Building Cross-Border Capacity for Transnational Criminal Organizations, financial Investigations and Asset Recovery

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a program titled “Building Cross-Border Capacity for TCO Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery.” This initiative seeks applications from eligible organizations to enhance Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) ability to combat transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and related corruption. The program aims to establish an effective collaborative model for criminal and financial investigations in BiH through joint investigation teams, U.S. practitioner mentorship, technical assistance for complex cases, and strengthened asset management capacity. A total of $700,000.00 is available for one award, with an application ceiling of $700,000.00 and a floor of $600,000.00. The project implementation length is 30-36 months, with an estimated start date of October 2026. The deadline for questions is July 8, 2026, and applications are due by August 10, 2026, via www.grants.gov. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations and educational institutions with demonstrated capacity to facilitate partnerships between BiH and U.S. counterparts. Cost-sharing is recommended but not required. The NOFO details application requirements, including a proposal narrative, performance monitoring plan, project risk analysis, and budget, and outlines administrative, national policy, and program-specific requirements, such as Leahy Amendment vetting.

The FY2025 Budget Narrative Template outlines a comprehensive financial plan for a project, detailing costs across various categories relevant to federal and state grant proposals. Personnel expenses include Emily Jones as Project Manager ($14,000 annually at 25% LOE) and a Finance Manager. Fringe benefits are calculated based on a 2019 organizational rate for both US-based and overseas staff. Travel costs cover a trip from DC to an international city for three travelers, including $1,500 for airfare and $1,464 for lodging, adhering to the Fly America Act and State Department per diem guidelines. Equipment includes one Machine X at $6,000, while supplies comprise two laptops ($2,000) and workshop materials for 75 participants across three workshops ($750). Contractual expenses feature a $5,700 subgrant to Org X for specific activities, detailing personnel, transportation, and workshop supply costs. Other direct costs include $3,000 for office rent, reflecting a 25% project dedication. The total direct costs are $50,000, with indirect costs calculated at 35% of the Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) base ($15,750), resulting in a total project cost of $65,750. This budget narrative provides a structured approach to detailing anticipated project expenditures for funding applications.

The FY2026 INL Applicant Pre-Award Risk Survey is a comprehensive questionnaire designed to assess an organization's suitability for federal assistance. It covers general information, internal controls, grants management, accounting systems, budgetary controls, audits, sub-recipient management, consultants, purchases, personnel, and travel policies. The survey ensures compliance with federal regulations like 2 CFR 200, focusing on financial accountability, internal safeguards, and ethical practices. Key areas include organizational structure, financial reporting, audit history, sub-recipient oversight, and detailed policies for expenditures, personnel, and travel. The document concludes with an acknowledgment of truthfulness, emphasizing the thorough due diligence required for federal awards.

The INL Change Map Template is a crucial document for partner-implemented projects, detailing the relationship between project activities, outcomes, and goals. It serves as a living document, allowing for updates within the award's scope, and is used by INL and partners to establish a common understanding of project monitoring. The template requires specific information such as project details, strategic policy alignment, standard indicators, and milestones. It differentiates between goals, objectives, outcomes, sub-outcomes, and activities, with specific requirements for each, including mandatory standard indicators for relevant outcomes and activities. INL staff are responsible for initial project and strategic alignment information, while implementing partners draft the main change map. The document emphasizes prioritizing monitoring resources, recommending status updates for activity monitoring and binary milestones for key activity completion. It also clarifies INL's terminology for monitoring and evaluation concepts, ensuring consistent application across projects.

The “PERFORMANCE INDICATOR REFERENCE SHEET” (PIRS) is a guide for federal government partners to standardize performance indicator reporting for projects, excluding INL Standard Indicators or Milestones. It outlines requirements for detailing each indicator, including its name, target value, associated project element (outcome, sub-outcome, or activity), and how it measures project performance. The document specifies data types (whole number, percentage, or decimal), definitions (including numerator/denominator for percentages), data sources, and collection methodologies. It also addresses geographic and non-geographic disaggregations (e.g., sex, sector, course topic), reporting frequency, and known data limitations. The PIRS aims to ensure consistent, clear, and comprehensive tracking of project performance, facilitating effective monitoring and evaluation of government-funded initiatives.

This document outlines a risk assessment for a program establishing political think tanks in countries with closed political systems, likely a federal grant or RFP. It identifies program risks such as civil society partners facing restrictive operating environments, think tanks not being accepted by the government, and political shifts due to elections. Mitigation plans include providing security training, alerting international representatives, modifying work plans, redesigning advocacy tactics, connecting partners to emergency funds, and facilitating engagement with government officials. Financial risks, such as difficulties in transferring funds and low capacity of advocacy CSOs, are also addressed with plans for identifying alternative payment methods and providing financial training and support.

This document outlines a detailed budget template for government grants, RFPs, and similar projects, covering both a high-level summary and a granular line-item breakdown. It categorizes costs into personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, construction, other direct costs, and indirect costs. The template emphasizes tracking total federal costs, cost-sharing, and total project costs. Key sections include specific breakdowns for US-based and field personnel, various travel expenses (international and domestic), equipment and supply unit costs, subawards and consultant fees under contractual, and different indirect cost rates such as overhead and G&A expenses. The structure is designed to ensure comprehensive financial reporting and compliance for organizations seeking federal or state funding, providing a clear framework for budgeting and expenditure tracking.