Countering Violent Extremism in West Africa | DOS AF PDPA FY22 NOFO 1

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS AF PDPA FY22 NOFO 1

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA) announced a competitive grant opportunity titled "Countering Violent Extremism in West Africa" to support a 12-month public diplomacy program in Francophone West Africa. The priority region must include Mali, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, and the project is designed to blend virtual and in-person thematic programming delivered in French. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $500,000, and the Department anticipated making one award under this announcement (CFDA 19.040). While the core award covers a 12-month period, the notice also signals the possibility of a second phase, if funds are available, that could add small grants for community-level projects.

The program has two major components. First, during the initial three months, the implementing organization must conduct localized research in each of the priority countries to identify key influencers and credible messengers who can positively shape attitudes and behaviors in their communities. The intent is to build an inclusive cohort that reflects different segments of society and can speak with legitimacy to local audiences. The notice gives examples of who might qualify, including educators, religious leaders, journalists, activists, government institutions, civil society organizations, youth, and private sector actors, among others, and it explicitly calls for gender diversity. At least 100 individuals must be selected across the four countries, and the design should group participants into two geographic clusters per country, ideally one in the capital and another in a border region, reflecting where extremist recruitment and cross-border narratives often spread.

Second, the project must convene these selected influencers into a functioning network and provide sustained capacity-building so they can collaborate across communities and countries to counter violent extremism. This includes weekly virtual trainings over six months, complemented by periodic in-person trainings during that same six-month period. The training emphasis is on practical skills and shared understanding, specifically geared toward helping participants recognize, understand, expose, and counter propaganda and disinformation, including messaging linked to terrorist recruitment as well as malign narratives pushed by state and non-state actors. The networking element is central: the goal is not only to train individuals, but to connect them into a regional community of practice that can coordinate, reinforce one another's efforts, and engage partners across borders.

By the end of the program, participants are expected to produce concrete outputs that translate training into local action. Each participant (or participant team) should develop an action plan tailored to their own community, and the cohort should also produce a broader regional strategy that lays out how the network will collaborate and connect with partners in other countries. In other words, the program is meant to leave behind an organized, trained set of credible messengers with shared tools and a plan for sustained coordination, rather than a one-off workshop series.

The opportunity is framed against a regional backdrop in which violent extremism has affected sub-Saharan Africa, and West Africa in particular, for more than a decade, with major consequences for democratic governance, economic prospects, and human rights. The notice points to the presence of more than 40 identified extremist groups and describes how persistent insecurity can undermine government credibility, inflame local tensions, and worsen underlying drivers like unemployment, corruption, poverty, inequality, and religious intolerance. It also highlights how political instability can make youth more vulnerable to recruitment and radicalization and can amplify hostile narratives about the United States and other partner countries. Consistent with that framing, the grant is clearly positioned as public diplomacy rather than development or security assistance: it is focused on information, influence, community credibility, and coordinated messaging and engagement, not on direct service delivery, infrastructure, or tactical security operations.

Eligibility is broadly listed as "Others" in the notice, with additional eligibility details referenced but not included in the text provided. However, applicants are expected to demonstrate that they already have the capability to execute the program in one or more of the named countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which implies the need for in-country presence or strong local partnerships, experience convening diverse stakeholders, and the operational capacity to run bilingual (French) virtual programming along with safe and effective in-person convenings. The original application closing date listed for this specific notice was April 30, 2022, and the opportunity was created on March 18, 2022.

• The Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countering Violent Extremism in West Africa" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 18, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2022. (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 $500,000.00 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 DOS AF PDPA FY22 NOFO 1

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