Reducing Mercury Use and Strengthening Supply Chains in Mali’s Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining Sector | SFOP0007026

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0007026

The grant opportunity titled "Reducing Mercury Use and Strengthening Supply Chains in Mali's Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining Sector" (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0007026) was offered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. It falls under the environment funding activity category (CFDA 19.017) and was released as a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means the U.S. government expected to remain actively involved during implementation rather than simply providing funds with minimal oversight. The posting was created on June 2, 2020, with an original application deadline of July 31, 2020. The program anticipated making a single award, with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $493,750.

The core purpose of the project was to reduce the use of mercury in Mali's artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector. Mercury is widely used in ASGM to extract gold, but it poses serious health and environmental risks, including poisoning of miners and nearby communities and long-term contamination of air, soil, and waterways. The opportunity aimed to address this problem through a combination of practical interventions: educating miners and communities about mercury risks and safer practices, promoting and facilitating access to improved mining and processing technologies that reduce or eliminate mercury use, and strengthening the availability and reliability of equipment supply chains so that miners can actually obtain and maintain safer alternatives. In other words, the project was not just about awareness-raising; it also focused on the real-world market and logistics barriers that often prevent safer methods from being adopted at scale.

Another major emphasis was improving the responsibility and integrity of gold supply chains linked to the ASGM sector. This component generally points to encouraging practices that make gold production and trade more transparent and environmentally responsible, potentially including better sourcing practices, engagement with traders and processors, and incentives that make cleaner production methods more viable for miners. By linking technical changes at mine sites with reforms and improvements in the downstream supply chain, the opportunity signaled an intent to create conditions where mercury reduction efforts are sustained, not temporary.

Finally, the project was framed as one piece of a broader U.S. Government initiative to engage comprehensively with ASGM sectors. That meant the awardee would be expected to communicate and coordinate closely with other U.S.-funded projects and U.S. policy stakeholders, as well as with international organizations and other governments working in partnership with the United States on related ASGM and mercury-reduction efforts. This coordination requirement suggests the work needed to align with ongoing programs, avoid duplication, share lessons learned, and support a coherent policy and implementation approach across multiple actors operating in Mali and the broader region.

Eligibility was listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification indicated in the full eligibility text of the notice. The opportunity was designed for an organization capable of implementing field-level activities in Mali, engaging miners and supply chain actors, and working effectively in a coordinated, multi-donor environment where policy alignment and collaboration are part of the deliverables, not an afterthought.

• The Department of State, Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental - Scientific in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reducing Mercury Use and Strengthening Supply Chains in Mali’s Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining Sector" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.017.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 02, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2020. (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 $493,750.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for SFOP0007026

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