No Deadline - Rolling Process
Grant Program: Priority Grantmaking Competition
The Grant Program increases the breadth and depth of the Institute's work by supporting peacebuilding projects managed by non-profit organizations including educational institutions, research institutions, and civil society organizations.
In over twenty years of grantmaking, the Grant Program's Annual Grant Competition and Priority Grantmaking Competition have received nearly 10,000 applications and awarded almost 2,000 grants. The Institute has provided funding to grantees located in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and in 81 foreign countries.
Kathleen Kuehnast is the associate vice president of the Grant Program.
The Priority Grantmaking Competition*:
*Formerly the Solicited Grant Initiative
- Supports nonprofit organizations working in or on Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sudan.
- Supports innovative peacebuilding projects involving research, the identification of promising models and effective practices, the development of practitioner resources and tools, the development and delivery of education and training programs, and the production of films, radio programs and other media.
Priority Grantmaking facts:
- USIP has awarded 55 priority grants since 2008.
- The awards generally range from $45,000 to $170,000.
- No deadline - rolling process.
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Application Process
The Priority Grantmaking Competition funds activities that enhance mechanisms for advancing the knowledge and understanding of conflict prevention, conflict management, and postconflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sudan, according to the priority areas identified below for each country.
- For Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sudan, preference is given to applications submitted by nonprofit organizations based in these countries.
- For Iran, preference is given to proposals focusing on Iranian relations with its neighbors in the region; its relations with the West; and Iran’s role in regional and international affairs.
- Applicants may apply at any time throughout the year. Awards will be announced throughout the year.
- The amount of all awards will be based on the proposed budget and work plan, and on negotiations with successful applicants.
- The Institute gives priority to high-quality projects that are likely to generate findings that are accessible to policymakers and practitioners and that demonstrate promise of having a substantial impact. Projects that result in findings made widely available to the public through published writings, manuals, curricular materials, web sites, documentary films, etc. are more likely to be funded than those that have limited impact.
Eligibility
- American and foreign individuals and nonprofit organizations may apply. Individuals whose proposals are funded will be required to identify a nonprofit organization to receive and manage the grant monies.
- With the exception of Iran, applicants from outside a priority country must partner with a nonprofit organization located within the priority country. The project must be based in the priority country.
- Funding is unavailable for degree work (payment of tuition fees or support for M.A. or Ph.D.-related work). Requests for dissertation research support should be directed to USIP’s Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar Dissertation Program.
- Applications that list as participants, consultants, or project personnel members of USIP's Board of Directors or staff will not be accepted.
- Any application that lists USIP as a collaborator in the project will not be accepted for review.
- Individuals who are currently working as USIP contractors may not be eligible to apply for grant support. To determine eligibility, please contact the Grant Program.
- Current USIP grantees are not eligible for consideration until they have completed work on their grant and submitted all required reports and products. Prior work will be evaluated before new proposals are considered.
Application Process - Stage One
- Submit a short (3-5 pages) pre-proposal statement that includes a description of your organization (including a brief history, purpose, structure, and registered nonprofit status) and a description of the proposed project.
- Include an overview of the needs that the project will address, the goals or objectives that the project intends to achieve, and how it will contribute to USIP’s objective for the particular Priority Grantmaking country, as described below.
- Provide a brief overview of the proposed activities, products, timeframe, and estimated costs (both project total and the amount you would like USIP to cover).
- E-mail this short pre-proposal to the individual designated as the contact person for the Priority Grantmaking country in either PDF or .doc (Word, rich text) format, or send it by fax to 202-833-1018. If you are faxing the document, please be sure you add a cover page to the attention of the contact person.
Application Process – Stage Two
If your pre-proposal is considered to be of interest to the Institute, the Grant Program will send a letter of invitation to Stage Two of the application process. Along with comments on your Stage One pre-proposal, the Grant Program will send you an application form.
- Full proposals submitted to the Priority Grantmaking competition will be reviewed by Grant program staff. If the proposal receives a successful review, applications will be forwarded to experts outside of USIP for further review. During the review process, staff may contact applicants to request further information.
- Final approval of funded projects will be contingent upon review and approval by USIP's executive officers and Board of Directors. For previous grantees, independent evaluations of their earlier grants will be conducted prior to final decision.
USIP does not take positions on policy issues pending before Congress, the executive branch, or other domestic or international bodies, and does not generally fund "Track 1" (official) mediation of international disputes. USIP will not fund grant proposals of a partisan political nature or proposals that would inject the grantee or USIP into the policy processes of the United States government or any foreign government or international organization. In addition, in accord with the United States Institute of Peace Act, Section 1709(b), USIP will not use political tests or political qualifications in selecting or monitoring any grantee. Projects that lead to policy recommendations for governments, international organizations, or nongovernmental organizations are welcome, even encouraged, although such recommendations will be those of the grantee and not USIP.
Afghanistan
Grantmaking in Afghanistan will support projects designed to promote public understanding of peaceful alternatives to the violent resolution of conflict, the rule of law, transitional justice, and to improve local capacities for dialogue and peacebuilding.
Priorities include:
- Improving public understanding of the costs of conflict and peaceful alternatives to the violent resolution of conflict;
- Reducing strife and insecurity through religious and inter-communal dialogue by supporting traditional approaches to non-violent conflict management;
- Promoting education and discussion about conflict resolution, rule of law and transitional justice;
- Improving the capacity of the Afghan civil society for dialogue and conflict resolution.
Other proposals on Afghanistan that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are also welcomed. Priority will be given to applications submitted by Afghan civil society organizations on the topics listed above.
USIP Staff Contact: Barmak Pazhwak, afghanistangrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Colombia
The Priority Grantmaking competition will support projects in Colombia that advance the knowledge and understanding of the conflict. It will also support projects that enhance mechanisms for conflict resolution, strengthen civil society organizations' capacities to engage in nonviolent approaches to conflict prevention, management, and resolution; that enhance collective efforts to secure truth, justice, reparations, and social reconstruction, especially among those regions and populations most affected by violence and social exclusion, and under-served by existing national and international programs. These include the Caribbean coast, rural areas, women, internally displaced, youth, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities.
Priorities include:
- Advancing scholarship on the conflict and its resolution and enhancing linkages with local, regional or national practitioners through action research and cross-sectoral workshops or dialogues that are grounded in solid analysis and theory;
- Strengthening through education and training the capacity of civil society leaders and organizations (including leading members of religious communities, educators, the media, and human rights and social activists) to participate in and serve as catalysts and multipliers for peacemaking and peacebuilding efforts in Colombia;
- Facilitating strategic alliances and networks of community-based social groups and other key issue-oriented organizations, and building linkages between local, communal programs of peace education and peacemaking, reconciliation and trauma-healing, human rights organizations, and victims’ groups with regional and national efforts.
Proposals on Colombia that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are also welcomed. Priority will be given to grant proposals on the topics listed above.
USIP Staff Contact: Virginia M. Bouvier (Ginny), colombiagrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Iran
Grantmaking related to Iran seeks to deepen understanding of the internal dynamics of Iran and critical issues at stake in Iran’s relations with the United States and other international actors; develop and advance confidence building measures and innovative, peaceful approaches to resolving conflicts with Iran; and promote bridge building initiatives involving Iranians, Americans, and others.
Priorities include:
- Supporting policy-oriented research that probes key issues in and the dynamics underlying relations between Iran and its neighbors and between Iran and other major actors;
- Promoting bilateral and multilateral Track II policy initiatives and people-to-people programs to advance mutual understanding and positive avenues of interaction; and
- Supporting education programs, including documentary films, radio and other media programming, and training or educational curricula that enhance U.S. public understanding of Iran.
Proposals relating to Iran that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are also welcomed. Priority will be given to grant proposals on the topics listed above.
USIP Staff Contact: Steven Riskin, irangrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Iraq
Grantmaking in Iraq supports the capacity-building of civil society organizations, promotes peace-building and reconciliation, and strengthens the rule of law.
Priorities include:
- Promoting the rule of law;
- Empowering marginalized groups, especially women, youth, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and persons with disabilities, to contribute positively to conflict management and peacebuilding processes;
- Promoting inter-communal tolerance and conflict resolution through education and training initiatives;
- Strengthening institutions to advance knowledge and understanding of sources of conflict and enhance mechanisms for conflict prevention, conflict management, Peacebuilding, mediation, and related activities.
Proposals on Iraq that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are welcome. Priority will be given to grant proposals submitted by Iraqi civil society organizations on the topics above.
USIP Staff Contact: Manal Omar, iraqgrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted in both English and Arabic.
Nigeria
Grantmaking in Nigeria will support efforts to prevent violent conflicts, especially those related to the use of oil revenues at local and state levels of government in the Niger Delta. Grantmaking also will support projects that help to resolve inter-communal conflicts in the Delta.
Priorities include:
- Providing training to traditional and women leaders at the community level to improve their conflict resolution skills;
- Providing youth with alternatives to violence through conflict resolution and mediation training, including school-based peace education programs for those vulnerable to recruitment by violent groups;
- Supporting dialogue projects designed to bring together civil society organizations, oil companies, and government agencies to promote transparency about the distribution of oil revenues.
USIP Staff Contact: Andrew Blum, nigeriagrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Pakistan
Grantmaking in Pakistan will strengthen civil society capacities for conflict prevention and promote greater understanding of issues related to identity, tolerance, diversity, and sectarian extremism in Pakistan through education, training, research, and the media.
Priorities include:
- Promoting dialogue on and a deepened understanding of Pakistan’s diversity across key religious, cultural, and regional divides among relevant stakeholders, including clerics, civilian and military policy practitioners, and opinion shapers;
- Strengthening the capacity of Pakistani civil society for nonviolent conflict prevention and resolution;
- Encouraging the inclusion of marginalized populations in Pakistani civil society, including women, ethnic and religious minorities, the displaced and people with disability, in efforts to prevent and reduce conflict.
Other proposals on Pakistan that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are also welcomed. Priority will be given to applications submitted by Pakistani civil society organizations on the topics above.
USIP Staff Contact: Barmak Pazhwak, pakistangrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Sudan
Grantmaking in Sudan will support projects that help prevent the outbreak of violence, particularly in Abyei, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile by supporting efforts to resolve local-level conflicts. Grantmaking will also support efforts to achieve stable peace in Darfur by supporting mediation and communal dialogue processes.
Priorities include:
- Increasing the capacity of tribal and community leaders to better resolve conflicts through mediation and dialogue;
- Supporting community-level research and consultation projects to enhance public understanding of, and support for, mediation and dispute resolution;
- Increasing the capacity of civil society organizations to promote reconciliation and trauma healing.
Proposals on Sudan that respond to the broader mandate of USIP are also welcomed. Priority will be given to applications submitted by Sudanese civil society organizations on the topics above.
USIP Staff Contact: Andrew Blum, sudangrants@usip.org. Applications will be accepted only in English.
Specialists by topic
Specialists by region
