Promoting Responsible Investment and Rights-Respecting Production Models

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is offering the Promoting Responsible Investment and Rights-Respecting Production Models funding opportunity under opportunity number DFOP0019659 and Assistance Listing Number 19.345. The program is funded through the FY25 Democracy Fund and will be awarded as a cooperative agreement, meaning the Department of State will have substantial involvement in implementation. One award of $2,959,500 is anticipated, representing the full $2,959,500 in available funding. The proposed project must be completed within 36 months or less, with an anticipated project start date of September 30, 2026. The notice and award are subject to the availability of funding. The program seeks to counter unfair competition from production models that rely on forced labor, worker exploitation, suppression of freedom of association and collective bargaining, and other violations or abuses of internationally recognized labor rights. It will strengthen the ability of responsible foreign companies to contribute to U.S. industrial competitiveness while promoting worker upskilling and private-sector workforce development practices that support resilient, rights-respecting supply chains. Priority regions are EAP and EUR. Critical industries identified in the notice include semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, battery production, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies. The program is intended to help reduce workforce-related barriers to responsible foreign investment and expansion in the United States while expanding opportunities for American workers. Implementation will follow a phased, evidence-based model. Under Objective 1, the recipient will conduct research and stakeholder engagement to identify unfair labor practices, workforce-related barriers to foreign investment and expansion, promising workforce development practices, and effective private-sector worker upskilling models. Research may address skills gaps, recruitment and retention challenges, worker advancement barriers, institutional and informational constraints, the U.S. workforce development ecosystem, foreign training and apprenticeship systems, and differences among countries, sectors, company types, and investment contexts. Under Objective 2, the recipient will use the research findings to design and implement targeted interventions. Activities may include partnerships with U.S. workforce development actors, employer-led training and upskilling pilots, technical exchanges, peer learning, practical guidance and technical assistance, worker engagement activities, and interventions addressing workforce constraints. DRL does not expect Objective 2 interventions to begin until the initial Objective 1 research is in its final stages and interventions have been co-designed with DRL. Applicants should budget for all costs necessary to implement the program, including research, stakeholder engagement, data collection, travel, workshops and convenings, technical assistance, interpretation and translation, monitoring and evaluation, and subawards. Under Objective 2, DRL envisions that up to 40 percent of funds will be provided as grants to international and local organizations for activities responsive to Objective 1 research findings. Award funds may not be used for alcoholic beverages, and no funds resulting from the NOFO may be provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency through subawards, direct financial support, payments, or transfers. Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not required and will not improve an application's competitive ranking. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society or nongovernmental organizations; public and private educational institutions; for-profit organizations when allowed by the applicable appropriation; individuals; public international organizations; and governmental institutions. For-profit and commercial organizations may not earn a profit from Department of State assistance awards. Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier and an active SAM.gov registration, subject to stated exemptions, while individuals are not required to have a UEI or SAM.gov registration. Applicants may submit only one proposal per organization; if an organization submits more than one proposal, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible. Applications must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, pages must be numbered, and required documents must comply with the specified formatting requirements. The application requires the applicable SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B forms; a proposal narrative of no more than 15 pages; a budget justification narrative; and required attachments. The proposal narrative must address the proposal summary, applicant background and relevant previous government grants, problem statement, project goals and measurable objectives, project activities, methods and design, project schedule and timeline, key personnel selection criteria, project partners and subawardees, monitoring and evaluation, and future funding or sustainability. Required attachments include a line-item budget, known subgrantee budgets where applicable, key personnel position descriptions or selection criteria, partner letters of support, the latest NICRA when applicable, and official permission letters when required. A summary page is optional. All application materials must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov or MyGrants. Applications are due no later than August 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. Questions about the grant application process may be directed to DRL-PRU-Solicitation@state.gov. Eligible 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, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. A review committee will evaluate eligible applications, and the Department will also conduct the required risk review. If otherwise equivalent applications receive equivalent scores, the applicant with the lower indirect cost rate will receive preference as a tie-breaking mechanism. After award, the recipient must participate in an orientation meeting within 30 days, have key personnel sufficient to initiate implementation in place within 30 days, submit the first detailed work plan within 45 days and annually thereafter, and submit a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan within 90 days. The first-year work plan must later be revised before transition from Objective 1 to Objective 2.

Directly align the proposal with the stated program goal and both objectives; present a detailed and feasible implementation approach and timeline; demonstrate organizational capacity and federal financial-management controls; show subaward management experience if subawards are proposed; provide a detailed and realistic budget tied to activities and results; use measurable output and outcome indicators with milestones and data collection methods; explain how beneficiary feedback will inform adjustments; demonstrate sustainability beyond the award period; show capacity to work closely with DRL on a highly flexible and adaptive cooperative agreement; avoid activities contrary to standing Executive Orders.