G/TIP FY 2010 ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMPETITIVE GRANT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 112504

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP ELAB KCRM KPAO KWMN PGOV PHUM PREL
SMIG, SIPDIS
SUBJECT: G/TIP FY 2010 ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMPETITIVE GRANT
PROGRAM

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1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paras 8 and

9.


2. (U) Summary: The Department's Office to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) is conducting a
two-stage competitive process for FY 2010 funding of
projects that will improve the response to trafficking in
persons. In the first stage, G/TIP is requesting brief
Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations
interested in submitting proposals for projects. In the
second stage, G/TIP will invite applicants whose SOIs are
reviewed favorably to submit full proposals for
consideration of funding. This cable provides all
embassies with summary information about the 2010
competitive grant process. All posts are requested
to review the solicitation on the G/TIP website
(provided below). G/TIP has identified 40 priority
countries for this solicitation. Posts in each of the 40
priority countries below are requested to publicize it to
non-governmental organizations, public international
organizations, and institutions of higher education that
are active in combating human trafficking and to
encourage them to apply. G/TIP is most likely to fund
proposals that target a priority country and that are
responsive to the country-specific recommendations listed
in the 2009 TIP Report. Pending appropriations, G/TIP
anticipates awarding grants of up to $750,000 per
project. The deadline for SOI submissions to G/TIP is
December 3, 2009, 5:00 p.m. EST. End Summary.

3.(U) G/TIP is pleased to announce publication of its
open competition for assistance awards to improve the
response to human trafficking abroad. G/TIP's 2010
Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) will be posted
on G/TIP's website (www.state.gov/g/tip) ,
www.GrantSolutions.gov, and www.Grants.gov on November 2,

2009. U.S. and foreign non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and institutions of higher education, and public
international organizations (PIOs) are encouraged to
submit SOIs for anti-trafficking programs to be conducted
in a single country abroad, within a region, or in more
than one region.

4.(U) This year, G/TIP is taking additional steps to
reduce the burden on posts, which assisted G/TIP in the
review of more than 290 full proposals for anti-
trafficking projects in 2009. G/TIP is implementing a
two-stage competitive process for 2010 funding. The 2010
solicitation announces the first stage: G/TIP requests
applicants to submit a Statement of Interest (SOI),a
two-page summary of a proposed project along with two
required standard forms. Once again this year, G/TIP
will handle the administrative burden of receiving
submissions directly from all applicants rather than
requiring embassies to manage this task.

5.(U) Embassies will retain their full ability to rank
and prioritize proposed projects for consideration.
G/TIP will provide all SOIs that meet the technical
requirements to posts for review in early January. G/TIP
will also notify posts of SOIs for bilateral projects
which do not pass the technical review. Following post
review, SOIs will undergo a competitive panel review and
selected applicants will be invited to submit a full
proposal that expands on their SOI. These proposals will
be shared with posts prior to the final interagency panel
review in G/TIP. We believe that the review of two-page
SOIs and selected full proposals will be less burdensome
for posts and that it will save many applicants the time
and resources required to prepare a full proposal.

6.(U) Applicants will submit proposals via
www.GrantSolutions.gov or www.Grants.gov. The
GrantSolutions website is a new option and it is
available to all applicants, but G/TIP especially
encourages foreign NGOs and PIOs to submit proposals
through this web site. All SOIs must be submitted by
5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) Thursday, December
3, 2009. G/TIP will not accept proposals submitted via
email, fax, the U.S. postal system, FedEx, UPS and
similar delivery companies, or courier.

7.(U) In order to target our funds most effectively and

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SUBJECT: G/TIP FY 2010 ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMPETITIVE GRANT
PROGR
save precious resources of both posts and potential
applicants, G/TIP identified 40 priority countries for
FY10 funding based on several factors, including
Trafficking in Persons Report Tier rank, political will
to improve the response to trafficking, economic
resources, and ongoing USG support for anti-trafficking
programs. All are ranked as Tier 3, Tier 2 Watch List,
Tier 2, or listed as a Special Case in the 2009 TIP
Report. This is in keeping with the philosophy of
deploying scarce resources where they are most needed and
prioritizing the use of our funds.

8.(U) For more detailed guidance on examples of projects
that G/TIP seeks to fund, applicant organization
criteria, technical requirements for SOIs, the
competitive review process, submission instructions for
applicants, and additional information, please see the
complete solicitation at www.state.gov/g/tip. Below are
excerpts (not/not the complete solicitation) of the
solicitation for posts' review.

9.(U) Action Request for Embassies in 40 Priority
Countries: Priority country embassies are requested to
download the complete solicitation from the G/TIP website
and publicize it to NGOs, PIOs, and institutions of
higher education that are active in combating human
trafficking and to encourage them to apply as described
in the solicitation. Posts should also refer interested
applicants to www.GrantSolutions.gov and www.Grants.gov
for applications procedures, technical criteria, and
other solicitation details. Posts may direct questions
about this solicitation via email to Mark Forstrom at
ForstromMA@state.gov.

10.(U) Action Request for all other Embassies: Given
widespread interest in anti-TIP programming, all other
embassies are requested to review the complete
solicitation on the G/TIP website and be prepared to
respond to inquiries. Posts should also refer interested
applicants to the G/TIP website and to
www.GrantSolutions.gov and www.Grants.gov for complete
solicitation and application details. Posts may direct
questions about this solicitation via email to Mark
Forstrom at ForstromMA@state.gov.

11.(U) Begin Brief Excerpts from Request for Statements
of Interest for 2010 G/TIP Anti-TIP Projects

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) is pleased to announce a
two-stage competitive process for 2010 funding of
projects that will improve the response to trafficking in
persons outside the United States. The first stage is
submission and competitive panel review of two-page
Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations
interested in submitting proposals for projects that
combat human trafficking. In the second stage, G/TIP
will invite applicants whose Statements of Interest are
reviewed favorably to submit proposals that expand on
their SOI. These proposals will also be reviewed by a
panel for consideration of funding. This announcement
initiates the first stage, and G/TIP is now requesting
applicants to submit a Statement of Interest, as
described in this solicitation. U.S.-based non-profit
and non-governmental organizations (NGO),public
international organizations (PIO),foreign NGOs, and
institutions of higher education are encouraged to apply
by submitting a Statement of Interest. Pending
appropriations, G/TIP anticipates awarding grants of up
to $750,000 per project.
BACKGROUND

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-
386),as amended (TVPA),authorized the establishment of
the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
(G/TIP) in the U.S. Department of State. The mission of
G/TIP is to combat modern slavery by employing a "3 Ps"
strategy: preventing trafficking in persons, protecting
and assisting trafficking victims, and prosecuting
traffickers and others who profit from trafficking in
persons. Additionally, as Secretary Clinton has
indicated, G/TIP will seek partnerships to effectuate
this strategy. G/TIP provides leadership and
coordination within the U.S. government and engages with
foreign governments, civil society, and multilateral
organizations to focus attention and devote resources to
addressing human trafficking.

The TVPA also requires that the Department of State

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SUBJECT: G/TIP FY 2010 ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMPETITIVE GRANT
PROGR
submit an annual assessment of "severe forms of
trafficking in persons" and governments' efforts to
address them. The State Department's annual Trafficking
in Persons Report (TIP Report),published in June each
year, is an important diplomatic tool in the Department's
dialogue with other governments and also serves as the
guide for U.S. foreign assistance to governments and NGOs
in countries working to eradicate trafficking. The 2009
TIP Report, available at
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/, includes
Tier rankings and country-specific recommendations for
173 countries and evaluations of two additional
countries. As reflected in the 2009 TIP Report, despite
laudatory global progress in establishing structures such
as national action plans and counter-trafficking laws,
much remains do be done to operationalize these promises.
The number of reported trafficking cases appears to be in
stasis; labor trafficking cases made up only 104 of the
2,983 convictions in the 2009 reporting period, despite
ILO statistics that indicate millions of persons labor in
bondage around the world as well as suffer in sexual
servitude. Prevention and victim protection efforts
often are developed in isolation and are not integrated
into the 3Ps structure that is the vision of the TVPA.

Pursuant to the TVPA, human trafficking is at its essence
all the activities involved in obtaining or maintaining
compelled service of a person by another. G/TIP seeks to
fund programs that reflect this view.
2010 G/TIP GRANT COMPETITION OVERVIEW

G/TIP allocates foreign assistance aimed at improving the
response to trafficking in persons in other countries
through an open competitive process. G/TIP announces a
solicitation for applications early each fiscal year and
the office strives to award new grant projects late in
the same fiscal year. In 2009 the response to G/TIP's
solicitation reached record levels; nearly 400 proposals
were submitted for review.

In an effort to manage the 2010 competitive grant process
most effectively and to save hundreds of applicants the
time and resources required to prepare a full proposal,
G/TIP is using a two-stage competitive process for 2010
funding. This solicitation announces the first stage:
G/TIP requests applicants to submit a Statement of
Interest (SOI),a two-page summary of a proposed project
that includes the information described below. Following
a competitive panel review, selected applicants will be
invited to submit a full proposal that expands on their
SOI. These proposals will then be reviewed and
considered for funding.

Given the limited funding available, G/TIP has identified
40 countries as priorities for this solicitation. SOIs
that address human trafficking issues in the named
countries are especially encouraged. Applicants are
urged to review the country-specific recommendations
listed in the country narratives of the 2009 Trafficking
in Persons (TIP) Report as these will guide anti-
trafficking programming under this announcement.

Pending the appropriation of funds, G/TIP anticipates
awarding grants of up to $750,000 for 36 months per
project to organizations which, in the second stage of
this competition, are invited to submit full proposals
and are successful in the competitive review of
proposals. U.S.-based non-profit and non-governmental
organizations (NGO),public international organizations
(PIO),foreign NGOs, and universities are eligible to
submit SOIs. On a limited basis, for-profit
organizations are also eligible to submit SOIs; however,
they may not take a profit from grant-funded activities.

G/TIP FUNDING PRIORITIES AND PROJECT EXAMPLES

Generally, G/TIP prioritizes foreign assistance in
countries ranked as Tier 3, Tier 2 Watch List, and in
some cases, Tier 2, where governments have the political
will to improve the response to trafficking, but lack the
economic resources to address the problem. For this
solicitation G/TIP has designated 40 countries as
priorities for 2010 funding, based on a review of the
2009 Tier rankings, current anti-trafficking programming,
and consultation with other offices in the Department.
Some countries with significant trafficking problems have
received extensive programmatic attention in recent years
from G/TIP, other USG agencies, international
organizations, and donor nations. Priority designations
for this solicitation respond to the needs articulated in
the 2009 report, but also take into account current

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G/TIP is most interested in SOIs for projects in the
priority countries listed below and that are responsive
to the country-specific recommendations listed in the
2009 TIP Report. Under limited circumstances, G/TIP may
fund projects in countries that are not listed below.
These may include proposals that exhibit innovative
programming, address special country circumstances, or
that serve as special models for replication in other
countries. A limited number of global projects may also
be funded. Recognizing that many cases of human
trafficking are transnational and that effective remedies
must be designed to meet specific challenges, G/TIP also
encourages SOIs that address cross border and regional
trafficking problems, for example, a project that
develops and implements strategies for improving the
response to human trafficking in the Dominican Republic
and Haiti.

The countries selected for priority funding consideration
in this solicitation are listed below.

AFRICA REGION
Angola
Burundi
Chad
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Ethiopia
Ghana
Lesotho
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Rwanda
Swaziland

EAST ASIA/PACIFIC REGION
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam

EUROPEAN REGION
Albania
Azerbaijan
Montenegro

NEAR EAST REGION
Iraq
Jordan
Lebanon

SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN REGION
Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan

WESTERN HEMISPHERE REGION
Argentina
Belize
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Mexico
Nicaragua

BIDDERS' CONFERENCE

G/TIP will host a Bidders' Conference on November 5,
2009, at the Department of State in Washington, DC. This
conference will provide an opportunity for interested
parties to learn more about the G/TIP request for
Statements of Interest (SOI),G/TIP programming
priorities, the SOI submission/review process, and the
management of grant awards to successful applicants.
Information about this conference can be viewed on our
website at: www.state.gov/g/tip. Materials from the
conference will be published on the website after
November 5, 2009.

End Excerpts from the G/TIP 2010 Request for Statements

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12. Minimize considered.
CLINTON