Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) | NGA 2019 TSCTPFUND

Opportunity Information: Apply for NGA 2019 TSCTPFUND

The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) funding opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section (PAS) as a call for Statements of Interest (SOIs) under FY2019 funding. TSCTP is described as the U.S. Government's main platform for working with partner countries across the Sahel and West Africa to strengthen the capacity of civilian institutions, security actors, and law enforcement to counter terrorism and reduce the spread of violent extremism. The geographic focus includes projects implemented in Nigeria and/or regional efforts that involve the broader Sahel and West African regions. The SOI deadline listed for this opportunity was March 2, 2020, and the program is associated with CFDA number 19.222. The point of contact provided for submissions and questions was the Embassy Abuja PAS team via NigeriaTSCTP@state.gov.

Programmatically, PAS made clear that funding priority would go to proposals that directly address at least one of four specific countering violent extremism (CVE) themes. The first priority area centers on improving collaboration and trust between citizens and civilian government institutions, including building reporting mechanisms and constructive engagement with entities such as law enforcement. The second priority focuses on developing and implementing strategies that support the rehabilitation and reintegration of defectors from violent extremist organizations (VEOs). A third theme emphasizes women’s roles in peace and security, both by supporting women as leaders who can prevent and respond to radicalization and by addressing the ways women may be involved in violent extremism. The fourth priority supports cross-border networks that connect government and civil society actors to identify and reduce recruitment pathways and drivers of radicalization to violence. Projects that did not clearly align with one or more of these objectives were explicitly stated to be ineligible for funding consideration. Applicants were also expected to plainly describe the violent extremism-related challenge being addressed and to explain how the proposed intervention would measurably help counter the spread of violent extremism, with a scope realistic enough to produce concrete results within a 24-month implementation window.

From a funding and award-structure standpoint, the performance period was set at a minimum of 24 months, with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2020. The funds were to come from FY2019 Economic Support Funds (ESF) - Overseas Contingency Operations. While the number of awards was not fixed and depended on the availability of total funding, the announcement indicated projects should have a minimum budget of $250,000, and the source data referenced an award ceiling of $500,000. The notice also underscored typical government caveats: awards were subject to funding availability; projects could be scaled down if funds were limited; and the announcement itself did not create a binding commitment for the U.S. Government to fund any specific proposal or amount.

Eligibility was broad and included U.S., Nigerian, and other international organizations. Eligible applicants included not-for-profit organizations (such as think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. Cost sharing or matching funds were encouraged as a sign of commitment and leverage, but were not required to apply.

The application process began with a Statement of Interest rather than a full proposal, and the instructions were fairly specific about content and format. Submissions needed to be in English, budgets had to be presented in U.S. dollars, pages needed numbering, and documents were to be prepared in Microsoft Word (or a similarly common word processing format) using single spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. The SOI itself had to include a clear project description and summary and, importantly, an explicit theory of change. That theory of change was expected to do three things: identify underlying drivers of support for violent extremism based on current research, spell out anticipated goals and outcomes, and explain how the project’s goals would address the identified drivers while aligning to the TSCTP priority themes. In addition, the SOI narrative needed to include practical planning information: a project title; an introduction to the applicant organization demonstrating relevant experience and operational capability; a point of contact; the amount of funding requested and a high-level budget summary broken into major cost categories (for example personnel, contractual, supplies, travel); a context/rationale section describing the specific violent extremism problem and target populations; project goals and objectives; key activities; a timeline with benchmarks; and a monitoring and evaluation plan that described indicators, results measurement, and data collection tools such as pre- and post-surveys or focus groups, as well as whether M&E would be internal or handled by an external evaluator.

The opportunity also highlighted several ESF-related restrictions that applicants needed to observe. ESF could not be used for military or paramilitary purposes, and it is subject to limits related to assistance for police, prisons, other law enforcement forces, or internal intelligence/surveillance programs. Implementers also had to ensure activities complied with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, meaning U.S.-funded programming must have a secular purpose and secular effect and respect church-state separation principles. The announcement further required compliance with the 2008 Negroponte Guidance, which is a set of U.S. government rules governing certain types of foreign assistance and engagement, particularly around security and sensitive support areas.

Finally, the review process was described as a multi-stage funnel. First, Embassy Abuja’s grants review committee would screen and assess submitted SOIs. SOIs that advanced would then be forwarded to the Department of State office responsible for TSCTP for a second review. Applicants who passed that stage would be invited to submit a full-length grant application, and those selected after the full proposal review would enter pre-award negotiations before any grant could be issued. Organizations that did not advance through all stages were to be notified, and the Embassy reiterated that awards depended on available funding.

• The U.S. Mission to Nigeria in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.222.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-02. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts.

Apply for NGA 2019 TSCTPFUND

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: