USAID Youth Resilience, Inclusion and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Project Overview: The Eastern and Southern Caribbean (ESC) region struggles with high rates of interpersonal crime and violence, with violent crime rates among the highest in the world. Of the top 20 countries in the world with the highest murder rates, 17 are in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated the global homicide rate at 6.1 per 100,000 in 2017, homicide rates across the Caribbean have been significantly higher. These incidents of crime and violence disproportionately affect young people (between 15–29 years of age) and remain a major social problem. While young males are most at risk of becoming both victims and perpetrators of crime in the region, the nature of gender-based violence (GBV) and /interpersonal violence (IPV) demands that Y-RIE considers the high rates of victimization from, and exposure to, violence by girls and women. In 2023, USAID launched the Y-RIE Program to address the issues that drive crime and violence and support youth to build safer, more prosperous, and resilient societies. To do this, Y-RIE will partner with local NGOs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and community-based organizations whose missions and services align with Y-RIE objectives.
Funding Opportunity:
The purpose of this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to solicit applications for funding. DAI through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking concept papers from prospective eligible partners whose mission and services align with Y-RIE objectives. Full applications will be requested for organizations that successfully move beyond the concept phase. Concept papers should support targeted communities, families, and youth to build their resilience to crime and violence. Specifically, Y-RIE’s grant program aims to implement activities that operationalize youth-centered systems-strengthening to:
- Support and build the capacity of local youth-serving and youth-led partners; and,
- Leverage local investment and participation to improve opportunities for youth resilience, community safety and catalytic locally driven innovations.
This APS is seeking applications that propose creative and effective approaches to enhancing citizens’ resilience to crime and violence as outlined in the Scope of Work. All grant activities shall be fully consistent with the project’s strategies and priorities and shall ensure adequate coordination with implementing partners and other donor-funded interventions to avoid duplication of effort and maximize potential effectiveness. The geographic focus under consideration is select communities within St. Lucia and Grenada. Applicants must demonstrate success in managing cultural and political considerations in the proposed focus country.
Competition for this APS will be open for a one-year period. All concept papers will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the following schedule for the year ahead:
- Rapid Concept Call: Concepts due by July 21, 2023, to be included in Y-RIE Year 2 work plan (Full application design for concepts moving on to the second round will start October 2023)
- Final Call for Concepts for Year 2: December 15, 2023, to be included for mid-Year 2 work plan (Full application design for concepts moving on to the second round will start March 2024)
This Annual Program Statement (APS) is a tool for engaging local partners, including youth groups, government, the private sector, and civil society in transformational partnerships that support and build the capacity of local youth-serving and youth-led partners; and leverage local investment and participation to improve opportunities for youth resilience, community safety and catalyze locally driven innovations. Proposed activities will be evaluated on several factors with priority given to those concepts able to achieve intended outcomes effect that will build the case for further similar opportunities (see more details under Section IV). By fulfilling a multitude of these priorities, the hope is that awardees will build a better, more crime and violence resilient ecosystem in the countries they operate in.
Please note that the APS is subject to change, any of which will be updated and reposted. The number of awards and amount of available funding is subject to change and DAI reserves the right to make no awards as a result of this APS.
Locations: Y-RIE is seeking concepts that implement work in the following locations only.
Grenada
- Area I: Four Roads, River Road, Mt. Rush, Dabeau, Beaulieu, Boca and New Hampshire/Willis
- Area II: Town of Gouyave, Concord, Grand Roy and Black Bay
- Area III: Belmont to Mourne Rouge, and Grand Anse (Mont Tout, Limes, the Valley)
- Area IV: Mont Horn-St. Andrew
Saint Lucia
- Area I: Vieux Fort Town, Bruceville, The Mangue/Westall Group, La Tourney/ Cedar Heights (Vieux Fort Communities)
- Area II: Jacmel, Vanard, Bois D’Inde (Anse La Raye Communities)
- Area III: Castries City, Marchand, Faux A Chaud, Leslie Land, Pavee, Bagatelle, Bella Rosa (Castries Communities)
- Area IV: Monchy, Grande Riviere, Marisule (Gros Islet Communities)
Y-RIE Eligibility Criteria:
- Foundations
- Non-governmental organizations
- Faith-based organizations (FBOs)
- Community-based organizations (CBOs)
- Civil society organizations (CSOs)
- Private organizations affiliated with public academic institutions and international non-governmental organizations
- Private educational institutions
- Private companies
- Professional associations
- Government or quasi-government entities within the country of operation
- Service organizations
- Consortiums of the above entities
Y-RIE encourages an approach that establishes partnerships with several partner organizations and builds them into legacy institutions capable of sustaining development projects in the future.
Applicants must be organized under the laws of the country in which it has its principal place of business or operations in. In lieu of official registration, an applicant may still be eligible for award if it shows proof of effort to secure registration, exemption from registration, or cause for why registration is not optional or practicable.
Prior experience with USAID or other US Government entities is not required. DAI encourages applications from potential new partners.
Ineligible Organizations:
- Any organization not legally organized under the laws of the country in which it has its principal place of business or operations in;
- Any entity listed in the U.S. government Excluded Parties List;
- Any entity unable to obtain Unique Entity Identifier (UEI);*
- Any entity excluded in the US Government System for Award Management;
- Any Public International Organization (PIO);
- Any projects involving involuntary resettlement, child labor, significant environmental impacts;
- Any military organization;
- Any political party organization;
- Any organization that prohibits the participation of minority groups including ethnic, sexual, and religious minorities or that expresses or condones what is referred to as hate speech
- Any labor unions; and,
- Any individuals
*Applicants can register for a UEI by accessing the following website: www.sam.gov