DRL FY 2025 China Programs

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, is offering DRL China Programs under funding opportunity DFOP0019522. The opportunity uses FY 2025 Democracy Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act and is structured as four cooperative agreements, with total available funding of $8,880,116, subject to availability of funds. The priority region is China, inclusive of all provinces, autonomous regions, special administrative regions, and direct-administered municipalities, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet. The programs respond to human rights abuses and related concerns involving censorship, propaganda, transnational repression, forced labor, sanctions evasion, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, and other actions attributed to the Chinese Communist Party. The awards are intended to advance relevant U.S. national security and legislative objectives. Four distinct programs are supported. Program 1, Promoting Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, will receive one award of up to $1,973,359 and focuses on countering censorship, propaganda, and false narratives while supporting independent journalists and information providers. Program 2, Countering Extraterritorial Application of National Security Legislation, will receive one award of up to $2,466,699 and focuses on tracking and responding to China's use of extraterritorial national security laws, lawfare, long-arm jurisdiction, and related legal risks. Program 3, Ending Sanctions Evasion, will receive one award of up to $2,466,699 and supports research, documentation, dissemination of actionable evidence, and accountability efforts concerning sanctions evasion. Program 4, Protecting Religious Freedom and Human Rights, will receive one award of up to $1,973,359 and supports human rights defenders, independent journalists, activists, advocacy networks, and persecuted religious and minority communities. Successful applications must allocate at least 20 percent of the total award budget to subaward agreements. At least one to two subrecipients should be identified at application, with letters of commitment, while additional subrecipients may be identified and approved during implementation. Applications must incorporate monitoring and evaluation data and findings, lessons learned and best practices from prior similar awards, and information explaining how prior program data will inform baseline data collection. Applicants must also include emergency contingency plans and associated budget line items addressing possible transnational repression, intimidation, coercion, or other repression affecting program staff or participants. Funds are subject to applicable federal regulations and may not support partisan activities or content, lobbying or prohibited political activities, alcoholic beverages, payments or transfers to UNRWA, or the other prohibited activities identified in the notice. Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not required and does not improve competitive ranking. Eligible applicants include U.S. or foreign nonprofit organizations, including think tanks and civil society or nongovernmental organizations; U.S. or foreign public and private educational institutions; and U.S. or foreign for-profit organizations. Organizations must generally have a Unique Entity Identifier and active SAM.gov registration, subject to the stated exemption process. Applicants may submit no more than two proposals as the primary recipient across the four programs and no more than one application per program. Submission of more than two proposals as prime recipient makes all proposals from that institution ineligible. Organizations may participate in an unlimited number of applications as subrecipients or other implementing partners. Applications may be submitted electronically through Grants.gov or MyGrants and are due no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 31, 2026. Required forms are SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B. An optional summary page may also be provided. The proposal is limited to 15 pages and must address the proposal summary, applicant background and capacity, problem statement, goals and objectives, activities, methods and design, schedule and timeline, key personnel selection criteria, project partners, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. Applicants must also provide a budget justification narrative and required attachments, including a line-item budget, relevant subgrantee budgets when known, key personnel position descriptions, partner support letters, the latest NICRA when applicable, and official permission letters when required. Applications and documents must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, pages must be numbered, and specified document formatting requirements apply. Questions about the application process may be directed to DRL-PRU-Solicitation@state.gov. Applications will be evaluated for quality and feasibility of the program idea, organizational capacity and record on previous grants, program planning and ability to achieve objectives, budget quality, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. A risk review will also consider financial stability, management systems and standards, history of performance, audit reports and findings, implementation capacity, and capacity to identify and mitigate risks associated with sensitive programming. If applications receive equivalent scores, the lower indirect cost rate will be used as a tie-breaking preference. DRL will be substantially involved throughout implementation, including approval of annual work plans, subawards, certain activities and legal actions, and significant program changes. Recipients will participate in regular check-ins and submit quarterly narrative and financial reports. The anticipated project start date is September 30, 2026, and projects should be completed within 48 months, with the stated performance range being 24 to 48 months. The first annual work plan is due within 45 days of award and subsequent work plans are required annually, with the next year's draft due at least 30 days before the next 12-month implementation period. Unsuccessful applicants are expected to be notified by October 30 via email. Continuation grants beyond the initial budget period may be considered noncompetitively subject to availability of funds, satisfactory program progress, and a determination that continued funding is in the Department's best interest. The notice does not state that the funding opportunity itself recurs annually or on another regular application cycle.

Directly align proposed activities with the selected program goal and objectives and provide a reasonable implementation timeline. Demonstrate organizational expertise, federal financial controls, and subaward management experience. Provide a detailed and realistic budget tied to activities and anticipated results. Use specific measurable output and outcome indicators with milestones and explain how prior program evidence informs baseline collection. Address sustainability and demonstrate capacity to identify and mitigate risks associated with sensitive programming. Ensure at least 20 percent of the award budget is allocated to subawards and identify at least one to two subrecipients with commitment letters at application.