Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0001609
This FY 2017 Notice of Funding Opportunity (SFOP0001609) from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) invites eligible nonprofit organizations to propose programs that support refugees and asylum seekers living in South Africa, with a clear emphasis on urban settings. The opportunity is designed around the reality that many displaced people in South Africa live in cities rather than camps, so proposals are expected to focus on practical protection and service-access challenges in major urban centers, specifically Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria. PRM is looking for projects that help refugees and asylum seekers meet basic needs while also strengthening longer-term self-reliance and reducing dependency on emergency aid.
A central theme of the notice is capacity building and community strengthening. Applicants are expected not only to deliver services, but also to build the capacity of national (local) organizations and community structures to better address refugee and asylum seeker needs. The goal is to improve the ability of communities and local systems to respond over time, rather than relying on stand-alone short-term interventions. Projects should be grounded in a community-based approach that recognizes the needs of both refugees and host communities, aiming to reduce tensions and encourage more sustainable, inclusive solutions in shared urban environments.
The notice also stresses that proposals should make a deliberate effort to find and support refugees who are not easily visible to service providers, described as "hidden" refugees. This includes outreach strategies to locate individuals or groups who may be isolated, undocumented, afraid to approach institutions, or otherwise disconnected from support networks. In addition, PRM expects applicants to map and build upon existing services rather than duplicating them. That means identifying what is already available in the community, including government-provided services, and designing activities that connect people to those services through accurate information, referrals, navigation support, and advocacy when access is blocked in practice.
Another key requirement is that programs must have a clear and defensible method for identifying and assisting the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers. PRM is looking for transparent criteria and processes for vulnerability targeting, rather than informal or ad hoc selection. This typically implies structured intake, needs assessment, protection case management where appropriate, and documented prioritization approaches that can be explained and monitored. The overall program design should avoid creating parallel, refugee-only systems when equivalent community services already exist, reflecting PRM's preference for strengthening inclusive local service ecosystems instead of setting up separate channels that may not be sustainable or may undermine existing institutions.
PRM will only consider funding projects where at least 50 percent of the target beneficiaries are refugees and asylum seekers. This threshold is explicitly tied to PRM's mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, and it functions as a core eligibility condition for the program concept. While host community engagement is encouraged as part of a community-based model, the beneficiary mix must still meet the minimum refugee/asylum seeker share.
Program activities should concentrate on advocacy and support that improves refugee protection and access to basic social services in urban environments. Proposals may address one or more of the following sectors: Protection, Healthcare, Education, Shelter, and Livelihoods. In practice, this can include legal and protection assistance, rights awareness, case management and referral pathways, help accessing public clinics and schools, emergency or transitional shelter support linked to longer-term housing stability, and livelihoods programming that improves employability or income generation while remaining aligned with local market realities and legal constraints faced by asylum seekers and refugees.
The award instrument for this opportunity is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates a more hands-on federal role in the funded project compared with a standard grant, often involving substantial involvement by the agency in monitoring, coordination, or technical direction. The award ceiling listed is $300,000. The notice lists the expected awards as 0, which can signal uncertainty about final funding availability or the number of awards anticipated, even though proposals are still solicited and reviewed. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and was posted on April 11, 2017, with an application closing date of May 16, 2017.
Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). International multilateral organizations, including U.N. agencies, are explicitly instructed not to apply through Grants.gov in response to this announcement. Instead, multilateral organizations seeking support for relevant programs are directed to contact the designated PRM Program Officer by the closing date to discuss potential funding pathways outside the Grants.gov submission route.
Taken together, PRM is signaling that competitive proposals will be those that are urban-focused, protection-centered, and strongly integrated with existing community and government systems, with solid outreach to underserved populations, clear vulnerability targeting, and measurable steps toward self-reliance. The strongest concepts are likely to demonstrate practical referral networks, coordination with local service providers, and approaches that improve access and protection without building separate parallel service structures.Apply for SFOP0001609
- The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2017 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO programs benefiting urban refugees in South Africa" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.517.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-11.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-05-16. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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