Strengthening the Civil Society capacity to combat corruption and impunity | INL21GR0050 WHPELSAL CIVILSOCIETY 081821

Opportunity Information: Apply for INL21GR0050 WHPELSAL CIVILSOCIETY 081821

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) launched a discretionary grant competition titled "Strengthening the Civil Society capacity to combat corruption and impunity" to support efforts in El Salvador that improve how civil society organizations (CSOs) identify, prevent, investigate, and document corruption, and then help move well-prepared cases toward prosecution. The opportunity is rooted in the view that corruption in El Salvador is not only a governance challenge but also a major economic burden that affects everyday life, especially for people with fewer resources. The notice highlights that corruption increases costs and reduces access to essential services such as health care, education, and justice, and it cites estimates putting the annual cost of corruption at about $1.3 billion, roughly 5 percent of the country's GDP. It also references Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index score for El Salvador (36 out of 100) to underscore the scale of the problem.

The central goal of the grant is to build stronger, more effective civil society oversight so government institutions face real accountability, particularly in high-risk areas like national and local budgeting, public expenditures, and public service delivery. INL is aiming to help create stronger foundations for a broad anti-corruption effort by pairing citizen-driven accountability tools with improvements to established oversight channels. In practical terms, this means supporting CSOs to do more than general advocacy: the project focus is on strengthening concrete monitoring and investigative capacity, improving how corruption risks are detected and documented, and ensuring credible information can be organized and presented in ways that support legal or administrative action. The opportunity also emphasizes civil society dialogue as a way to reinforce and modernize traditional mechanisms of public oversight, including political checks and balances, accounting and auditing systems, administrative rules, and legal procedures.

INL lays out three main results it expects grantees to pursue. First, it wants to increase civil society participation in monitoring and analyzing potential corruption, which implies more systematic observation of public decisions, spending, procurement, and service delivery, and a stronger ability to flag irregularities early. Second, it aims to deepen public and institutional understanding of how corruption operates by promoting reporting and investigations, suggesting an emphasis on evidence-based findings rather than purely anecdotal claims. Third, it seeks broader dissemination of information about anti-corruption efforts across relevant parts of society, which can include informing the public, encouraging responsible reporting, and making sure watchdog work is visible enough to deter wrongdoing and build trust in legitimate accountability efforts.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was issued under Funding Opportunity Number INL21GR0050 (WHPELSAL CIVILSOCIETY 081821) by the Department of State, INL, with the activity area categorized as Law, Justice and Legal Services under CFDA/Assistance Listing 19.703. The funding instrument is a grant, and the program anticipated making around three awards. The award ceiling listed is $120,000. The opportunity was created on August 18, 2021, with an original closing date of October 18, 2021. Eligibility is broadly framed as "Others," with the specific categories clarified in the full eligibility section of the notice.

Overall, the grant opportunity is designed for organizations that can credibly strengthen CSO technical skills and practical tools for anti-corruption work in El Salvador, especially efforts tied to public finance oversight, service delivery monitoring, structured reporting, and case development that can support prosecution or other formal accountability processes. The emphasis is on building durable capacity and reinforcing systems of oversight so that civil society can play a sustained, informed role in detecting corruption, limiting impunity, and increasing transparency in how government operates.

• The Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the Civil Society capacity to combat corruption and impunity" 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 Aug 18, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 18, 2021. (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 $120,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for INL21GR0050 WHPELSAL CIVILSOCIETY 081821

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