The Office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) requests applications to establish a mechanism by which organizations and activists can receive technical and financial assistance, if necessary on short notice; facilitate networking among organizations and build consortiums when necessary

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for project implementation; and provide comparative perspectives and international best practices on effective reform methodologies.

Proposals should demonstrate creative means to provide support (e.g., through sub-awards and/or direct assistance) to local, regional and international organizations and individuals in response to rapidly changing events on the ground in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

(While MENA-based organizations and activists will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this assistance, funding might be provided through non-MENA based groups, as appropriate.) The successful applicant to this opportunity will be issued a Coopera tive Agreement, with substantial involvement from MEPI in the grantee?s operation of this program.

As such, MEPI will closely work with the grantee to provide direction on targets of potential assistance, including but not limited to, the selection of projects and sub-award mechanisms.

Submissions must:
1) Discuss ways to provide capacity-building, technical assistance, and funding to organizations and individuals in the MENA region.

2) Detail how capacity-building and funding to organizations and individuals can be achieved in sensitive environments (e.g., where potential beneficiaries face regime repression or where the space for civil society support is otherwise constrained), and when there is a need for rapid responses to time-sensitive opportunities and events.

3) Demonstrate experience managing a significant number of subgrants and/or direct assistance projects totaling no less than $5,000,000 over the life of the organization.

Applications must clearly outline this experience, including total volume (total dollar amount, number of partners, and number of projects), size and length of sub-awards managed, and geographic and thematic focus.

If the applicant provided capacity-building support to sub-grantees, please indicate the type of support.

Only those organizations that demonstrate this experience will advance to the Technical Review stage.

4)Demonstrate experience working in the MENA region and expertise in developing and implementing political, economic, and social reform projects.

5)Demonstrate an ability to identify specific programmatic needs on the ground and propose potential areas of engagement upon request.

6)Outline plans for a multi-year assistance mechanism that will advance political, economic, and social reform.