FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Advancing Interim and Durable Solutions | DFOP0013979

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0013979

The FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled "FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Advancing Interim and Durable Solutions" is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), released under opportunity number DFOP0013979 (CFDA 19.522). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning PRM expects to have an active role in supporting and shaping the work during implementation rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The NOFO was created on April 16, 2024, and the original closing date for submissions was June 17, 2024. The listed award ceiling is $400,000, though the posting shows "Expected Awards: 0," which typically signals that the agency is not committing to a set number of awards in advance and may depend on available funds and the quality of submissions.

A central requirement of this opportunity is that applicants must use PRM's General NGO Guidelines alongside this NOFO. The NOFO is explicitly described as a companion document to the General NGO Guidelines, and PRM emphasizes that proposals will not be considered if they fail to reflect the requirements in those guidelines. In practical terms, this means an applicant needs to align both with the specific goals of this NOFO and with PRM's broader strategy, priorities, compliance expectations, and approach to NGO partnerships described in the General NGO Guidelines. PRM is signaling that technical merit alone is not enough; proposals must also clearly fit PRM's policy and funding framework and demonstrate that the organization can operate according to PRM's standards.

Programmatically, PRM is looking for proposals that contribute to global learning and/or the advancement of best practices related to interim solutions and durable solutions for refugees, asylum seekers, and/or stateless persons. The emphasis on "global learning" and "best practices" suggests PRM wants more than localized service delivery; it is looking for work that generates transferable lessons, evidence, models, or approaches that can be adopted or adapted across contexts. The intended impact is to improve how the humanitarian and protection community supports people who are displaced or lack nationality, especially in situations where long-term resolution is difficult, delayed, or politically constrained.

The NOFO frames the problem by distinguishing between durable solutions and interim solutions. Durable solutions are described as outcomes that end a person's refugee or stateless status, including voluntary return and reintegration, local integration in the host country, or resettlement to a third country. PRM notes that access to these durable solutions remains limited for most refugees and stateless persons, and that even when solutions are possible, the timeline is often long and uncertain. Because of that reality, PRM also supports interim solutions, which are essentially efforts that improve inclusion and stability while people wait for longer-term outcomes. The NOFO provides examples of interim solutions such as inclusion in national systems and services (health care, education, sustainable housing) and steps that strengthen self-reliance, including access to labor markets, livelihoods, and other enabling conditions. It also recognizes that some interim interventions can directly support progress toward durable solutions, for instance by strengthening access to identity documentation or addressing constraints on freedom of movement.

Within that overall focus, the NOFO asks applicants to center their proposals on one of three themes: Self-reliance, Statelessness, or Innovation. Self-reliance generally refers to programming that helps displaced or stateless people meet their needs sustainably and reduce dependency through employment, livelihoods, skills, and access to markets and legal work opportunities, often tied to broader inclusion in host-country systems. The Statelessness theme targets efforts that prevent, reduce, or respond to statelessness and its impacts, including barriers like lack of civil documentation, gaps in nationality laws or procedures, and the practical exclusion that comes from not having recognized identity or legal status. The Innovation theme points to PRM's interest in new or improved approaches that can strengthen interim or durable solutions outcomes, including testing, adapting, or scaling methods that can show clearer results, greater cost-effectiveness, or better protection and inclusion impacts. Although the NOFO does not spell out specific subtopics under each theme in the provided text, the repeated emphasis on best practices and learning indicates PRM is likely looking for well-grounded approaches with a plausible pathway to broader uptake.

Eligibility is fairly broad for the NGO and academic space. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also excluding institutions of higher education), international organizations, and private, public, and state-controlled institutions of higher education. A key procedural caveat applies to international multilateral organizations such as UN agencies: they are instructed not to submit proposals through Grants.gov in response to this NOFO. Instead, multilateral organizations seeking funding for relevant programs are directed to contact the PRM Program Officer on or before the closing date. That distinction matters because it signals different submission channels and review pathways depending on the type of applicant, and it also implies PRM manages UN partnerships through separate processes than those used for NGOs and universities on Grants.gov.

For applicants needing clarification tied to the thematic areas, PRM provides points of contact by theme and encourages applicants to reach out before submitting. The contacts listed are Carmen Wilke (wilkecl@state.gov) for Statelessness, Ellen Lee (leeek3@state.gov) for Self-Reliance, and Katherine Armeier (armeierk@state.gov) for Innovation. This structure reinforces that PRM expects applicants to clearly choose and align with one primary theme and that proposals should be framed in a way that fits that theme's technical expectations and outcomes.

Overall, this NOFO is best understood as a targeted PRM funding opportunity for organizations that can help build and share evidence-based approaches to improving refugees', asylum seekers', and stateless persons' pathways toward stability and long-term resolution. PRM is prioritizing work that either strengthens the conditions for eventual durable solutions or improves access to meaningful interim inclusion and self-sufficiency, with a clear requirement that proposals be consistent with PRM's General NGO Guidelines and broader funding strategy.

• The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Advancing Interim and Durable Solutions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.522.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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