Economic support funds to promote countering violent extremism objectives in the West Africa/Sahel region

This solicitation is a two-part process: (1) Concept Note Submission; (2) Full Proposal Submission. After the review of submitted concept notes, selected applicants will be invited to expand their submissions into full proposals. Selected applicants will have 10 business days after they are notified of their selection to complete their full proposals. Because most local applicants may have limited information technology resources, concept notes, proposals and questions about this funding opportunity can be forwarded via email to the contact email address listed for that country in Section D, 3 of the the Full Announcement document, which is part of the attachments to this solicitation. This solicitation is the U.S. Government’s primary multi-year inter-agency vehicle for cooperation with partner countries in the Sahel and the Maghreb to strengthen civilian, military, law enforcement capacity to counter terrorism and the spread of violent extremism. Priority will be given to projects that address one or more of the following themes: --Increasing collaboration and connectivity between local and national government officials and communities at risk of recruitment and radicalization to violence; --Enhancing the capacity of local and national government entities (e.g., Ministry of Information) to develop and implement countering violent extremism (CVE) strategies and messaging; --Encouraging defections from violent extremist groups and supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of demobilized/disengaged fighters; --Providing positive alternatives to communities, especially youth, most at risk of recruitment and radicalization to violence (e.g., political, economic, and social inclusion opportunities); --Strengthening resilience among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) at risk of recruitment and radicalization to violence; --Promoting conflict mitigation and reconciliation among communities at risk of recruitment and radicalization to violence; and --Building cross-border linkages and networks that can identify and mitigate recruitment and radicalization to violence.The above list is not exhaustive, but rather meant to be illustrative of the kinds of challenges and needs to address in this notice of funding opportunity. Whether addressing one of the above or a self-identified challenge, all concept notes should clearly and succinctly explain the challenge the project would address and how the proposed project would help counter the spread of violent extremism. Concept notes may address more than one challenge, but should be focused enough to achieve concrete results in a 12-24 month period.