Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0006249
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) released a discretionary funding opportunity called "Statements of Interest for Human Rights, Accountability, and Access to Information in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)." The opportunity, listed under Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0006249 and CFDA 19.345, invites organizations to submit Statements of Interest (SOIs) proposing projects that advance a clear U.S. policy objective: promoting human rights, strengthening accountability, and expanding access to information related to (and/or within) North Korea. Rather than framing this as a narrow technical program, the announcement signals a broad human rights and transparency focus, centered on practical initiatives that can document abuses, support accountability efforts, and help increase the flow and availability of credible information.
The grant is administered by DRL within the Department of State and is categorized under a nonstandard funding instrument type ("Other") and a funding activity category also labeled "Other," with further clarification referenced in the original notice. This generally suggests DRL is keeping flexibility in how proposals are structured and evaluated, which is common in human rights programming where activities can vary widely, from documentation and research to media, advocacy, or technology-enabled information access. The competition is described as open, meaning DRL was soliciting interest from a range of potential implementers rather than limiting consideration to a pre-selected group of organizations.
Key timing details include a creation date of November 20, 2019, and an original closing date of January 8, 2020, indicating a relatively short window for submitting the SOI. The listed award ceiling is $3,000,000, which sets the upper limit on the amount DRL could award for a single project under this announcement. The notice lists "ExpectedAwards: 0," which typically means the posting did not commit to a specific number of awards in advance and may have depended on the strength of submissions, availability of funds, or internal programming decisions. Eligibility is not limited to a single traditional category (such as only nonprofits or only universities); instead, it is marked as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, implying that a broader set of entities could potentially apply if they meet DRL's requirements.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as DRL seeking project ideas and capable partners for work connected to North Korea that aligns with three linked priorities: protecting and promoting human rights, supporting accountability for violations, and improving access to information. The SOI format suggests an initial concept stage intended to surface strong proposals before any fuller application steps, and the relatively high ceiling indicates DRL was open to substantial, potentially multi-faceted projects if they convincingly supported these policy objectives.Apply for SFOP0006249
- 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 "Statements of Interest for Human Rights, Accountability, and Access to Information in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)" 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 Nov 20, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 08, 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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Statements of Interest for Human Rights, Accountability, and Access to Information in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)."
2. Which U.S. government office is offering this grant opportunity?
It is offered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL).
3. What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is SFOP0006249.
4. What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 19.345.
5. What type of submission is requested (full proposal or concept paper)?
The announcement invites Statements of Interest (SOIs), which indicates an initial concept-stage submission rather than a full application as the first step.
6. What is the main purpose or policy objective of the opportunity?
The stated objective is to promote human rights, strengthen accountability, and expand access to information related to (and/or within) North Korea.
7. What program themes or focus areas does DRL emphasize?
The notice describes a broad focus on human rights and transparency, centered on practical initiatives that can document abuses, support accountability efforts, and increase the flow and availability of credible information connected to North Korea.
8. Does this opportunity focus on North Korea specifically?
Yes. The opportunity is explicitly related to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), also referred to as North Korea.
9. What kinds of activities might be relevant under this announcement?
Based on the description, potentially relevant activities include documentation and research, efforts that support accountability for violations, media or advocacy initiatives, and technology-enabled approaches that expand access to information. The announcement presents these as examples of the kinds of work commonly seen in human rights programming.
10. Is this a standard grant program or something more flexible?
The funding instrument type is labeled "Other" (nonstandard), and the funding activity category is also labeled "Other" with more clarification referenced in the original notice. This suggests DRL intended to keep flexibility in how projects could be structured and evaluated.
11. Is the competition limited to invitees, or open to a range of applicants?
The competition is described as open, meaning DRL was soliciting interest from a range of potential implementers rather than limiting submissions to a pre-selected group.
12. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is marked as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. As described, eligibility is not limited to one traditional category (for example, only nonprofits or only universities), implying a broader set of entities could potentially apply if they meet DRL's requirements.
13. What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $3,000,000, which is the upper limit DRL could award for a single project under this announcement.
14. Does the notice state how many awards will be made?
The notice lists "ExpectedAwards: 0," which typically indicates the posting did not commit to a specific number of awards in advance and that awards could depend on submission quality, available funds, and internal decisions.
15. What are the key dates for this opportunity?
The notice lists a creation date of November 20, 2019, and an original closing date of January 8, 2020.
16. How long was the submission window for the SOI?
Based on the creation date (November 20, 2019) and the original closing date (January 8, 2020), the SOI window was relatively short.
17. What does it mean that this opportunity is described as "discretionary" funding?
The notice describes it as a discretionary funding opportunity, meaning DRL had discretion in choosing which ideas to support, consistent with how human rights programming is often competed and selected.
18. What does the SOI format suggest about the application process?
The SOI approach suggests an initial concept stage designed to surface strong ideas and capable partners before any potential later steps that might involve a fuller application.
19. Is the announcement framed as a narrow technical program?
No. The description indicates DRL signaled a broad human rights and transparency focus rather than a narrow technical program.
20. What overall priorities should proposed projects align with?
Projects should align with three linked priorities described in the notice: protecting and promoting human rights, supporting accountability for violations, and improving access to information related to (and/or within) North Korea.
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