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Grants / Department of State / Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor

SFOP0009384: DRL FY2022: Ensuring Freedom of Expression for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations Responding to Anti-Rights Efforts and Targeted Attacks

Closed Closed April 5, 2023 Opportunity SFOP0009384

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: FY26 DRL/IRF Global Request for Statements of Interest (DFOP0019929). Status: Closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left). It is in our archive of Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor notices from 2023.

Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor offered grants of up to $750,000 (at least $750,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 2 awards. Applications closed on April 5, 2023.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed February 2, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.

Key dates

PostedFebruary 2, 2023
DeadlineApril 5, 2023

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) invites civil society organizations (CSOs) to submit applications for projects that have the goal to promote and protect Freedom of Expression (FoE) for vulnerable or marginalized populations. The focus should include women and girls in all their diversity; LGBTQI+ persons, transgender or gender-diverse persons in particular; migrants; members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities, religious minority group members; and others targeted by anti-rights actors. These actors deploy targeted threats and instrumentalized stigma against such groups in order to chill freedom of speech and limit democratic participation, leading to the erosion of democratic institutions, rule of law, access to justice, and fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association (e.g. creating and disseminating disinformation in order to pass legislation that is discriminatory in intent or impact; repeatedly targeting civil society organizations working for the human rights of vulnerable populations with strategic lawsuits against public participation, etc.)

Category: Other.

Who has won International Programs to Support Democracy, Human Rights and Labor grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, International Programs to Support Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (19.345) awarded $1.7 billion across 53 grant awards, an average of $31.2 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
National Endowment for DemocracyDistrict of Columbia5$1.6 billion
Vital Voices Global Partnership IncDistrict of Columbia2$31.4 million
International Coalition of Sites of ConscienceNew York2$22.2 million
Freedom House, Inc.District of Columbia2$20.2 million
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation1$2.6 million

Top states: District of Columbia ($1.6 billion), New York ($22.2 million), California ($3.8 million), Oregon ($2.0 million), Massachusetts ($1.7 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DFOP0019929, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is SFOP0009384 still open?

No. It closed on April 5, 2023. A newer notice is open: DFOP0019929, closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left).

Who can apply for DRL FY2022: Ensuring Freedom of Expression for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations Responding to Anti-Rights Efforts and Targeted Attacks?

Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for DRL FY2022: Ensuring Freedom of Expression for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations Responding to Anti-Rights Efforts and Targeted Attacks?

Closed April 5, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $750,000 each.

Who has won International Programs to Support Democracy, Human Rights and Labor grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were National Endowment for Democracy, Vital Voices Global Partnership Inc, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The program made 53 awards worth $1.7 billion in that time.

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