Cancellation of FY 2017 Request for PRM Humanitarian Research Concept Notes | PRM PRMOAPGL 17 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for PRM PRMOAPGL 17 001

This grant opportunity, issued by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), announced a request for humanitarian research concept notes under a cooperative agreement mechanism (Funding Opportunity Number PRM PRMOAPGL 17 001, CFDA 19.522). Although the title indicates the request was later cancelled, the notice describes what PRM was seeking at the time: research that would strengthen evidence-based decision making for PRM and its humanitarian partners operating globally. In practical terms, the program’s purpose was to fund applied research that could directly inform humanitarian policy and programming, rather than purely academic work or narrow internal evaluations.

PRM asked applicants to begin with a short concept note as the first stage of a two-part selection process. Concept notes were expected to center on one of several priority areas: financial inclusion for refugees, statelessness, or another clearly justified and compelling humanitarian research topic not already listed. After reviewing these initial submissions, PRM planned to invite a subset of organizations to submit full proposals, described as 20-page applications that would include detailed budgets. This staged structure signaled that PRM wanted to screen for strong research questions and credible approaches early, before requiring applicants to invest the time needed to build a complete proposal package.

A major emphasis throughout the opportunity was usability and broader relevance. PRM explicitly cautioned that it would not fund research focused only on a single NGO’s program unless the programming was uniquely innovative, conducted in an independent manner, and capable of producing findings that were credible, generalizable, and meaningful to a wider set of humanitarian stakeholders. In other words, PRM was looking for work that could travel beyond one organization or one project site, producing lessons and evidence that could apply across multiple contexts, agencies, and operational settings. Consistent with that aim, PRM stated it would prioritize projects that generate practical policy or program recommendations that can be applied to more than one population or country, rather than findings useful only in a single location or for a single target group.

Deliverables were also framed in a strongly implementation-oriented way. Final reports were expected to include not just narrative findings, but also tools, data, and clearly articulated recommendations that support policy and program implementation. PRM stressed that recommendations should be concrete and actionable, and that they should be directed to specific actors, implying a preference for clear ownership and real-world pathways to adoption (for example, guidance targeted to donors, host governments, humanitarian coordination bodies, or operational NGOs).

Eligibility was relatively broad across nonprofit and academic sectors. Eligible applicants included nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also excluding institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, and public or state-controlled institutions of higher education. Applicants were limited to submitting a maximum of one concept note, a rule that likely aimed to encourage organizations to put forward their strongest idea and reduce duplicative submissions.

Key administrative details included an original closing date of March 10, 2017, a stated award ceiling of $300,000, and a posting/creation date of January 10, 2017. The funding instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which generally implies a more substantial level of involvement or collaboration by the federal agency during the project compared to a standard grant. Overall, the opportunity was structured to identify high-value humanitarian research that could generate broadly useful evidence and practical recommendations, especially in the areas of refugee financial inclusion, statelessness, or similarly important humanitarian policy and operational questions.

• The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancellation of FY 2017 Request for PRM Humanitarian Research Concept Notes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.522.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-10. (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: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for PRM PRMOAPGL 17 001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: