The Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) announces an open competition for FY 2018 projects to combat trafficking in persons outside of the United States. Informed by the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, current anti-trafficking programming, and in consultation with other offices in the U.S. Government, the TIP Office has identified 24 priority countries or regions for funding. These following countries and regions are listed as priorities for anti-trafficking programming for FY 2018.

The TIP Office will allocate funding through an open, two-stage competitive process. In the first stage of competition, U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations, public international organizations, institutes of higher education, and for-profit entities are invited to submit three-page statements of interest (SOI) for projects designed to address the programming objectives highlighted in the funding opportunity. Upon completion of a technical and programmatic review, the TIP Office will select a limited number of SOIs for further consideration. In this second stage of competition, applicants will be invited to submit full proposals that build on the concepts described in their three-page SOIs. The PDF of the NoFo can be found here: APO.af/DdQ9Qn.

TIP Office foreign assistance awards for bilateral and regional projects typically range between $500,000 and $1,000,000 with a handful falling outside that range. Project duration normally falls between 24 and 48 months. The TIP Office encourages applicants to submit strong proposals for larger, longer-term projects that align with U.S. government priorities, address human trafficking challenges on a significant scale, and offer the potential to have a systemic and sustainable impact among other factors. Please be advised, all awards will be made pending the availability of FY 2018 appropriated funds.

Proposals must be submitted via www.GrantSolutions.gov by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on November 13, 2017, to be eligible for consideration. If an organization has difficulty submitting a proposal near the deadline, the only way that a late application will be accepted is if the applicant opens a ticket with the help desk to resolve the problem prior to the deadline. A ticket with the help desk can be opened by emailing Help@GrantSolutions.gov. To be competitive under this funding opportunity, applicants must be fully responsive to all directions in this document. For more specific guidance on submitting an application, please view the TIP Office Application 101 video. Please visit our website http://APO.af/2TUPo7 to view this material.

The TIP Office produced a step-by-step instructional video for prospective applicants. This tool is intended to increase the quality of applications by clarifying the grants process and providing tips for success. The video will be posted on the TIP Office website http://APO.af/2TUPo7.