Western Hemisphere Regional Transnational Crime Assessment and Analysis | SFOP0007196

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Western Hemisphere Regional Transnational Crime Assessment and Analysis (SFOP0007196)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a discretionary grant solicitation from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) titled "Western Hemisphere Regional Transnational Crime Assessment and Analysis." The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is SFOP0007196.

What problem is INL trying to address through this grant?

The opportunity is aimed at improving how the U.S. government and partners understand and respond to transnational crime across the Western Hemisphere. The solicitation highlights that transnational criminal organizations (including gangs and drug cartels) drive violence and insecurity, weaken border security, expand illicit economies, and directly harm communities across Central America, South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Why does the solicitation emphasize corruption and weak rule of law?

The notice underscores that criminal organizations exploit pervasive corruption and weak rule of law. These gaps help them move money, protect their operations, and divert public resources away from legitimate governance and development.

What is INL looking for applicants to produce?

INL is looking for projects that generate comprehensive assessments and actionable analysis. The solicitation indicates a strong preference for work that goes beyond descriptive reporting and instead produces credible, data-driven analytical products that can guide decision-making.

What does "data-driven, reliable analytics" mean in the context of this opportunity?

Based on the solicitation description, INL is seeking analytics that are evidence-based and rigorous enough to help clarify the scale and shape of corruption, financial crimes, and criminal networks across the region. The goal is to fill key information gaps with analysis that can be used to set priorities, target resources, and measure results.

What kinds of topics should the assessments and analysis cover?

The opportunity is focused on regional understanding of anti-corruption issues, financial crimes, criminal networks, and the impacts of interventions in these areas. The intended outputs include clearer pictures of how corruption enables criminal organizations, how illicit finance systems function, how networks are structured and connected, and what interventions have demonstrated impact.

Is this opportunity focused on one country or multiple countries?

It is explicitly regional and cross-border in nature, reflecting how transnational criminal organizations and illicit financial flows operate across multiple jurisdictions. The geographic scope includes the Western Hemisphere, including Central America, South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

How many awards does INL expect to make?

INL indicates it plans to fund three separate grant projects (Expected Awards: 3).

What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling listed is $306,760. This is the maximum funding level noted for an award under this opportunity (described as per award or per project depending on how INL structures awards under the solicitation).

When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?

The opportunity was created on July 9, 2020, and the original closing date was August 8, 2020.

Which agency is offering this grant?

The funder is the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

What type of grant category or activity area does this fall under?

The activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services. The CFDA/Assistance Listing number provided is 19.705.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional details referenced in an "additional eligibility information" field. This typically suggests a range of non-federal entities may be eligible (often nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks, research institutions, and similar organizations), but exact eligibility constraints would be defined in the full notice.

Does the solicitation require a specific methodology?

The excerpt provided does not specify a single mandated methodology. However, it strongly emphasizes reliable, data-driven analytics, which implies applicants should be prepared to use robust research and analytical approaches appropriate for regional assessment and actionable findings.

What kinds of analytical approaches does INL appear to be encouraging?

While not listed as mandatory in the excerpt, the notice suggests the need for rigorous approaches such as systematic data collection, network analysis, trend analysis, comparative assessments across countries or subregions, and evaluation frameworks that link interventions to outcomes.

What is the main motivation behind funding these projects?

The solicitation points to a current lack of reliable analytics that define corruption, financial crimes, and criminal networks across the hemisphere, as well as a lack of rigorous evidence on what interventions work. INL is funding work intended to close those evidence gaps.

How will the resulting analysis be used?

The anticipated purpose of the analytical products is to improve policy decision-making and help INL and other stakeholders target foreign assistance more effectively. This includes decisions about where to focus resources, which strategies to prioritize, and how to evaluate whether anti-corruption and anti-crime efforts are producing measurable results.

Is the grant focused only on crime, or also on financial issues?

It addresses both. The solicitation highlights transnational crime alongside corruption, financial crimes, and illicit finance systems, recognizing that money movement and financial enablers are central to how criminal organizations operate.

What is meant by "actionable analysis" in this opportunity?

In this context, actionable analysis refers to assessment and findings that can translate into operational guidance for policy and programming. The emphasis is on producing information that can help stakeholders make concrete decisions, rather than providing narrative descriptions without clear implications for action.

Does the opportunity emphasize evaluating the impact of interventions?

Yes. The solicitation highlights the need for more rigorous evidence about which anti-corruption and anti-crime interventions demonstrate impact, including analysis that can link interventions to outcomes and support measurable evaluation.