Community Support for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in the Heart of Borneo through Sustainable Livelihoods | OES OER 16 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for OES OER 16 001

The Community Support for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in the Heart of Borneo through Sustainable Livelihoods opportunity is a discretionary U.S. Department of State grant issued through the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), specifically the Office of Conservation and Water. It supports on-the-ground, community-centered work in the Heart of Borneo region that links biodiversity and forest conservation with practical measures to reduce wildlife trafficking. The core idea is to strengthen protection of forests and wildlife by pairing sustainable natural resource management with capacity-building that improves interdiction and local ability to prevent trafficking.

The grant is designed to contribute to conservation and sustainable management across the Heart of Borneo landscape, an area described as roughly 24 million hectares of highly biodiverse equatorial rainforest spanning about a third of the island of Borneo/Kalimantan. The work aligns with the broader Heart of Borneo Initiative, which aims to build and maintain a multi-stakeholder coalition and a connected network of protected areas and sustainably managed forests. A key component emphasized in the opportunity is wildlife trafficking interdiction, with particular attention to priority locations in East Kalimantan (Indonesia) and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. The initiative itself is led by the three countries that share the Heart of Borneo region: Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and the grant is meant to complement that international cooperation framework rather than operate in isolation.

Funding is capped at 99,000 USD (award ceiling) drawn from FY 2015 Economic Support Funds, and the opportunity anticipates making a single award. The initial period of performance is two years, indicating the Department is looking for a project plan that can launch quickly, deliver tangible capacity and livelihood outcomes within 24 months, and show clear linkages between community benefits and reduced incentives or opportunities for wildlife trafficking. The funding activity categories listed for this opportunity include environment, community development, and employment/labor and training, which signals that competitive proposals likely need to combine conservation outcomes with livelihood or workforce elements that are realistic for local communities and that reduce reliance on illegal wildlife trade.

Eligible applicants are relatively broad and include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (including those without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education), as well as other eligible entities under the listing. The notice also specifies that foreign NGOs and foreign public entities may apply, which is important given that implementation is expected in Borneo and may be led by regional or local organizations with direct presence and partnerships in Indonesia and Malaysia (and potentially Brunei, depending on project design). The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 19.017, and the funding opportunity number is OES OER 16 001. The opportunity was created on 2016-06-17 with an original closing date of 2016-08-01.

In practical terms, this grant is best understood as supporting projects that help communities pursue sustainable livelihoods while simultaneously strengthening local and regional capacity to detect, disrupt, and prevent wildlife trafficking. That can include training, community-based systems, or coordination efforts that improve enforcement effectiveness and community reporting, alongside livelihood approaches that reduce economic drivers of poaching and illegal trade. The emphasis on a coalition approach and a network of protected and sustainably managed areas suggests proposals should show strong coordination with existing Heart of Borneo partners, government counterparts, and local stakeholders, and should explain how activities will produce measurable conservation and trafficking-interdiction benefits over the two-year project period.

• The Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental - Scientific in the community development, employment, labor and training, environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Support for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in the Heart of Borneo through Sustainable Livelihoods" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.017.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-06-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-08-01. (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 $99,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled 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, Others.

Apply for OES OER 16 001

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