Enhancing Prison Population Management Through Expanded Probation in Tunisia

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, announces an open competition under funding opportunity OFOP0003144, Enhancing Prison Population Management Through Expanded Probation in Tunisia. INL works to protect Americans by countering crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad through foreign assistance, diplomatic engagement, and policy coordination. This cooperative agreement supports the INL Tunisia Program under Assistance Listing 19.703, Criminal Justice Systems. The project is intended to address prison overcrowding, recidivism, radicalization risks, and limitations in rehabilitation pathways in Tunisia. INL identifies excessive reliance on pretrial detention and short-term incarceration for nonviolent offenses as contributors to overcrowding and seeks to build on previous INL support and Ministry of Justice engagement. The central goal is to divert low-risk, first-time offenders to probation and community service and thereby allow Tunisia to focus limited correctional resources on higher-threat offenders while reducing opportunities for radicalization. The project is expected to establish probation offices in the final four governorates, standardize operations across all 24 probation offices, create a centralized coordination mechanism, expand partnerships with community service placement providers, institutionalize standardized training and procedures, increase public awareness of probation and alternative sentencing, and improve understanding of technology-enabled probation practices. Activities include nationwide training for justice-sector personnel, interagency workshops, a national baseline survey, public awareness campaigns, community outreach, development of standard operating procedures, research on data solutions, and technical assistance for the Ministry of Justice pilot electronic monitoring systems. Total available funding is USD 1,500,000, with one cooperative agreement anticipated. Applications must request at least USD 1,000,000 and may request up to USD 1,500,000. The initial project implementation period is 24 months, with an anticipated start in October 2026. INL may extend the implementation period based on priorities, recipient performance, management approvals, and funding availability, but INL projects may not exceed five total years of implementation. Cost sharing is recommended but is not required. Any voluntary cost share proposed must be tracked through appropriate accounting systems or supporting documentation and reflected in the SF-424A, budget, and budget narrative. Funds may not be used to provide payments, transfers, subawards, or direct financial support to UNRWA. Other applicable federal and program-specific restrictions and compliance requirements also apply. Eligible applicants are U.S.-based nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations, foreign-based nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations, U.S.-based for-profit organizations, and foreign-based for-profit organizations. Every applicant must demonstrate business registration in Tunisia. Public International Organizations are excluded. Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier and an active SAM.gov registration, subject to applicable exemptions, and must maintain active registration during proposal review and throughout any resulting award. Applicants may submit only one proposal per organization. Organizations may submit a consortium proposal, but one organization must serve as the lead applicant and other organizations must be identified as subrecipient partners. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted through Grants.gov. Required materials include the signed SF-424, SF-424A, a proposal narrative of no more than 20 pages, a Performance Monitoring Plan containing a Change Map and Illustrative Performance Indicator Reference Sheet, Project Risk Analysis, project timeline, organizational biographical information, key personnel information, partner information when a subrecipient is proposed, summary and detailed budgets in spreadsheet format, Budget Narrative, applicable indirect cost documentation, history of U.S. Government federal assistance awards or other relevant projects, the FY2026 INL Applicant Pre-Award Risk Survey and requested supporting documents, and an organizational audit or an explanation when an audit is not required. Letters of Support and the SF-424B are optional in the circumstances described in the notice. Applications must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, pages must be numbered, and specified formatting requirements apply. Eligible applications are first reviewed for technical eligibility and then evaluated under a 100-point technical evaluation framework. Project Analysis and Design accounts for 50 points, Program Monitoring and Risk for 25 points, Institution's Record and Capacity for 10 points, and Cost Effectiveness for 15 points. Reviewers assess the quality of problem analysis, evidence-based theory of change, implementation feasibility, risk mitigation, sustainability, performance indicators and data collection, organizational and staff capacity, partner responsibilities, relevant project-management experience, organizational safeguards, and the reasonableness and proportionality of project costs. Where applications receive equivalent scores, the lower indirect cost rate may be used as a tie-breaking preference. Successful applicants are notified by email, while unsuccessful applicants are expected to be notified by November 2026. The NOFO was issued June 30, 2026. Questions are due by July 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST by email, and applications are due August 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST through Grants.gov. The INL points of contact are Najar Starr at StarrND@state.gov for Grants Officer matters and Stephanie Sabbath at SabbathSN@State.gov for Program Officer matters. No mandatory letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating submission is stated. Recipients must provide financial and program reports as required by the award and must generate quarterly performance reports through INL's DevResults system. Required DevResults enrollment forms are due within 30 days of award, and final Change Map and Performance Indicator Reference Sheet documents are early deliverables within 60 days when not final at award.

Prioritize the 50-point Project Analysis and Design criterion and the 25-point Program Monitoring and Risk criterion. Provide an insightful analysis of the problem and its causes, an evidence-based theory of change, and a feasible implementation plan clearly designed to achieve outcomes. Address implementation and participant risks with appropriate mitigation strategies and provide realistic sustainability planning. Use quantitative and concrete outcome indicators and a thorough data collection plan. Demonstrate relevant Tunisia or regional experience, capable staff and institutional resources, clear staff and partner responsibilities, and experience managing similar-sized projects. Ensure activity, personnel, and administrative costs are realistic, justified, and clearly linked to project objectives.