PRM FY 2025 Request for Concept Notes for NGO Programs Benefiting Afghan Returnees and IDPS in Afghanistan and Afghan Refugees and Stateless Persons in Pakistan | DFOP0017032

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0017032

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is inviting concept notes for humanitarian programs that assist displaced and conflict-affected Afghans in two settings: (1) Afghan returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) inside Afghanistan, and (2) Afghan refugees and stateless persons in Pakistan. The opportunity is published as a discretionary funding notice (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0017032) and anticipates funding through cooperative agreements, meaning PRM expects to remain actively involved in oversight, coordination, and performance monitoring during implementation rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant.

PRM is looking for practical, field-ready humanitarian assistance activities spanning core sectors such as education, health, livelihoods/economic recovery, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The central theme across both countries is support to vulnerable populations and services that reduce protection risks, stabilize households, and improve access to essential services in a context where displacement, poverty, and access constraints are ongoing. Concept notes are expected to show clear alignment with recognized regional response planning frameworks, and they must demonstrate that the applicant understands the operating environment and can manage safety, access, and compliance risks.

For Afghanistan-based concept notes, PRM signals strong preference for projects that deliberately reach the most at-risk groups, including people with disabilities and female-headed households. Priority program areas include strengthened primary and secondary healthcare access, economic empowerment or livelihoods support that helps households restore income, and protection programming that prevents and responds to gender-based violence. Applicants are expected to situate their proposals within broader humanitarian coordination efforts and to describe realistic risk mitigation strategies, given the volatility and restrictions in the Afghanistan operating environment. PRM also emphasizes demonstrated experience delivering assistance inside Afghanistan, including the practical reality that program delivery may require engagement and negotiation with Taliban-linked authorities or local power brokers to secure access and continuity, while still maintaining principled humanitarian approaches and organizational compliance standards.

For Pakistan-based concept notes, PRM is targeting assistance to Afghan refugees and other vulnerable groups, with a specific emphasis on women and girls and underserved communities. Priority areas include education access and continuity, integration of mental health considerations into programming, sustainable livelihoods approaches that move beyond short-term cash relief where feasible, and protection services geared to populations that are harder to reach or face higher risks of exploitation and abuse. Proposals for Pakistan are also expected to align with the relevant regional response plan and to include contingency planning and risk mitigation, recognizing policy shifts, protection pressures, and potential changes in the operating environment that can affect refugees and stateless persons.

PRM allows applications from single organizations or from consortia. For this notice, a consortium is defined as an arrangement of at least three organizations formally partnering to deliver an activity that is larger or more complex than what any one member could execute alone. This is meant to encourage complementary strengths, such as pairing specialized protection expertise with health delivery capacity and local access networks.

Eligibility is open to nonprofit organizations (with or without IRS 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education) and to international organizations, consistent with the listing in the notice. However, international multilateral organizations such as UN agencies are instructed not to submit through Grants.gov under this announcement. Multilateral entities that want PRM funding for related work are directed to contact the PRM Program Officer before the closing date to discuss appropriate submission channels.

Administratively, the notice lists an award ceiling of $3,000,000 per award. The posted closing date is December 23, 2024, and the opportunity was created on November 21, 2024. Even though the notice lists "ExpectedAwards: 0" in the source data, the practical takeaway for applicants is that PRM is soliciting concept notes now and will determine funding decisions based on program fit, technical quality, risk management, and alignment with PRM priorities and coordination frameworks.

• The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PRM FY 2025 Request for Concept Notes for NGO Programs Benefiting Afghan Returnees and IDPS in Afghanistan and Afghan Refugees and Stateless Persons in Pakistan" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.523.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-23. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0017032

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