prohibits for-profit organizations from earning a profit
under its assistance awards. Additionally, applications submitted by for-profit
entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection
process. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR Part 30 (2020)—Cost
Accounting Standards and 48 CFR Part 31 (2019)—Contract Cost Principles and
Procedures takes precedence over the cost principles in 2 CFR § 200, Subpart E,
for Federal awards to U.S. and foreign for-profit entities.
U.S. government agencies may apply for funding projects that would be funded
through an Interagency Acquisition Agreement (IAA). Foreign governments are
not eligible to apply but may be beneficiaries of funded projects, provided the
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funding does not cover salaries of government agency personnel and complies
with U.S. law and policy restrictions.
2. Are current TIP Office grantees eligible to apply?
Yes, organizations currently receiving funds from the TIP Office are eligible to
apply for additional funding under this opportunity. There are no restrictions on
receiving funding from other U.S. government sources, including other
Department of State bureaus.
LOGISTICS
1. How much funding does the TIP Office have for PEMS?
The U.S. Congress has appropriated $25 million annually since Fiscal Year 2016 for
PEMS, with $200 million in funding obligated to date. The TIP Office plans to
allocate up to $22 million in Fiscal Year 2024 funding to issue multiple awards
under this funding opportunity.
2. How does the TIP Office define the stages of funding under PEMS? How is
this different from previous funding calls?
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PEMS funding is structured to support interventions at three critical stages:
• Research and design of innovative solutions (Stage 1)
• Implementation and rigorous evaluation of promising practices (Stage 2)
• Replication or scaling of effective solutions (Stage 3)
The 2025 funding opportunity builds on prior PEMS-funded initiatives and is
designed to address critical evidence gaps on what approaches are effective in
responding to trafficking in persons. While the 2023 PEMS funding opportunity
focused heavily on stage 1 with the research, development, and piloting of
projects through Intervention Development Research (IDR), the 2025 PEMS
opportunity is focused more heavily on stage 2, validating promising interventions
that have already been developed but have not undergone rigorous evaluation.
3. What is the funding range for this opportunity?
The TIP Office plans to issue multiple awards, with a project duration not to
exceed 54 months (four and a half years). Awards under this opportunity may
range from $500,000 - $5,000,000, depending on the scale and maturity of the
intervention to be proposed and the evaluation approach.
4. What is the maximum number of awards?
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The number of awards depends on the quality of proposals and the availability of
funds.
5. What are the expected funding dates?
Subject to available funds, the TIP Office expects to award the funds to successful
applicant(s) no later than September 2025. Funded projects will begin on or after
October 1, 2025.
6. Where can I find the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)?
The funding opportunity is available on MyGrants and on Grants.gov.
7. How many applications can an organization submit to this funding
opportunity?
Applicants can submit multiple SOIs on different interventions that are not
interdependent; however, organizations may only submit up to thee (3) proposals
as the prime applicant. There is no limit to the number of applications in which an
organization is listed as a partner organization.Applicants with multiple country
locations, offices, or entities must coordinate to limit the total number of
proposals in which the organization is listed as the prime applicant to comply with
the limits above.
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8. If an organization submits more than the allotted applications, will it
receive a technical fail?
If an organization submits more than the allotted number (3) of applications, then
the last submitted application/s, which will be determined by date and time of
submission, will not be eligible and receive a technical fail.
9. May an organization apply separately as a partner organization and a
prime?
Yes, an organization can apply as the prime organization and be a partner
organization on another application so long as the prime organization is clearly
identified.
10. What do you mean by a partner organization?
For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a partner organization is any
organization that would receive sub-award funding from a successful applicant to
assist in implementing anti-trafficking projects and/or activities. Applicants are
allowed to collaborate with other organizations when submitting application(s). In
such cases, the lead applicant must be clearly identified, and one or more partner
organizations may be designated as sub-recipient.
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11. Does the prime applicant have to be based in the country where the project
will be implemented?
Applications are strongly encouraged from organizations based in the country
where projects are proposed. However, there is no requirement for the prime
organization to be based in the intervention country. Applicants should possess
significant contextual expertise and existing relationships with key stakeholders
within the local system (government, civil society, etc.) or be partnered with a
local organization(s) with such capacity.
12. Is preference given to organizations of a certain size or capacity?
This funding opportunity is designed to be accessible to organizations of all sizes.
It aims to support a diverse range of applicants, from small grassroots
organizations to larger, well-established entities. Note that applications are
welcome from organizations with minimal prior experience implementing
government grants, and costs for building grant management capacity may be
included under this opportunity.
BUDGET AND TIMELINE
1. Is cost sharing required under the funding opportunity?
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Cost sharing, cost matching, and cost participation ARE NOT required under this
funding opportunity. However, applicants may choose to include voluntary cost-
sharing if desired. If cost-sharing is included, applicants should specify the amount
in the SF-424 form. Applications including voluntary cost-sharing will not receive
preferential treatment or be evaluated differently from those without it.
2. Is there any limitation on the duration of the funding period?
Project duration should not exceed four and half years (54 months).If a timeline
extending beyond four and a half years would be beneficial for measuring
outcomes and impacts assessed with the evaluation, please indicate that in the
SOI, and the TIP Office may consider a phase funded project that allows for
additional years.
3. What budget information is required for the application at time of
submission?
At the time of submission, applicants must provide a few sentences summarizing
the anticipated costs of the total project, including costs for the intervention as
well as monitoring, evaluation, and research. Additional guidance for applicants as
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they prepare cost estimates at this stage is provided in the “Statement of Interest
Guidance” section of the NOFO document.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION
1. If an organization proposes a partnership with another organization, do all
parties need to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, or only the prime
applicant?
A valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), formerly known as the Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS), is not required to submit an application on MyGrants.
However, organizations selected for an award must have a valid UEI. Please note
that selected grantees cannot issue sub-awards to sub-recipients unless those
sub-recipients have obtained and provided a valid UEI.
Organizations are encouraged to verify their UEI or begin the process of obtaining
one as soon as possible. Instructions for obtaining a UEI can be found at
https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.
2. How do I unlock my MyGrants account or change my password? What should
I do if I encounter difficulty using the MyGrants website?
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Unfortunately, the TIP Office is unable to unlock accounts or reset passwords.
Please review the MyGrants recipient training at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pUKQ6gRmi0 to answer any questions
about the platform.
For other assistance with MyGrants, please contact the ILMS Support Desk at 1-
(888)-313-4567 (toll free for international callers) or submit a ticket using the
ILMS Self Service Portal (https://afsitsm.servicenowservices.com/grants).
Customer Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note support
hours may change on Federal holidays. Direct questions regarding the process of
uploading applications to Customer Support. Technical difficulties not resolved by
the Support Desk by the time of submission must be fully documented, including
a ticket number documenting communication with Customer Support, and
reported to the TIP Office at JTIPGrants@state.gov only. Please do not contact any
other Department of State personnel.
SOI CONTENT
1. How does PEMS define “intervention” under this funding opportunity?
An intervention or intervention model is a set of planned activities or strategies
designed to bring about specific changes in a situation or group. Interventions can
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involve multiple components working together to achieve clearly defined
outcomes. For example, an intervention might include efforts spanning two or
more of the four Ps (prevention, protection, prosecution, partnerships) or
activities across multiple countries targeting a shared goal.
2. What categories of interventions are eligible for funding?
Eligible interventions MUST fall into one of the following categories:
a) An existing intervention which has shown promise but has not been
rigorously evaluated;
b) An intervention that has shown success in other fields (such as
combating gender-based violence) but has not been adapted and tested
as a human trafficking intervention;
c) An intervention for which there is a design for programming supported
by significant research, but has not yet had the funding to implement
and evaluate the intervention.
Regardless of the category, SOIs must include evidence to support the
intervention's potential and outline plans for implementation, rigorous evaluation,
and how the evaluation will contribute to both the applicant’s work and the
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broader knowledge base on anti-trafficking programming. Applicants must
demonstrate how they will consider new knowledge acquired and introduce any
necessary corresponding modifications. Please refer to the “Statement of Interest
Guidance” section of the NOFO document for further information.
3. Will one category of funding be prioritized over the other?
No, as emphasized in the NOFO, the TIP Office prioritizes projects that have the
most potential to be effective, replicable or scalable, sustainable, and cost-
effective.
4. Are newly designed interventions eligible for funding?
Yes, newly designed interventions are eligible if they are supported by significant
research or evidence that points to their potential for success in combating human
trafficking. As noted in the NOFO, applicants should develop a total budget
factoring in the size of the proposed intervention, evaluation methodology, and
maturity or level of existing evidence for the intervention. Funding for the
development and piloting of more nascent promising interventions will be
provided at lower levels than funding for interventions that have significant
evidence of their effectiveness.
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5. Can an applicant propose an intervention in a well-researched area if they
can demonstrate a critical need for additional evaluation or adaptation?
Yes, interventions in well-researched areas are eligible if applicants can
demonstrate a critical need to:
• Adapt or test the intervention in a new context,
• Conduct a rigorous evaluation to validate its effectiveness in addressing
human trafficking,
• Scale the intervention to reach underserved populations or regions.
If relevant, applicants should provide a strong rationale for why their proposed
work is necessary despite existing research in the area.
6. What details are required for the implementation plan at the SOI stage?
Applicants should include the proposed location(s), scale, target beneficiaries, and
a general timeline. Further planning and detail will be required for applicants
invited to submit full proposals in stage 2. While detailed plans for the
intervention model’s review and refinement are not required at this stage,
applicants should note that initial adjustments may be needed to enhance
effectiveness.
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7. What types of evidence are considered acceptable to support the
effectiveness of an intervention? Are certain types of evidence prioritized
under this funding opportunity?
The TIP Office is open to a variety of evidence types and sources, including an
organization’s monitoring data, external evaluations, qualitative research, and
other reliable sources. Evidence must go beyond anecdotal accounts. For newly
designed or untested interventions in the human trafficking context, evidence
should strongly indicate the intervention’s potential for success in this context.
Additional details are available in the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section of
the NOFO document.
8. Do applicants need to propose specific evaluation methodologies at the
SOI stage?
Applicants can either provide a summary of planned methodologies or explain
how the applicant will determine appropriate approaches and if relevant, develop
a partnership with a partner specialized in the evaluation approach.
Methodologies can include experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed methods, or
other rigorous approaches, depending on the context. Further information is
provided in the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section of the NOFO document.
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9. What evaluation methods are considered “rigorous” under this funding call?
Rigorous evaluation uses methods that provide credible evidence of an
intervention's effectiveness, assessing whether it met its targets and contributed
to broader outcomes. Evaluation plans should add value to the applicant’s work
and the wider anti-trafficking knowledge base.
Applicants may propose various evaluation methods that are well-suited to the
context, needs, and intervention’s maturity. Note that the use of experimental or
quasi-experimental approaches, such as Randomized Control Trials, is allowed but
is NOT a requirement under this opportunity. Proposals should clearly articulate
how the evaluation will enhance understanding of the effectiveness of anti-
trafficking programming. A helpful resource that includes some research and
learning questions for the anti-trafficking space is Innovation for Poverty Action’s
Research and Learning Agenda, which has been developed under the Program to
End Modern Slavery. Applicants may choose to address research questions
included in this agenda or develop their question/s. For more details on
evaluation methods, see the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section of the
NOFO document.
10. How should survivor engagement be incorporated in project proposals?
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The TIP Office encourages applicants to meaningfully incorporate survivor
engagement by consulting individuals with lived experience during development,
partnering with survivor-led organizations, and ensuring activities are survivor-
informed.
11. Are there any exclusions on what types of interventions can be proposed?
No – applicants are welcome to propose interventions that fall under any aspect
of the anti-trafficking response. The TIP Office uses a “3P” paradigm—
prosecution, protection, and prevention—as the fundamental framework used
around the world to combat human trafficking. Prevention activities focus on
preventing trafficking among vulnerable populations – examples of prevention
activities include but are not limited to: targeted behavioral change campaigns,
vocational training or livelihood assistance for individuals at high risk of trafficking,
increasing community level actors’ capacity to identify and refer potential cases,
etc. Protection activities include support for survivors of trafficking once they have
been identified. Examples include mental health support, case management,
housing support and shelter services, repatriation assistance to a survivor’s home
country, educational or vocational support, etc. Prosecution activities include
those efforts to identify and hold perpetrators of trafficking accountable and build
the capacity of public justice systems to prosecute offenders. Examples include
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but are not limited to working with law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and
court personnel to increase their capacity, skills, and resources to handle
trafficking cases effectively and in a trauma-informed and victim-centered manner.
Additional information can be found here: https://www.state.gov/3ps-
prosecution-protection-and-prevention/
12. Does a proposed intervention need to focus solely on human trafficking or
can an intervention address other issues such as gender-based violence as
well?
Human trafficking issues and programming overlap with many fields and expertise
in these areas can be valuable to developing effective programming. However,
intervention costs covered by this grant/cooperative agreement should primarily
benefit victims of trafficking or people who are vulnerable to trafficking, and any
outcomes measurement and evaluation plans for the proposed intervention must
be able to specifically show the intervention’s impacts among survivors or those
vulnerable to human trafficking.
13. Can this opportunity be used to fund just an evaluation of an intervention
that is being implemented with funding from a different source or grant?
No – this opportunity is intended to cover both the implementation and the
rigorous evaluation of a promising intervention. If applicants have intervention
activities that will be funded through other sources, they must design an approach
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to implement a unique instance or iteration of the intervention that will allow for
the evaluation to track (and at a minimum, disaggregate) outcomes of the
activities funded through this specific funding opportunity.
COMPETITIVE REVIEW
1. How does the TIP Office decide which proposal(s) to fund?
Funding for anti-trafficking projects will be allocated through an open and
competitive two-stage process. All SOIs received will first undergo a technical
review to ensure they meet the technical requirements. SOIs which pass the
technical review are reviewed by State Department staff at the TIP Office, U.S.
embassies, and regional bureaus, and final decisions are made by TIP Office
leadership.
2. Where may I find additional advice about preparing the SOI or full
application?
The TIP Office must ensure a fair, transparent, competitive grants process. No one
from the Office or other Department of State personnel, including Embassy
personnel, is permitted to advise you on the content of your application. Persons
with additional questions about the requirements of the funding opportunity may
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contact JTIPGrants@state.gov. Responses to questions will be answered via email
and included in the FAQ Document. The FAQ Document will be updated regularly
and posted online with the opportunity package on Grants.gov and MyGrants.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. Can you clarify what type of external guidance and support for awardees will
be provided by the TIP Office?
The TIP Office may provide awardees with external guidance and support in areas
such as helping to refine intervention designs for effective implementation
alongside an evaluation and/or evaluative activities. This support will focus on
strengthening the intervention’s approach, ensuring it is well-prepared for
evaluation to help validate the intervention’s effectiveness, and that there is
sufficient adaptive management as the intervention is being implemented and
evaluated.
Awardees will be expected to engage in the conversations, remain open to
refining their intervention models, and incorporate learnings throughout their
project. All proposed projects should begin with a thorough review of the
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intervention’s evidence and theory of change to identify and implement any
necessary modifications to enhance effectiveness and prepare for evaluation.
2. Where can I find specifics regarding projects previously funded by the TIP
Office?
Applicants are encouraged to look to our website, https://www.state.gov/tip-
office-project-descriptions/, for information on TIP Office-funded projects from
prior years.
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> Download DOCX file: PEMS 9 SOI Narrative Template.docx

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Stage 1 NOFO

U.S. Department of State
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office)
Notice of Funding Opportunity – Program to End Modern Slavery 2025
Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of State
Program Office: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons, International Programs Section
Funding Opportunity Title: 2025 TIP Office International Programs to Combat
Human Trafficking Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NOFO) – Stage 1: Statement of Interest for the
Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS)
Funding Opportunity: DFOP0017061
Announcement Type: 2025 TIP Office Notification of Funding
Opportunity – Statement of Interest, PEMS
Assistance Listing
Number(s): 19.019
Deadline for Applications: 17:00 EST February 4, 2025
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A. Program Description
The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
(TIP Office) is pleased to invite organizations to submit Statements of Interest
(SOIs) to combat human trafficking outside of the United States. For further
details on this opportunity, please see Section C. This NOFO is for stage one of a
two-stage competition for funding.
The TIP Office will allocate funding for anti-trafficking projects through an open,
two-stage competitive process. In stage one of competition, also known as the
SOI stage, applicants are invited to submit five-page-maximum SOIs for projects
designed to address the priorities identified in Section C. The TIP Office will
conduct a technical review to ensure SOIs meet all requirements identified in this
funding opportunity. SOIs that pass the technical review will then undergo a
programmatic review by a team of regional and/or subject matter experts. A
limited number of applicants will be invited to stage two of the competition
where the TIP Office will request full proposals and supporting documents. These
full proposals will be reviewed by an interagency panel. TIP Office leadership will
make final funding decisions. All funding for approved proposals is pending the
availability of FY 2024 appropriated funds. The TIP Office anticipates issuing
awards for the priorities identified below in the fall of 2025.
The TIP Office may exercise Non-Competitive Continuations (NCC) to awarded
projects under this solicitation for additional years and funds to build on efforts of
the base period of performance. If applicable, within the 90 days prior to the
conclusion of the first period of performance, the TIP Office will notify the
recipient of its intent to exercise or not to exercise an NCC after assessing the
recipient’s performance. The decision to exercise an NCC will depend both on the
satisfactory performance of the recipient and on the availability of funds. More
information on NCCs will be shared in stage two of the competitive process when
full proposals are submitted.
TIP Office-funded efforts also include partnerships with governments, academia,
civil society, the private sector, other funders, and international organizations to
advance the goals of the program and improve collaboration on the reduction of
the prevalence of human trafficking.
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The TIP Office welcomes strong SOIs (as measured by the criteria in Section G)
that address human trafficking challenges on a significant scale, offer the
potential to have a systemic and sustainable impact, and align with U.S.
government priorities and the TIP Office’s 2024 priorities, among other factors.
B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION
Approximate Average Award: $2,500,000 for initial period of performance
Floor of Award Range: $500,000
Ceiling of Award Range: $5,000,000 for initial period of performance; $5,000,000
for total overall ceiling (Some Programming Priorities may have lower initial and
total overall ceiling award ranges, see below.)
Award Duration: 24 – 54 Months
Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2025
Additional Information: The TIP Office reserves the right to reduce, revise, or
increase budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability
of funds.
FUNDING INSTRUMENT TYPE
Any funds awarded under this funding opportunity will be provided through a
grant or cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement provides for
“substantial involvement” between the agency — in this case the TIP Office —
and the recipient during the award’s period of performance. If awarded as a
cooperative agreement, the TIP Office will undertake reasonable and
programmatically necessary substantial involvement, including active
participation or collaboration with the recipient in the implementation of the
award.
Examples of substantial involvement by the TIP Office may include, but are not
limited to: review and approval of one stage of work before another can begin;
review and approval of all proposed sub-awards or contracts; joint presentation
of results with the recipient; and/or involvement where the TIP Office requires
specific programmatic oversight over the award beyond normal monitoring.
Substantial involvement is in addition to routine monitoring that includes
approval of changes in key personnel; approval of the recipient’s budget and plan
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of work prior to award; standard oversight, monitoring, and administration of
federal awards; and unanticipated actions to correct a recipient’s performance,
administrative, or financial deficiencies identified during the implementation of
the award.
US GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO COMBATTING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 USC §7101 et seq.), as amended
(TVPA), established the TIP Office in the U.S. Department of State. The TIP Office
leads the United States’ global engagement to combat human trafficking and
seeks partnerships with foreign governments, civil society organizations, and
multilateral organizations utilizing the “3P” paradigm: prosecuting traffickers
using a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach, protecting trafficking
victims through proactive identification and the provision of comprehensive,
trauma-informed care, and preventing trafficking in persons through targeted
programs that make it more difficult or risky for traffickers to commit the crime.
The TIP Office also recognizes the importance of partnerships and collaborative
efforts with relevant governmental and nongovernmental actors in anti-trafficking
work. TIP Office programs and projects combat human trafficking – a crime that
involves compelling a person to work or engage in a commercial sex act through
the trafficker’s use of force, fraud, or coercion. It should be noted that when a
person younger than 18 is used to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime
regardless of whether there is any force, fraud, or coercion.
The U.S. government defines “trafficking in persons” as:
• Sex trafficking, which encompasses the range of activities involved when
a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to
engage in a commercial sex act or causes a child to engage in a
commercial sex act with or without force, fraud, or coercion.
• Forced labor, sometimes also referred to as labor trafficking,
encompasses the range of activities involved when a person uses force,
fraud, or coercion to exploit the labor or services of another person.
Trafficking in persons does not require the movement of a person. Under the
TVPA and generally consistent with the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing
United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo
Protocol), individuals may be trafficking victims regardless of whether they once
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consented to provide commercial sex acts (with the exception of children, who
cannot provide consent), labor, or services; whether they participated in unlawful
acts their traffickers compelled them to commit; whether someone transported
them into the exploitative situation; or whether they were simply born into a
state of servitude. The TIP Office will not support projects that use alternate
definitions of trafficking.
The TVPA requires that the Department of State submit to Congress an annual
report assessing the efforts of governments to address trafficking in persons. The
annual TIP Report is the primary tool for the Department’s engagement with
other governments on human trafficking and informs U.S. policy and assistance
priorities to combat this crime. The 2024 TIP Report is available on the TIP Office
website, www.state.gov/j/tip.
Since 2000, when the United Nations adopted the Palermo Protocol and the
United States enacted the TVPA, the number of parties to the Protocol has risen
to over 190 countries. In addition, a majority of countries have criminalized all
forms of human trafficking, and many countries have established specialized law
enforcement units, set up human trafficking victim assistance mechanisms, and
launched public awareness campaigns. Nonetheless, the number of victims
identified and assisted – and the number of traffickers investigated, prosecuted,
and convicted – remains low relative to the size of the problem; governments also
continue to face challenges in effectively implementing anti-trafficking legal and
policy frameworks.
The TIP Office works to build the capacity of partner governments and civil society
to address these challenges in a number of ways, including through foreign
assistance programs. Information on U.S. government anti-trafficking efforts is
available at https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking/ and a summary of
international projects currently funded by the TIP Office is available at
https://www.state.gov/tip-office-project-descriptions/.
Applicants are expected to submit SOIs that reflect an understanding of victim-
centered, trauma-informed, and survivor-informed approaches to anti-trafficking
programming. Applicants should also include these approaches in any plans for
direct engagement with individuals with lived experience of human trafficking;
applicants are encouraged to work with and/or consult individuals with lived
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experience of human trafficking in the development of their SOIs if possible.
When relevant for the SOIs, applicants are expected to reflect the provision of
comprehensive services to victims of trafficking. Strong applicants should
incorporate these approaches, where relevant, into their proposals and explain
how each concept will be appropriately applied in project activities. The TIP
Office defines these concepts as follows:
Victim-Centered Approach
Placing the crime victim’s priorities, needs, and interests at the center of the work
with the victim; providing nonjudgmental assistance, with an emphasis on self-
determination, and assisting victims in making informed choices; ensuring that
restoring victims’ feelings of safety and security are a priority and safeguarding
against policies and practices that may inadvertently re-traumatize victims. A
victim-centered approach should also incorporate a trauma-informed, survivor-
informed, and culturally competent approach.
Trauma-Informed Approach
A trauma-informed approach recognizes signs of trauma in individuals and the
professionals who help them and responds by integrating knowledge about
trauma into policies, procedures, practices, and settings, and seeking to actively
resist re-traumatization. This approach includes an understanding of the
vulnerabilities and experiences of trauma survivors, including the prevalence and
physical, social, and emotional impact of trauma. A trauma-informed approach
places priority on restoring the survivor’s feelings of safety, choice, and control.
Programs, services, agencies, and communities can be trauma-informed.
Survivor-Informed
Survivor-informed proposals include programs, policies, interventions, or
products that are designed, implemented, and evaluated with intentional
leadership, expertise, and input from a diverse community of survivors to ensure
that the program, policy, intervention, or product accurately represents their
needs, interests, and perceptions.
Non-Competitive Continuations (NCCs)
To maximize the impact and sustainability of the award(s) that result from this
funding opportunity, the TIP Office retains the right to execute NCCs. The total
duration of any award, including potential NCC amendments, generally will not
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exceed 60 months, or five years. Any NCC is contingent on performance and
pending availability of funds. An NCC is not guaranteed, and the Department of
State reserves the right to exercise or not to exercise this option.
C. PROGRAMMING PRIORITY/IES
The TIP Office has identified programming priorities for potential funding. These
priorities are heavily informed by recommendations from the annual TIP Report,
coordination with a broad range of anti-trafficking donors, and engagement with
foreign governments and local civil society, and are based on the TIP Office’s
current anti-trafficking efforts.
The TIP Office generally prioritizes foreign assistance in those countries assessed
below Tier 1 in the TIP Report and where governments demonstrate political will,
but lack the economic resources or anti-trafficking expertise, to effectively
address the problem. Applicants may apply for up to the total amount listed
below and should submit funding requests rounded to the nearest $5,000 (e.g.
$735,000 rather than $734,097).
The TIP Office may fund activities in high-income countries, but the use of foreign
assistance funding to benefit a high-income country requires additional review.
The TIP Office considers high-income countries to be those designated as high
income by the World Bank using the gross national income (GNI) per capita (Atlas
method).
To be eligible for consideration, SOIs must respond to the specific priority or
priorities identified below. Applicants can submit up to three (3) proposals as the
prime applicant for projects that align with the below priority.
Specific Information on this programming priority as well as background on the
Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) is provided below.
PEMS Background: The goal of PEMS is to measurably and substantially reduce
the prevalence of human trafficking and the harms associated with the crime in
targeted populations through innovative interventions driven by research,
monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and the expansion of partnerships with
government, academia, civil society organizations, international organizations,
and the private sector.
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PEMS-funded efforts conduct scientifically rigorous research to establish evidence
on the effects of anti-trafficking (including forced labor and sex trafficking)
programs on the reduction of the prevalence of human trafficking through the
advancement of sound prevalence measurement methodologies, strong
monitoring and evaluation practices, evidence-based programming, and the
application of victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches and
interventions.
The U.S. Congress has appropriated $25 million annually since 2016 for PEMS,
with $200 million in funding obligated to date. The TIP Office plans to allocate up
to $22 million in FY24 funding to this funding opportunity.
Programming Priority Summary:
PEMS programming aims to support the development and scaling of impactful
counter-trafficking interventions, by providing funding at three critical stages: 1)
the research and design of innovative solutions; 2) the implementation and
rigorous evaluation of promising practices; and 3) the replication or scaling up of
effective solutions.
This year’s funding opportunity builds on prior PEMS-funded initiatives and is
designed to address critical evidence gaps on what approaches are effective in
responding to trafficking in persons. While the 2023 PEMS funding opportunity
focused heavily on stage 1 with the research, development, and piloting of
projects through Intervention Development Research (IDR), the 2025 PEMS
opportunity is focused more heavily on stage 2, validating promising interventions
that have already been developed but have not undergone rigorous evaluation.
This NOFO requests that applicants identify and propose a promising practice or
intervention approach that has some initial evidence showing its potential for
effectiveness and impact. Applicants will propose to implement the intervention
alongside a rigorous evaluation to validate the model, understand its success, and
document its potential for adaptation for other contexts. This opportunity will
cover the costs of implementing the intervention as well as the evaluation.
More information on what types of interventions are considered promising and
eligible, what evidence of effectiveness can be provided, and potential evaluation
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methods that will be considered rigorous can be found below in the “Statement
of Interest Guidance” section of this document.
For the purposes of this funding opportunity, the term “intervention” is defined
as: a set of planned activities or strategies designed to bring about specific
changes in a situation or group. An intervention can involve multiple components
that work together to achieve clearly defined outcomes. For example, an
intervention might include efforts spanning two or more of the four Ps
(prevention, protection, prosecution, partnerships) or activities across multiple
countries targeting a shared goal. The funding opportunity focuses on the
implementation and evaluation of promising interventions that fall into any one
of these categories:
a) An existing intervention which has shown promise but has not been
rigorously evaluated;
b) An intervention that has shown success in other fields (such as combating
gender-based violence) but has not been adapted and tested as a human
trafficking intervention;
c) An intervention for which there is a design for programming supported by
significant research, but has not yet had the funding to implement and
evaluate the intervention.
This funding opportunity is designed to be accessible to organizations of varying
sizes, locations, and capacities; it recognizes that frontline organizations around
the world have developed many promising approaches through practice-based
knowledge and expertise. In order to definitively and reliably identify what works
and would be effective when replicated or at scale, PEMS is looking to provide
funding for organizations to implement their promising interventions alongside
rigorous evaluations. Preference will be given to applications proposing
interventions that build the evidence base for the most critical needs or which
have promise to impact large numbers of people experiencing or highly
vulnerable to trafficking in persons.
To be eligible, SOIs must present a promising intervention model and summarize
existing evidence to support the intervention’s effectiveness. SOIs must outline a
plan for implementing the intervention in a specified context alongside a rigorous
evaluation and articulate how the evaluation adds value to the applicant’s work
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as well as to the knowledge base on effective anti-trafficking programming
Applicants may propose a variety of evaluation methods and approaches that
have the potential to meaningfully demonstrate not only whether an intervention
achieved its intended target(s), but also whether the intervention successfully
contributed to its intended outcomes and impact – more information on this can
be found in the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section of this document.
This NOFO presents an opportunity for organizations with promising approaches
to refine and validate their intervention model, including the theory of change
and intervention approach, in preparation for a rigorous evaluation, and to
implement the intervention with strong monitoring, evaluation, research, and
learning support. The TIP Office may provide external guidance and support for
awardees to support the preparation of interventions’ designs for
implementation alongside an evaluation. Applicants must be open to working
with external guidance and open to refining and adapting their intervention
model based on learnings throughout the project to strengthen their approach
and increase their potential for impact. All proposed projects should start with a
period in which they review the intervention’s evidence and theory of change and
determine whether any modifications should be made to the intervention to
enhance effectiveness or prepare it for evaluation.
Detailed instructions for developing SOIs and specific questions for applicants to
address can be found in the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section of this
document, as well as the section “Application Contents and Format” which
contains all technical formatting and structure requirements. Applicants must
comply with all technical and content requirements laid out in this document.
Applications will be assessed according to the evaluation criteria laid out in
Section G, Application Review Criteria, below. Prospective applicants should
review the evaluation criteria below in addition to the instructions in this
document to have a clear understanding of how applications will be scored.
Additional Information and Considerations:
Each SOI may focus on only one intervention that will be evaluated as a whole.
SOIs must specify the country or countries proposed for implementation under
this funding opportunity. One example of when multiple countries or locations
are acceptable is if an applicant chooses an instance of human trafficking which
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involves movement and an effective intervention would involve source, transit,
and/or destination sites. There is no preference or requirement under this
opportunity on the focus of the intervention (prosecution, protection, and/or
prevention), and there is no preference or requirement for interventions
implemented in certain countries or regions. Applicants are encouraged to
propose their most promising interventions to combat human trafficking and
most strategic locations for implementation.
Applicants can submit multiple SOIs on different interventions that are not
interdependent, however, organizations may only submit up to (3) proposals as
the prime applicant. There is no limit to the number of applications in which an
organization is listed as a partner organization. Applicants with multiple country
locations, offices, or entities must coordinate to limit the total number of
proposals in which the organization is listed as the prime applicant to comply with
the limits above.
Country-specific considerations:
As noted above, applicants may apply with any anti-trafficking intervention to be
implemented in any country; the TIP Office encourages applicants to apply in
countries and contexts most appropriate to showing positive impact of the
proposed intervention.
In addition, the TIP Office requests applications from applicants with significant
local expertise to build on previous programming efforts in the following
locations: Costa Rica (sex trafficking) and West Africa (sex and/or labor
trafficking). Applicants may apply under the programming priority above,
identifying promising interventions ready for replication in additional areas or
with additional stakeholders and/or identifying promising interventions that
address critical remaining needs.
Statement of Interest Guidance
Statements of Interest should be developed to include responses to the items
below. The TIP Office recognizes that the applicant may have a great deal of
information they could provide in response to the following questions. Please
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briefly summarize the response to the questions; those applicants who are invited
to submit a full application will have the opportunity to provide additional details.
1) Description of the Intervention: Provide a description of the intervention –
what human trafficking issue or issues does the intervention address?
Include information such as type of trafficking (sex, labor, or both), sector,
key beneficiaries, etc. What are the main intervention objectives and
activities, and what is the desired change the intervention will produce?
Summarize the project’s logic, including root causes of challenges or
problems the intervention addresses, and how the activities or components
lead to outputs and overall outcomes. If a theory of change or logic model
has been developed for the intervention, you may include that as an
optional annex (Annex A).
2) Implementation Plan and Approach for Proposed Project: Please
summarize plans for how and where your organization will implement the
intervention under this funding opportunity. Include information on the
planned location, scale, target beneficiaries, and the general timeline.
Further detailed information on the implementation plan will be asked
from applicants invited to apply for Stage 2. Note that the proposed project
should start with a review of the intervention model and include time to
determine and design any alterations before programming starts, if
needed, to enhance effectiveness, though detail on this process is not
needed for the SOI application.
3) Design and History of the Intervention: Provide a brief summary of how
the intervention was originally designed, by whom, and based on what
knowledge/information (e.g., needs assessments, gap analysis, information
from impacted stakeholders, research or related data collection) about the
issue of focus and the population targeted. Applicants should also provide a
brief history of the intervention’s implementation (has it been
implemented previously? If so, where, at what scale, and by which
implementing organization/s?).
This section should clearly state which category the proposed intervention
falls into: a, b, or c from the list below:
a. An existing intervention which has shown promise but has not been
rigorously evaluated;
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b. An intervention that has shown success in other fields (such as
combating gender-based violence) but has not been adapted and
tested as a human trafficking intervention;
c. An intervention for which there is a design for programming
supported by significant research, which has not yet had the funding
to implement and evaluate.
4) Evidence on the Effectiveness of the Intervention: What existing evidence
supports the results or effectiveness of the intervention? If the intervention
has been used in other contexts (e.g., with other vulnerable groups, such as
victims of gender-based violence, refugees, etc.) or sectors, what data
documents its effectiveness? Applicants should provide a summary –
highlighting relevant evidence (which can be qualitative, quantitative, or
both) as well as sources. Sources can include but are not limited to your
own or other organizations’ monitoring data (e.g. routine case
management data, program evaluations, case studies), or external evidence
of the efficacy of the intervention supported in academic journal articles, or
other sources.
5) Systems Change and Sustainability: Will the intervention as proposed be
integrated into existing systems and/or strengthen such systems (local,
national, public, private, etc.)? If so, how? Will the intervention be
sustained beyond the grant funding? If so, how?
6) Potential for Impact:
a. Describe the downstream outcomes and potential for impact of the
intervention if implemented as proposed and funded in this
application. For example, how many trafficking survivors will be
supported directly through this intervention and in what ways? How
many people at risk of trafficking will be impacted and what is the
ultimate proposed outcome(s) that would reduce their risk? What is
the basis for these calculations? This section should focus on what
will be achieved with the funding applied for under this opportunity.
b. Additionally, describe the potential for impact of this intervention for
other contexts if it is found to be effective and able to be replicated
or scaled. Are there other contexts (additional locations, countries,
trafficking types, etc.) where this intervention might be useful? Is
there any data on the scale of the need for this intervention, such as
how many people would benefit (as direct beneficiaries or through
reduced prevalence of trafficking in persons in certain contexts,
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etc.)? Provide a basis or source for any calculations or data shared.
This section should focus on what could be achieved in the future if
the intervention is replicated or scaled without taking into account
funding currently available.
7) Evaluation Approach: Please describe your proposed program’s evaluation
plans and approach as envisioned under this funding opportunity by
answering the following questions. Note that further information on the
evaluation approach will be required for applicants invited to Stage 2.
a. What is the gap between what is already known about the effectiveness
of the project and what you think needs to be studied to get more
concrete evidence on its effectiveness? What is the primary purpose of
the evaluation, and what key learning and evaluation questions do you
want answered? Note: a helpful resource that includes some research
and learning questions for the anti-trafficking space is Innovation for
Poverty Action’s Research and Learning Agenda, which has been
developed under the Program to End Modern Slavery. Applicants may
choose to address research questions included in this agenda or develop
their question/s. Note that under this opportunity, applicants are
welcome to propose a variety of evaluation approaches and are not
limited to RCTs or other experimental or quasi-experimental
approaches.
b. How do you intend to use findings from an evaluation of this
intervention to inform your organization’s work? What are the
perceived benefits? Do you see this evaluation having a wider impact on
programming and/or policy within the anti-trafficking space? If so,
please describe how.
c. Provide a summary of the evaluation methodology or methodologies
planned. If methodologies have not been developed, please summarize
how you will identify and develop your methodological approach(es).
d. NOTE: If a timeline extending beyond four and a half years would be
beneficial for measuring outcomes and impacts assessed with the
evaluation, please indicate that in the SOI, and the TIP Office may
consider a phase funded project that allows for additional years.
8) Cost Estimates: Provide a few sentences summarizing the anticipated costs
of the total project, including costs for the intervention as well as
monitoring and evaluation. Additional guidance for applicants as they
prepare cost estimates at this stage is provided below. Note: Detail on the
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items below is not needed during Stage 1, however, applicants should
factor in costs with the following information in mind:
a. A significant portion of the total budget is expected to be allocated
within the country where interventions are proposed. Additionally,
applicants should ensure there is ample budget for monitoring,
evaluation, research and learning (MERL) costs in addition to the
evaluation itself.
b. Note on total costs and maturity/scale of the proposed intervention:
Applicants should develop a total budget factoring in the size of the
proposed intervention, evaluation methodology, and maturity or
level of existing evidence for the intervention. Applicants must use
their judgement and develop cost estimates that demonstrate strong
value for money when considering these factors, with the strongest
justifications required for applications at the upper end of the
funding range. Funding for the development and piloting of more
nascent promising interventions will be provided at lower levels than
funding for interventions that have significant evidence of their
effectiveness.
c. Budget totals should factor in costs for finalizing the intervention
model and plan at the beginning and sharing the results of the
evaluation at the end with key stakeholders including impacted local
populations and stakeholders as well as other relevant policymakers
and practitioners in broader settings. Dissemination events with
relevant groups can be in person, online, or via other means and
should include analysis on if the model was successful, why it was
successful, and how it might be effectively adapted or scaled to other
contexts.
9) Organizational Capacity and Partnerships: Describe the capacities and
qualifications that enable your organization and partners to implement the
proposed intervention in the proposed location, as well as to conduct the
accompanying evaluation. Briefly provide a summary of the roles of each
partner as envisioned at this stage.
a. Further guidance:
i. Applications are strongly encouraged from organizations based in
the country where interventions are proposed. Applicants should
possess significant contextual expertise and existing relationships
with key stakeholders within the local system (government, civil
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society, etc.) or be partnered with a local organization(s) with such
capacity.
ii. Similarly, partners included to support MERL initiatives should
possess significant contextual expertise in the target countries,
human trafficking issues, and methodology/ies proposed (e.g.,
local universities, research institutions, etc.).
iii. Note that applications are welcomed from organizations with
minimal prior experience implementing government grants, and
costs for building grant management capacity may be included
under this opportunity.
Annex A (Optional):
• If the applicant has a developed a theory of change or logic model for the
intervention, they may choose to include it for review with this application,
however, submitting Annex A is optional and is not an application
requirement. The TIP Office will accept both narrative and visual theories of
change or logic models. Applicants may provide a theory of change or logic
model that has been developed for the intervention in another context or
geography as an illustrative design that can be adapted for implementation
under this award.
• Annex A can be submitted as a pdf, word, jpeg, or excel file, may include
differing fonts, margins, or colors, and should be no more than 2 pages on 8
½ x 11-inch paper.
• Additional annexes (other than the optional Annex A) are unallowable and
will result in failure of the technical review.
D. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
1. Applicants
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
• U.S.-based and foreign non-profits
• Non-governmental organizations, including faith-based organizations
• Public international organizations (PIOs)
• Institutions of higher education
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• For-profit entities
• U.S. government agencies
Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review
following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State
prohibits for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards to
earn a profit. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and
indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is
determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition
Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48
CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.
U.S. government agencies may respond to this Notice of Funding Opportunity
(NOFO) with applications for projects that would be funded through an
Interagency Agreement (IAA). While foreign governments are not eligible to
apply, governments may be beneficiaries of projects provided that funding does
not pay salaries of government agency personnel and that such assistance is not
restricted by U.S. law or policy.
Organizations currently receiving funds from the TIP Office may apply for
additional funding under the present funding opportunity. The eligibility
requirements for applying to this funding opportunity do not restrict applicants
from receiving other sources of funding from the U.S. government, including from
other bureaus within the Department of State.
Under this funding opportunity, applicants may form a consortium and partner
with other organizations to implement and carry out project activities. Applicants
partnering with other organizations must clearly identify the lead applicant, and
the lead applicant may designate one or more partner organizations as sub-
recipients. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, a partner organization is
any organization that would receive sub-award funding from a successful
applicant to help the applicant organization implement anti-trafficking projects.
All mandatory terms and conditions for a successful applicant also apply to any
sub-awards.
The TIP Office is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all its projects and
activities. The TIP Office welcomes applications irrespective of race, ethnicity,
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color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability,
or other status.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing, cost matching, and cost participation are not required to carry out a
project under this funding opportunity. While not required, applicants may
propose to include voluntary cost share. Note that applications that include
voluntary cost share will not be evaluated differently than other applications.
3. Audit Requirements
2 CFR § 200, Subpart F requires domestic non-federal entities with greater than
$1,000,000 in federal award expenditures in a fiscal year to obtain a single audit
or program-specific audit and to submit their reporting package to the Federal
Audit Clearinghouse (FAC) within the earlier of 30 days after receipt of their
auditor’s report, or 9 months after the end of their audit period. Although this
provision (2 CFR §200, Subpart F) is not applicable to foreign non-profit and
foreign for-profit organizations, the Department of State requires such recipients,
if they expend $1,000,000 or more in Department of State funds in the
organization’s fiscal year, whether as a prime or a subrecipient, to undergo a
recipient-contracted single or program-specific audit annually. The cost of
required audits may be charged either as an allowable direct cost to the award or
included in the organization’s Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate or de minimis indirect
costs. When completed, audits should be submitted to the Grants Officer (GO)
assigned to the award. Foreign Public Entities may choose to submit audits as
part of the pre-award process, but this should not be a mandatory requirement
for such organizations.
4. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)
Registration
All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must
have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration in SAM.gov. A UEI
is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. An applicant
must maintain an active registration while it has a proposal under review by the
Department and must continue to keep the registration active for the entire
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duration of the period of performance of any Federal award that results from this
NOFO.
The 2 CFR 200 requires subrecipients to obtain a UEI. Please note the UEI for
subrecipients is not required at the time of application but will be required before
an award is processed and/or directed to a subrecipient.
Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take
anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.
Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United
States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) and a UEI prior to registering in SAM.gov.
Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees
within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI prior
to registering in SAM.gov.
Organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO
Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code to apply for non-DoD foreign
assistance funding opportunities. If an applicant organization is mid-registration
and wishes to remove an NCAGE code from their SAM.gov registration, the
applicant should submit a help desk ticket (“incident”) with the Federal Service
Desk (FSD) online at www.fsd.gov using the following language: “I do not intend
to seek financial assistance from the Department of Defense. I do not wish to
obtain an NCAGE code. I understand that I will need to submit my registration
after this incident is resolved in order to have my registration activated.”
Organizations based outside of the United States and that DO NOT plan to do
business with the DoD should follow the below instructions:
Step 1: Proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI and complete the SAM.gov
registration process. SAM.gov registration must be renewed annually.
Organizations based outside of the United States and that DO plan to do business
with the DoD in addition to Department of State should follow the below
instructions:
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Step 1: Apply for an NCAGE code by following the instructions on the NSPA
NATO website linked below:
NCAGE Homepage:
https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/sc/CageList.aspx
NCAGE Code Request Tool (NCRT): NCAGE Code Request Tool (nato.int)
Exemptions
An exemption from the UEI and sam.gov registration requirements may be
permitted on a case-by-case basis. See 2 CFR 25.110 for a full list of exemptions.
Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must
email the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the
deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a
SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the
application can be deemed eligible for review.
E. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT
To be competitive under this funding opportunity, applicants must be fully
responsive to all directions in this document. Please pay close attention to all SOI
requirements, including font and formatting requirements, and ensure that your
application satisfies these requirements. Failure to do so will result in an
automatic failure of the technical review and ineligibility for further consideration
in this open competition for funding.
1. Programming Priorities
To be considered for funding, all applications must build on the specific priority or
priorities identified in this NOFO. Applicants pursuing multiple awards must
submit separate SOI applications for each project.
2. Formatting
Unless otherwise specified, all required documents must be written in the English
language and submitted as Microsoft Word documents using one-inch margins
and formatted to 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. All documents must use text that is black
in color, 12-point in size, and either Calibri or Aptos fonts. All budget figures
must be in U.S. dollars.
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3. Required Documents
Complete applications must include the following documents to be considered for
funding:
• Project Narrative: The project narrative must not exceed five pages while
complying with the font and formatting requirements. Applicants must
clearly list the name of their organization, the region, country, and priority
for which they are applying, the initial period funding amount, the total
funding amount, and the point of contact and contact information for the
application in bold at the top of the first page of the narrative. Citations,
footnotes, charts, and other graphics are included in the five-page limit.
Applicants are reminded to double-check the page count prior to
submission. Applicants must comply with all technical and substantive
requirements provided in this NOFO. Applications will be assessed
according to the evaluation criteria laid out in Section G, Application Review
Criteria, below.
F. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINE
1. Application and Submission Platform
All applications must be fully submitted via MyGrants (formerly SAMS-Domestic)
by the application deadline (17:00 EST/EDT on February 4, 2025). MyGrants can
be found at https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants. The TIP Office will not
accept applications or updated documents submitted by any other method,
including email, fax, the postal system, delivery companies, couriers, or U.S.
embassies.
To address and avoid delays caused by technical issues, applicants are strongly
encouraged to initiate the electronic application early in the application period
and to submit their application before or early on the due date. It is the
responsibility of the applicant to ensure that it has an active registration in
MyGrants. Applicants are required to document that the application has been
received in its entirety by MyGrants. The TIP Office bears no responsibility for
disqualification that results from applicants not being registered before the due
date, for system errors in MyGrants, or other errors in the application process.
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Beginning with MyGrants as a New User
Organizations using MyGrants for the first time must register on the MyGrants
website to create a New Applicant account as soon as possible. This application
step must be completed before an application can be submitted. To register
with MyGrants, click the “Create an Account” link and complete the “MyGrants
User Registration Request” application form. Users will receive an email
requesting account verification. This verification step must be completed before
an application can be submitted.
If the applicant has previously received funding from the Department of State,
please submit a ticket through ILMS (see Support below) and contact
JTIPGrants@state.gov after the account has been created to ensure the account is
associated with the correct organization. If an applicant has not previously
received funding from the Department of State, the TIP Office cannot associate a
new account in MyGrants to an organization. Note that a new user account does
not need to be associated with an organization in order to submit an application.
Submitting Applications in MyGrants
To upload the application, navigate to MyGrants, select “Apply, then Funding
Opportunities,” and select the “Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons Programs” funding opportunity. Select the “Apply Here” button, enter
the applicant organization’s information, and click the “Save” button. Complete
each portion of the application in the corresponding section of the “Additional
Documents to Be Submitted” tab. Please ensure that you select “Allow anyone
in my organization to edit this proposal” to ensure other members of your
organization have access to edit this application.
Electronic applications submitted via MyGrants must contain the completed SF-
424 online forms and all required documents specified in this funding
opportunity. All application documents must be submitted in English.
Support
For assistance with MyGrants, please contact the ILMS Support Desk at 1-(888)-
313-4567 (toll free for international callers) or submit a ticket using the ILMS Self
Service Portal (https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home). Customer Support
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note support hours may change
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on Federal holidays. Direct questions regarding the process of uploading
applications to Customer Support. Technical difficulties not resolved by the
Support Desk by the time of submission must be fully documented and reported
to the TIP Office at JTIPGrants@state.gov only. Please do not contact any other
Department of State personnel.
2. Submission Dates and Times
All applications must be fully submitted via MyGrants (formerly SAMS-Domestic)
no later than (17:00EST/EDT on February 4, 2025).
3. Late Submissions
Late submission will only be accepted due to technical difficulties near the
deadline, and only with proper documentation. If an organization experiences
difficulty submitting an application near the deadline, their application will only
be accepted late if they have opened a ticket with the ILMS Support Desk to
resolve the problem prior to the deadline and have emailed jtipgrants@state.gov
before the deadline with the ticket number and a brief explanation of the
problem.
The application process is not complete until the applicant receives notification
from MyGrants that its application has been validated and forwarded to the
granting agency (TIP Office). Please allow sufficient time for entering the
application into these systems and to troubleshoot any issues. It is the
responsibility of the applicant to monitor its application to ensure that it is
successfully received and validated.
4. Funding Restrictions
The U.S. Department of State restricts the use of federal assistance funds for
certain purposes as listed below.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). None of the funds awarded
resulting from this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be made available for
subawards, direct financial support, or otherwise used to provide any payment or
transfer to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Activities Encouraging Mass-Migration Caravans towards the United States
Southwest Border. None of the funds awarded under this grant may be made
available to encourage, mobilize, publicize, or manage mass-migration caravans
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towards the United States southwest border. Funds may not be made available
for legal counseling on the United States asylum process; and/or for referrals to
legal or representation in the United States. Funds may only be used for cash
cards for use in the country in which they are provided or to facilitate voluntary
returns and other purposes that do not encourage, mobilize, publicize, or manage
mass migration caravans towards the United States southwest border. The
provision of humanitarian assistance is permitted.
Ineligible Recipients. Foreign assistance funds may not benefit countries or
entities that are not eligible recipients of United States foreign assistance or for
which there are applicable assistance restrictions. Applicants shall work with the
Department of State to ensure that any applicable restrictions and requirements
are addressed prior to awarding any sub-awards.
Equipment and Supplies. Equipment is herein defined as an article of non-
expendable, tangible, personal property having a useful life of more than one year
and an acquisition cost in excess of $10,000. Please note that if equipment costs
are included in an application, the organization must retain ownership of all
equipment obtained throughout the lifetime of the federal award. This includes
any equipment funded with cost sharing or matching funds. At the end of the
award, you must complete federal SF-428 forms for the TIP Office Grants Officer
to evaluate whether the item(s) be retained, sold, or disposed of without any
further obligation to the Department of State.
Supplies are herein defined as all tangible personal property other than those
described in Equipment. Note that if there is a residual inventory of unused
supplies exceeding $10,000 in total aggregate value upon completion of the
project and the supplies are not needed for any other Federal award, your entity
must retain the supplies for use on other activities or sell them, but must, in
either case, compensate the Department of State for its share. The amount of
compensation will be computed in the same manner as for Equipment.
The TIP Office further restricts the use of federal assistance funds for certain
purposes as listed below.
Construction. The TIP Office restricts the use of Federal assistance for
construction purposes. Construction costs are defined as non-major costs for
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rearrangement and alteration or reconversion or renovation of facilities.
Construction would include ordinary or normal alterations, restoration, or
rehabilitation such as any work that modifies buildings and/or grounds. This
includes but is not limited to adding, replacing, modifying, relocating, removing,
or painting doors, walls, windows, flooring, or the alterations of ceilings, adding
on to or dividing existing space or work on any building utility system, electrical,
plumbing, ventilation, air conditioning, controls systems, fire alarms, fire
sprinklers, security systems and telecommunication equipment. Federal
assistance funds cannot be used for capital improvements unless specifically
approved in advance by the TIP Office.
G. APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA AND PROCESS FOR REVIEW AND SELECTION
1. Criteria
Applicants are responsible for reviewing the criteria to fully understand how
applications will be reviewed and evaluated for potential funding. Reviewers will
evaluate applications based on their own merits using the evaluation criteria
below:
Reviewers will evaluate applications based on their own merits. Reviewers will
use the below evaluation criteria. Applicants are responsible for reviewing the
criteria below to fully understand how applications will be reviewed and
evaluated for potential funding. Applications will be evaluated against their
responses to the questions listed in the “Statement of Interest Guidance” section
of this document, according to the criteria below.
1. Strength of the Intervention Design: Does the proposed intervention have
sound program logic, appropriately addressing the root causes and/or
critical elements of the human trafficking focus issues through relevant
program activities, goals, and objectives, and is it likely to achieve its
intended impact?
2. Strength of the Intervention Evidence: Does the application present
sufficient evidence about the effectiveness of the intervention? If the
intervention has been implemented previously, does the applicant present
compelling evidence beyond anecdotal information? If this intervention has
not yet been implemented in the context of human trafficking or is newly
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designed, is the evidence that points to its potential for success in this
context strong enough to warrant funding at the level applied for? Note
that the TIP Office is open to a variety of evidence types and sources,
including organization’s’ monitoring data, qualitative data, etc. More
information on this can be found in the “Statement of Interest Guidance”
section of this document.
3. Capacity and Local Expertise of the Prime Applicant and Partners: Does
the prime applicant and/or an implementing partner have strong local
contextual knowledge and existing partnerships with critical stakeholders?
Do the applicants demonstrate expertise and capacity to implement the
intervention? If MERL partners are selected, are there partners in place
with expertise in the country, trafficking type, and methodologies
proposed? If MERL partners are not in place, does the application propose
a strong plan for identifying partners? Does the applicant demonstrate
capacity to manage a project at the funding level requested? Note that
applications are welcomed from organizations with minimal prior
experience implementing government grants, and costs for building grant
management capacity may be included under this opportunity.
4. Evaluation Approach and Value of the Evaluation: Does the application
present a compelling case about the need or usefulness of evaluating this
intervention, both for the applicant’s programming as well as for the anti-
trafficking policy and programming space? Is there a clear articulation
about what is missing in existing evidence on the program and what
questions could be answered through the proposed evaluation to get the
needed concrete evidence on its effectiveness? Will the evaluation as
proposed address gaps in the evidence base for what works to address
trafficking in persons? Does the application either present a strong
methodology for the evaluation or a strong plan to identify an evaluation
approach early in the project? Does the application note a willingness to
review existing and emerging evidence and refine its intervention model
accordingly at the beginning of the project and as needed during program
implementation to enhance effectiveness of the intervention?
5. Feasibility: Does the applicant present a feasible plan for implementation
of both the intervention as well as an evaluation? Does the project length
present as feasible given the scope of the project and an accompanying
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evaluation? Can the plans be achieved within the budget requested? Does
the plan for both the intervention and an evaluation present as realistic
within the country context/s proposed?
6. Potential for Impact: Does the application articulate what the expected
change or changes are from the project and how many will benefit? Will
the intervention, if implemented as proposed and funded under this
opportunity, provide a meaningful and valuable change to the trafficking
response (prevention, protection, prosecution or partnerships) in its
context? If the intervention is found to be effective when validated
through the evaluation activities, is there potential for it to be adapted,
replicated, and/or scaled in other settings with future funding? Are there
other settings in which this intervention could be applied? The highest
scores under this criterion will be given to applications proposing
interventions that build the evidence base for critical needs and/or
meaningfully impact large numbers of people experiencing or highly
vulnerable to trafficking in persons.
7. Sustainability and Systems Change: Has the applicant presented a well-
thought-out plan to sustain improvements made or initiatives developed
under the project beyond the federal funding? Will the intervention as
proposed be integrated into and strengthen existing systems (national, sub-
national, regional, etc.)?
8. Cost Estimates: Is the total cost of the project appropriate for the size and
scale of the intervention, the evaluation approach, and current maturity of
the intervention? If an application is on higher end of the funding range, is
there a strong justification for the total cost? Does the total funding
requested appear sufficient for the planned project, including MERL costs?
Will a significant portion of the funding be allocated within the target
country(ies)?
2. Review and Selection Process
Stage One, SOI Stage
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Following the submission deadline, all SOIs will be screened by the TIP Office to
determine whether they meet the technical requirements stated in this
announcement. The TIP Office will only consider SOIs for the specific
programming priorities under this announcement.
SOIs will be deemed ineligible during the technical review process and will not be
considered for funding if they: (1) include any projects in countries not listed in
the Initial Notice of Funding Opportunity, if specified; (2) do not address a
specified programming theme, as relevant; or (3) do not meet the technical
review requirements listed in Section D above: Application and Submission
Information.
Following the technical review, a formal content review of each SOI that passes
the technical review will commence. SOIs will then be reviewed by subject matter
and regional experts.t. Stage-two recommendations will be presented to TIP
Office leadership for final determination on invitations to the second round of the
competition.
Stage Two, Full Proposal Stage
Selected SOI applicants will participate in the second stage of competition.
Selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals, building on the
concepts described in their five-page SOI. The selected applicants will have at
least 30 days to develop and submit a full proposal and will be required to submit
additional documentation, including but not limited to budget documents,
resumes/CVs for key personnel, monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans, and
Letters of Intent to cooperate with partners. Applicants will be expected to
submit full proposals that reflect an understanding of victim-centered, trauma-
informed, and survivor-informed approaches to anti-trafficking activities. In
particular, should the applicant expect to work directly with victims of human
trafficking, proposals must reflect an understanding of these approaches and
apply them in victim identification efforts and the provision of comprehensive
services. Full proposals will then be reviewed by members of the TIP Office and
by an interagency review panel. Panel recommendations will be presented to the
Ambassador-at-Large or the TIP Office Acting Director for consideration.
Final award decisions will be influenced by whether the application meets the TIP
Office’s programmatic goals and objectives, how it supports the Department’s
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overarching foreign policy priorities, and the geographic distribution of the top-
ranking applications.
The U.S. government reserves the right (but is not under obligation) to obtain
clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the program
description, budget, or other aspects of an application.
Note: With the exception of technical submission questions during the
competitive process, U.S. Department of State staff in Washington and overseas
shall not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire competitive
process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been
transmitted. All questions related to the funding process and content of this
funding opportunity must be submitted via email to JTIPGrants@state.gov.
Responsibility/Qualification Information in SAM.gov (formerly, FAPIIS)
For any Federal award under a notice of funding opportunity, if the Federal
awarding agency anticipates that the total Federal share will be greater than the
simplified acquisition threshold over the period of performance (see §200.01
Simplified Acquisition Threshold), this section must also inform applicants that:
1. The Federal awarding agency, prior to making a Federal award with a total
amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold,
is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that
is in the U.S. government designated integrity and performance system
accessible through SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);
2. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the
responsibility/qualification records available in SAM.gov.
3. Before making decisions in the risk review required by 2 CFR 200.206, the
Department will consider any comments by the applicant, along with
information available in the responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov.
Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates
The TIP Office anticipates making a decision on SOIs submitted under this NOFO
by early April 2025 and will notify all applicants of their application status at this
time through JTIPGrants@state.gov. Applicants invited to submit full applications
will receive further instructions on how to submit full proposal applications and
will have at least 30 days to submit their application. Shortly after full proposal
applications are selected for potential funding, TIP Office Program Officers will
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work with the selected organization(s) to clarify aspects of their application and
award the funds. Pending the availability of funds and other contingencies, the
TIP Office would expect projects selected for funding to commence in late 2025.
H. FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE AND AGENCY CONTACTS
1. Federal Award Notices
Following the stage one (SOI stage) internal review process, applicants can expect
to hear from the TIP Office via email regarding the status of their statements of
interest by April 2025. However, a letter stating that an applicant is invited to
advance to stage-two of this competition does not constitute authorization to
begin performance on the proposed project. All future programming is
conditional pending the availability of funding, Department leadership approval,
and Congressional approval.
Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of
the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs
incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the U.S.
government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received.
Unsuccessful Applicants
Applicants who are not selected for invitation to Stage 2 will be notified via email
from JTIPGrants@state.gov.
2. General Questions
If you have any questions about the funding process or the content of this funding
opportunity, applicants may submit these questions via email to
JTIPGrants@state.gov. The questions and answers are published and updated
frequently on the TIP Office’s website.
3. Technical Support
For assistance with MyGrants contact Customer Support by calling 1 (888) 313-
4567 or by creating an account on the ILMS Self Service Portal. The Support Desk
is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note the hours for Federal
holidays may differ. Please note, if an organization has issues submitting an
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application near the deadline, the only way its late application will be accepted
is if it opens a ticket with the help desk to fix the problem prior to the deadline,
and if the applicant emails jtipgrants@state.gov before the deadline with the
ILMS ticket number and an explanation of the problem. A ticket with the help
desk can be opened by submitting a ticket through the ILMS Self Service Portal.
The ILMS Help Desk utilizes a user-facing ticketing interface that allows users to
submit and monitor their MyGrants tickets.
I. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS
1. Grant Reporting and Monitoring Requirements
Reporting is critical to effective program management and oversight. Reports are
required as a means of evaluating the recipient’s progress and utilization of
resources. They are divided between a performance progress report and a
financial status report.
Recipients will, at a minimum, be required to submit regular Quarterly
Performance Reports (QPR) and Quarterly Financial Reports (QFR) in accordance
with the award agreement terms and conditions. The QPRs will compare actual
to planned performance and describe the progress made in accomplishing each
assistance award tasks/goals noted in the grant agreement and will contain
analysis and summary of findings, both quantitative and qualitative, for key
indicators. The QFRs provide a means of monitoring expenditures and comparing
costs incurred with progress. A final report is required 120 days after the end of
the project period.
Recipients must report immediately when a program faces unplanned delays in
implementation, fails to meet program targets or milestones, or costs increase.
Any changes or revisions to the approved budget require prior approval from the
TIP Office Grants Officer.
Recipients are required to report program and beneficiary achievements on a
quarterly basis (or provide written confirmation that there is no related news for
the given quarter) beginning with second quarter’s program report.
Grant Monitoring and Evaluation: The TIP Office monitors all funded projects.
Award recipients should expect the Grants Officer and Grants Officer
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Representative to conduct site visits during the performance period. On-site
reviews include assessment of project and administrative effectiveness. In
addition to planned project monitoring, some awards and sub-awards may be
selected for independent evaluation.
If the federal share of any award issued under this funding opportunity exceeds
$500,000 over the period of performance, potential applicants should be aware of
the post-award reporting requirements reflected in 2 CFR 200 Appendix XII—
Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
As per §170.220, grantees awarded under this announcement will be required to
report all sub-awardees receiving funds of $30,000 or more to
http://www.fsrs.gov. More information about this requirement can be found
within the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions.
Each non-Federal entity that applies for Federal financial assistance and that does
not have an exception under §170.110(b) must have the necessary processes and
systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements should they receive
Federal funding.
2. Data Sharing Recommendation
The TIP Office strongly encourages successful applicants to provide victim and
survivor data collected from project(s) to the IOM Counter-Trafficking Data
Collaborative (https://www.ctdatacollaborative.org/) (CTDC), which publishes
harmonized data from counter-trafficking organizations around the world. The
goal of the CTDC is to break down information-sharing barriers and equip the
counter-trafficking community with up to date, reliable data on human trafficking.
Bringing together global data in one platform will strengthen and empower local,
national, and international institutions to eradicate crimes of trafficking and
exploitation. No personally identifying information is transferred to or hosted by
CTDC, and organizations are asked to anonymize victim data in accordance with
the standards set by IOM CTDC.
3. Standard Terms and Conditions
Administration and National Policy Requirements
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Before submitting an application, applicants should review all the terms and
conditions and required certifications which will apply to this award, to ensure
that they will be able to comply.
In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance located at 2
CFR part 200, all applicable Federal laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the
Department of State will review and consider applications for funding, as
applicable to specific programs, pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity in
accordance with the following:
Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(2 CFR), as updated in the Federal Register’s 89 FR 30046 on April 22, 2024,
particularly on:
• Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering results based
on the program objectives through an impartial process of evaluating
Federal award applications (2 CFR part 200.205),
• Promoting the freedom of speech and religious liberty in alignment with
Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty (E.O. 13798) and Improving
Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities
(E.O. 13864) (§§ 200.300, 200.303, 200.339, and 200.341),
• Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to maximize use of
goods, products, and materials produced in the United States (2 CFR part
200.322), and
• Terminating agreements pursuant to the U.S. Department of State
Standard Terms and Conditions, including, to the greatest extent
authorized by law, if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or
agency priorities (2 CFR part 200.340).
2 CFR 25 - UNIVERSAL IDENTIFIER AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT
2 CFR 170 - REPORTING SUBAWARD AND EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
INFORMATION
2 CFR 175 - AWARD TERM FOR TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
2 CFR 182 - GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE
(FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE)
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2 CFR 183 - NEVER CONTRACT WITH THE ENEMY
2 CFR 600 – DEPARTMENT OF STATE REQUIREMENTS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Anti-Prostitution Policy and Requirements
Prospective implementing partners are required to agree to the following
conditions prior to award:
1. None of the funds made available herein may be used to promote,
support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution. Nothing in
the preceding sentence shall be construed to preclude assistance designed
to combat trafficking in persons, including programs for prevention,
protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers and others who profit
from trafficking in persons, by ameliorating the suffering of, or health risks
to, victims while they are being trafficked or after they are out of the
situation that resulted from such victims being trafficked.
2. The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this
award.
Training Certification
All organizations receiving funds must agree to the following:
“This organization hereby certifies that, to the extent practicable, persons or
entities providing legal services, social services, health services, or other
assistance have completed, or will complete, training in connection with
trafficking in persons.”
The recipient shall insert this provision in all sub-agreements under this award.
TVPA §107A(b)(1) (22 U.S.C. §7105A(b)(1)).
Special Provision for Performance in a Designated Combat Area
Each federal assistance award within areas of combat operations or future
contingency operations, as designated by the Secretary of Defense, over $150,000
or providing for performance over 30 days must be registered in the Department
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of Defense maintained Synchronized Pre-deployment and Operational Tracker
(SPOT) system. Each federal assistance award shall be registered in SPOT before
personnel deployment. Requirements are fully outlined in the award agreements
for recipients.
Leahy Vetting Requirement
This requirement applies to training or other assistance to be furnished to any
unit or individual member of the security forces of a foreign country. Leahy
vetting is required when training or assistance is provided to foreign security
forces, including when such assistance is provided under a grant or cooperative
agreement. Department guidance provides the following information on the type
of personnel who are considered security forces and thus must be vetted under
Leahy:
“The Leahy amendment refers to the ‘security forces of a foreign country.’
It makes no distinction between military and civilian. The key is whether
the individual is a member of a security force unit. In broad terms, any
division or entity (to include an individual) authorized by a State or political
subdivision (city, county, etc.) to use force (including but not limited to the
power to search, detain, and arrest) to accomplish its mission would be
considered a security force. ‘Security forces’ thus could be units of law
enforcement or the military. Prison guards, customs police, border police,
tax police, and the coast guard would be examples of the types of units
included in the category of ‘security forces.’ Members of these types of
units should be considered as subject to the Leahy Amendment and be
vetted either as individuals or as part of the unit being trained. Examples of
persons who are not considered ‘security forces’ include: government
bureaucrats, prosecutors, judges, civilian members of NGOs, international
organizations or task forces and forensic lab workers.”
Leahy Vetting requirements will be fully outlined in the award agreements for
recipients. The vetting process may take considerable time, and applicants should
plan training activities with sufficient time for vetting to be completed. All
successful applicants, including prior awardees, will be required to complete a
Leahy Vetting training module (https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-to-
monitor-and-combat-trafficking-in-persons/#leahy) prior to the award of new
projects.
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Executive Order Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in
Federal Contracts
Any applicant’s hiring process must be consistent with the U.S. government’s
regulations on preventing human trafficking among federal contractors and
grantees, specifically:
U.S. law and regulations expressly prohibit federal contractors, sub-
contractors, grantees, sub-grantees, and their agents/employees from
engaging in certain trafficking-related practices, such as misleading or
fraudulent recruitment practices; charging employee recruitment fees; and
destroying or confiscating employees' identity documents, such as a
passport or a driver’s license.
See 22 U.S.C. §1704(g); Federal Acquisition Regulation, 48 C.F.R. §52.222-50
(Combating Trafficking in Persons); see also Federal Acquisition Regulation, 83 FR
65466 (Dec. 20, 2018) (Combating Trafficking in Persons—Definition of
“Recruitment Fees”).
U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security
Applicants are encouraged to review the goals of the U.S. National Action Plan on
Women, Peace, and Security for their relevance to applications. In particular,
Outcome 3.3 of the Plan provides guidance on efforts to combat trafficking:
• “Engage with international and/or civil society organizations to ensure that
standard operational procedures are in place to prevent human trafficking,
especially among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including
appropriate assistance and procedures for unaccompanied minors, to
identify potential trafficked persons, and to refer survivors to appropriate
service providers. As appropriate, provide support to international and civil
society organizations to set up emergency care services for trafficking
survivors.”
And:
• “Promote establishment of local coalitions or taskforces comprised of
relevant government authorities and civil society organizations to combat
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human trafficking as part of the justice reform measures in post-conflict
areas.”
U.S. Department of State Policy on Disabilities
The U.S. government has made a commitment to protect and advance human
rights and fundamental freedoms for all people, including persons with
disabilities. To that end, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD) seeks to ensure that every person living with a disability can benefit from
the same access and protections, in the United States and abroad.
U.S. Department of State Policy on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer,
and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Individuals
In preparing applications, applicants are reminded that the Department’s
priorities for advancing LGBTQI+ equality abroad are to eliminate violence and
discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender
expression. Advancing the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, as with our support
for other marginalized or vulnerable people, complements and reinforces other
U.S. foreign policy priorities, including strengthening civil society, promoting the
rule of law, supporting gender equality, and advancing the status of women and
girls, protecting refugees and asylum seekers, and furthering anti-trafficking
efforts, among others. Due to these intersections, violations, or abuses of the
human rights of LGBTQI+ people often also have negative implications for other
U.S. foreign policy priorities.
DISCLAIMER:
The terms and conditions published in this NOFO are binding and may not be
modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information provided by the
bureau that contradicts public language will not be binding. Issuance of the NOFO
does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government.
The TIP Office reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase budgets in
accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds. Awards
made will be subject to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements listed in
this NOFO.
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