Combat human smuggling and Gender-Based Violence TIP and best practices in the Government of Guatemala for SVET | OFOP0001332

Opportunity Information: Apply for OFOP0001332

This grant opportunity, titled "Combat human smuggling and Gender-Based Violence TIP and best practices in the Government of Guatemala for SVET" (Funding Opportunity Number OFOP0001332), is a discretionary U.S. government-funded cooperative agreement administered by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). It targets a sharp rise in gender-based violence (GBV) in Guatemala during and after the pandemic, with particular concern for highly vulnerable groups, including minors, who have been disproportionately affected by sexual violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons (TIP). The project is positioned as a government-strengthening and coordination effort that connects prevention, protection, justice response, and public awareness, rather than a stand-alone service program.

The central Guatemalan counterpart is SVET, the Secretariat Against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons. SVET has the national mandate to coordinate how different levels of government and local authorities prevent these crimes, deliver victim attention and welfare services, and strengthen security and justice responses. While the National Civil Police (PNC) holds key responsibilities related to cultural awareness and crime prevention, the opportunity highlights a core gap: multiple government institutions that work with SVET are not yet taking an active enough role in combating GBV, sexual exploitation, and TIP. The grant therefore focuses on pushing coordination beyond a single agency and making prevention and response more systematic across the Government of Guatemala (GoG).

A major emphasis of the opportunity is to standardize and strengthen SVET itself. In practical terms, this means building SVET staff capacity and institutional know-how in sexual crimes, exploitation dynamics, and TIP, and then turning that expertise into repeatable government-wide practices. The solicitation specifically calls for a strong "train the trainer" program so SVET can effectively train and align multiple GoG institutions. The intent is to create consistent messaging, shared prevention standards, and coordinated awareness campaigns that address the social conditions that enable abuse, including stereotypes and cultural norms that normalize or excuse sexual violence and other forms of GBV. By focusing on standardization, the program aims to reduce fragmented approaches where agencies deliver inconsistent guidance or operate in isolation.

The Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) is singled out as a critical stakeholder because it influences the next generation of Guatemalans and has a direct role in promoting positive values and addressing harmful behaviors early. The opportunity notes that SVET already has interinstitutional agreements with both MINEDUC and PNC, providing an existing framework for collaboration. The grant builds on these agreements by strengthening SVET's ability to coordinate these partners more effectively, likely translating policy commitments into practical joint activities such as school-based prevention content, coordinated public awareness strategies, and clearer referral pathways for reporting and response when cases involve minors.

Beyond prevention and awareness, the opportunity includes an enforcement-oriented objective: empowering SVET to better identify and initiate, through the appropriate authorities, investigations against criminal structures tied to money laundering and human trafficking. This component recognizes that trafficking and smuggling networks often operate as organized criminal enterprises sustained by financial flows, and that addressing TIP effectively requires not only victim support and public messaging but also stronger identification of networks and financial mechanisms. While SVET is not described as a primary investigative body, the language suggests improving SVET's ability to detect patterns, gather actionable information, and trigger or support investigative action by the competent law enforcement and justice institutions.

From an applicant standpoint, the opportunity is open to a range of nonprofit and educational entities, including U.S.-based NGOs, U.S.-based educational institutions that qualify under 501(c)(3) or the referenced tax provisions, as well as foreign-based NGOs and foreign-based educational institutions. The award structure anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $800,000, indicating a competitively selected implementer expected to run a focused, high-leverage program rather than a broad multi-award portfolio. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally implies closer engagement and ongoing coordination with the U.S. government during implementation compared to a standard grant.

Key administrative details include the activity category of Law, Justice and Legal Services and CFDA (Assistance Listing) number 19.703. The opportunity was created on 2024-03-21 and originally closed on 2024-05-22. Overall, the project can be understood as an institutional capacity and interagency coordination effort designed to strengthen Guatemala's national machinery for preventing and responding to sexual violence, exploitation, and TIP, while also improving the government's ability to support investigations into trafficking-related criminal and financial structures.

• The Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Combat human smuggling and Gender-Based Violence TIP and best practices in the Government of Guatemala for SVET" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.703.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-22. (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 $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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