Civil Society Capacity Building to Prevent, Identify and Expose Corruption and Impunity in El Salvador | INL22APS0013 WHPELSAL CIVSOC 12212021

Opportunity Information: Apply for INL22APS0013 WHPELSAL CIVSOC 12212021

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity focused on strengthening civil society in El Salvador to prevent, identify, analyze, and publicly expose corruption and impunity. The program is framed as a capacity-building effort for civil society organizations (CSOs), with the broader aim of helping local actors better uncover wrongdoing, document patterns of abuse, and improve public understanding of how corruption and impunity operate and persist.

The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government is likely to have substantial involvement during implementation compared to a standard grant. The funding activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services (CFDA 19.703). INL signals that the work is meant to respond to multiple challenges in El Salvador by equipping CSOs with tools, coordination mechanisms, and protective support so they can operate more effectively in a high-risk governance environment.

The scope of work highlights five main capacity areas. First, applicants are expected to help develop a coordinated and comprehensive anti-corruption communications strategy, which implies building shared messaging, improving outreach, and aligning narratives across organizations to increase public impact. Second, the project should implement long-term civic education, suggesting sustained programming that strengthens public awareness, encourages citizen engagement, and builds a culture of accountability over time rather than relying on short campaigns. Third, the program calls for establishing and coordinating judicial observatories, typically understood as civil society-led monitoring initiatives that track court proceedings, judicial independence issues, case handling, and system performance to spot irregularities and patterns consistent with impunity. Fourth, the opportunity emphasizes strengthening legal defense and protection, reflecting the risks faced by anti-corruption actors and the need for legal support structures and safeguards. Fifth, applicants are asked to serve as a repository to document corruption and impunity cases, pointing to a centralized or coordinated approach to collecting, organizing, and preserving information that can support reporting, advocacy, oversight, or future legal accountability efforts.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of $2,000,000 and an expectation of up to 10 awards, suggesting INL may fund multiple implementers or parallel projects that address these priorities. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with clarification expected in the full notice under the additional eligibility information section, so applicants would need to consult the official posting for precise eligible entity types and any restrictions.

Applications were accepted on a quarterly schedule during 2022, submitted through Grants.gov with strict deadlines and no exceptions: February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15, each by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. The opportunity was created on December 21, 2021, and the original closing date was November 15, 2022. The official funding opportunity title is "Civil Society Capacity Building to Prevent, Identify and Expose Corruption and Impunity in El Salvador," and the funding opportunity number is INL22APS0013 (WHPELSAL CIVSOC 12212021), which is the key identifier for locating the full announcement and application requirements.

• The Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Civil Society Capacity Building to Prevent, Identify and Expose Corruption and Impunity in El Salvador" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.703.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 15, 2022. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for INL22APS0013 WHPELSAL CIVSOC 12212021

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