Community Security

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The U.S. Embassy in Managua is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the Community Security (CS) Grant Program. The CS Grant Program provides $100,000 for a Nicaragua-led project that increases security in Bilwi and at least two other surrounding communities of the Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) of Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast. The project seeks to (1) Advance the practice of community security as an effective strategy in communities’ efforts to prevent social decay; (2) Expand the capacity of communities, religious associations, and civil society organizations in the RAAN to meet the unique public security needs of the Caribbean communities and improve the overall state of citizen security. Project objectives will be achieved by:A. Improving community/police relations through improved dialogue, visibility and outreach.B. Improving citizen security through implementation of community-based security plans.C. Improving police awareness to human rights violations, gender-related crime and youth gangs.D. Providing select equipment for community groups to improve community watch efforts.Project Components:Component A. Community Engagement ($45,000): Community involvement is central to designing and implementing a community security model.Component B. Community Training ($45,000): Effective implementation requires training citizens in crime prevention and security measures. Among other critical topics, trainings will include identifying suspicious activities related to drug trafficking, and the organization, function and role of the police in the community, and will be implemented through a series of seminars, information brochures and materials tailored to the communities. This component will include a training program in after-school sports for coaches and youth.Component C. Equipment ($10,000): Strengthening crime prevention and community response to crime will rely heavily on improved communication, community watch patrol and response capabilities. Limited purchases of radios, bicycles, and safety equipment, coordinated with INL, would increase community patrol capabilities. The grant will be awarded through an open, merit-based competition. The purpose of this request for proposals is to inform potential applicant organizations of programmatic, procedural and funding information for the Community Security Grant Program. Applications are only accepted in English. Technically eligible submissions are those which: 1) arrive electronically via www.grants.gov and to ManaguaINL@state.gov by August 20th, 2012 before 1700 hours; 2) heed all instructions contained in the solicitation documents and Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI), including length and completeness of submission; 3) do not violate any of the guidelines stated in the solicitation and this document. All inquires should be directed to ManaguaINL@state.gov. We look forward to working with you. This RFA is pending availability of funds.

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