Request for Information | 72049219RFA00009

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72049219RFA00009

This opportunity is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), specifically USAID/Philippines, to gather written input from potential Philippine local organizations and partners as USAID designs a new three-year counter-trafficking in persons activity. Rather than being a formal call for full proposals, the RFI is meant to help USAID understand which local entities are interested, what they can realistically deliver, and how they might contribute to an initiative focused on "Strengthening Local Systems and Partnerships for a More Efficient and Sustainable Counter Trafficking in Persons in the Philippines." The information collected is intended to shape USAID planning and design decisions for a future program, and USAID states that the information submitted will not be shared publicly.

The focus of the planned activity is counter-trafficking in persons, framed around improving local systems and building partnerships so that anti-trafficking efforts become more effective, better coordinated, and sustainable over time. While the RFI itself does not lay out a full program model or set of required interventions, the title signals a systems-based approach, likely involving coordination across government and non-government actors, strengthening referral and service delivery pathways, improving local capacity to prevent trafficking and respond to survivors, and reinforcing the institutional partnerships that keep these efforts functioning beyond the life of external funding. The activity sits under the broad funding activity category of Law, Justice and Legal Services, indicating an emphasis on justice-sector and protection-related components, even if the ultimate program design may also touch prevention, community engagement, and victim services.

USAID is explicitly seeking responses from "Philippine local organizations/partners" and defines that term with three key eligibility characteristics: the organization must be registered or legally organized under Philippine law and have its principal place of operations in the Philippines; it must be majority owned by citizens or lawful permanent residents of the Philippines; and it must be managed by a governing body in which a majority are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the Philippines. In the grants listing, eligible applicants are listed broadly as "Others" with a note to consult additional eligibility information, but the RFI text makes clear that USAID is prioritizing locally rooted Philippine entities that meet the stated ownership, governance, and operating-location tests. In practical terms, USAID is using this RFI to map the local partner landscape and assess where local implementation leadership is feasible.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary and anticipates a cooperative agreement as the future funding instrument type, which generally means USAID expects substantial involvement during implementation compared with a standard grant. The listing includes an anticipated award ceiling of up to USD 3,000,000 and an expectation of one award, suggesting USAID may be considering a single prime implementer model for the eventual activity (though an RFI does not guarantee a later solicitation or the final structure). The CFDA number associated with the listing is 98.001. The funding opportunity number is 72049219RFA00009, with a posting/creation date of June 24, 2019 and an original closing date of July 8, 2019, meaning the window for submitting information was relatively short and tailored to market research rather than an open-ended procurement process.

Overall, this RFI is best understood as an early-stage planning step: USAID/Philippines is testing local interest, capacity, and comparative strengths among Philippine organizations that could help deliver a three-year anti-trafficking program centered on strengthening local systems and partnerships. Responses are used internally to inform future decisions about program design, partnership approaches, and potentially the structure and requirements of a later competitive funding opportunity.

• The Agency for International Development in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 24, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 08, 2019. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 72049219RFA00009

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