Opportunity Information: Apply for DRLA DRLAQM 18 010
The DRL Global Religious Freedom Programs (FY17/18) funding opportunity is a competitive grant announcement from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). It supports projects aimed at promoting and protecting religious freedom around the world, meaning programs that help advance the ability of individuals and communities to practice their religion or beliefs freely, and to live without discrimination, harassment, or violence tied to religion or belief. The opportunity is framed as a global initiative rather than being limited to one specific country or region, which generally signals that applicants may propose country-specific projects, multi-country efforts, or thematic work that can be applied across different contexts, as long as the core purpose remains strengthening religious freedom.
This opportunity was issued as a discretionary funding program under Funding Opportunity Number DRLA DRLAQM 18 010 and is associated with CFDA number 19.345. Awards could be made either as grants or cooperative agreements, which is important because a cooperative agreement typically implies more substantial involvement by the U.S. government in project monitoring, coordination, or technical input than a standard grant. The public posting date (creation date) was September 25, 2017, with an original application deadline of November 6, 2017, indicating a relatively short application window typical of many State Department DRL competitions.
In terms of funding scale, the announcement listed an award ceiling of $700,000 per award and anticipated making about four awards. In practice, that means the program was planning to support a small set of relatively substantial projects rather than a large number of small awards. Applicants would generally be expected to propose clear outcomes, realistic implementation plans, and a budget that fits within the ceiling while matching the scope of the intended impact. Because only a limited number of awards were expected, the competition likely favored proposals with strong evidence of need, credible partners or networks, and a well-developed monitoring and evaluation approach.
Eligibility was broad and includes U.S. and non-U.S. organizational types commonly eligible for DRL opportunities. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). The listing also notes "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice, which often covers entities such as international organizations, for-profit entities in limited cases, or foreign-based NGOs, depending on DRL's specific terms for that competition. The wide eligibility categories suggest DRL was open to a range of implementers, including universities, policy and advocacy organizations, human rights NGOs, and specialized groups with experience in religious freedom programming.
Overall, the grant opportunity reflects DRL's mission-driven approach to supporting democracy and human rights, using targeted program funding to strengthen protections for freedom of religion or belief. A strong application under this announcement would typically be expected to connect proposed activities to tangible improvements, such as stronger legal or policy protections, better documentation and response to violations, increased capacity of civil society or affected communities to advocate for their rights, improved interfaith or community resilience against intolerance, or other measurable changes aligned with the promotion and protection of religious freedom globally.Apply for DRLA DRLAQM 18 010
- The Department of State, Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DRL Global Religious Freedom Programs (FY17/18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.345.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 25, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 06, 2017 No Explanation. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $700,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: DRL Global Religious Freedom Programs (FY17/18)
What is the DRL Global Religious Freedom Programs (FY17/18) funding opportunity?
It is a competitive funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) that supports projects designed to promote and protect religious freedom worldwide.
What is the main goal of this program?
The program aims to strengthen freedom of religion or belief by supporting efforts that help individuals and communities practice their religion or beliefs freely and live without discrimination, harassment, or violence tied to religion or belief.
Is this opportunity limited to a specific country or region?
No. The opportunity is framed as a global initiative, meaning proposals may be country-specific, multi-country, or thematic across multiple contexts, as long as they clearly advance religious freedom.
What kinds of projects does DRL generally support under this opportunity?
Based on the description provided, projects may focus on tangible improvements such as stronger legal or policy protections, better documentation and response to violations, increased capacity of civil society or affected communities to advocate for their rights, improved interfaith or community resilience against intolerance, or other measurable changes aligned with promoting and protecting religious freedom globally.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is DRLA DRLAQM 18 010.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 19.345.
Is this funding provided as a grant or a cooperative agreement?
Awards could be made either as grants or cooperative agreements.
What is the difference between a grant and a cooperative agreement in this context?
The description notes that a cooperative agreement typically implies more substantial U.S. government involvement in project monitoring, coordination, or technical input than a standard grant.
When was this opportunity posted?
The public posting (creation) date was September 25, 2017.
What was the application deadline?
The original application deadline was November 6, 2017.
How large can an individual award be?
The award ceiling listed was $700,000 per award.
How many awards were anticipated?
DRL anticipated making about four awards.
What does it mean that only about four awards were expected?
It suggests the program planned to support a small number of relatively substantial projects rather than many small awards, which typically increases competition and places emphasis on well-developed proposals with clear outcomes and strong implementation plans.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes the following categories listed in the opportunity: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). The listing also mentions "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice.
Are non-U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The opportunity description indicates eligibility includes both U.S. and non-U.S. organizational types commonly eligible for DRL opportunities.
Do applicants need to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to apply?
No. Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status are listed as eligible (as long as they are not institutions of higher education).
Can universities apply?
Yes. Both public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are explicitly listed as eligible.
What does the "Others" eligibility category mean?
The listing references "Others" with additional eligibility details in the full notice. This commonly signals that other entity types may be eligible depending on the specific terms of the competition, but the exact details are not provided in the summary text.
What should an application generally demonstrate to be competitive?
The summary indicates competitive proposals would typically include clear outcomes, a realistic implementation plan, and a budget that fits within the award ceiling while matching the proposed scope and impact. Because a limited number of awards were expected, the competition likely favored strong evidence of need, credible partners or networks, and a well-developed monitoring and evaluation approach.
What types of outcomes are aligned with this opportunity?
Outcomes aligned with this opportunity include measurable improvements connected to freedom of religion or belief, such as strengthened legal or policy protections, improved documentation and responses to violations, increased civil society capacity to advocate for rights, and stronger community resilience against intolerance.
What does it mean that this is a competitive grant announcement?
It means applicants compete against each other for a limited number of awards, and funding decisions are made based on the strength and fit of proposals relative to the program's objectives.
What does it mean that the opportunity was issued as a discretionary funding program?
It means funding is awarded through a competitive process under the program's terms rather than being automatically provided by formula. The summary identifies it as a discretionary funding program under the stated funding opportunity number.
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