MEPI Local Grants 2024 | DFOP0014385

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0014385

MEPI Local Grants 2024 is a U.S. government discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen stability, prosperity, and participatory governance across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The program is rooted in the view that long-term regional stability depends on more transparent governance, more inclusive economic opportunity, and stronger civic engagement. It responds to widely reported public frustration in the region, including persistent economic hardship, perceptions of corruption, and declining trust in government since 2015. Through this call, the United States aims to deepen direct partnerships with local actors and support practical, locally led initiatives that address community-identified needs.

The core purpose of the MEPI Local Grants Program is to fund civil society driven solutions that improve people s everyday lives while also strengthening how citizens engage with public decision-making. Projects are expected to be locally designed and focused on real environmental, economic, or social challenges identified by communities themselves, using civic engagement and or economic participation as the main pathways for change. A major emphasis is placed on inclusive economic growth, especially initiatives that expand opportunity for groups that are often left out, including marginalized communities, youth, and women. In parallel, the opportunity supports efforts that make governance more participatory by encouraging citizens to engage and by increasing the willingness and capacity of decision-makers to work constructively with citizen groups and civil society organizations.

The opportunity also highlights strengthening civil society representation and collective action at the local level, with the idea that communities are better served when civil society can organize effectively, coordinate across groups, and advocate for citizen needs in a sustained way. Cross-cutting priorities include advancing gender parity in economic and or political life and increasing youth engagement in meaningful economic and civic activities, not just short-term participation. The solicitation is also open to innovative approaches, signaling interest in new methods, tools, and partnerships that can solve social, economic, or political problems more effectively than traditional programming.

Eligibility is geared toward locally based organizations in the MENA region, reflecting the program s local partnership focus. Eligible applicants include local civil society organizations, non-profit organizations, community groups, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, private sector organizations, and universities, as long as they are based in one of the listed locations: Algeria, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and West Bank and Gaza. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is regional development (CFDA 19.500). The opportunity number is DFOP0014385, managed by the Agency for Assistance Coordination.

In terms of scale and timing, the grant has an award ceiling of 200,000 dollars per award, with an anticipated total of about 15 awards. The opportunity was created on May 7, 2024, and the original closing date for submissions is June 18, 2024. Overall, the MEPI Local Grants 2024 opportunity is best understood as targeted support for locally led projects that combine practical community problem-solving with longer-term goals of inclusive growth, stronger civic participation, and more responsive governance across the MENA region.

• The Assistance Coordination in the regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "MEPI Local Grants 2024" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.500.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-18. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0014385

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