Strengthening National, State, and Local Level Anti- Corruption Efforts in Nigeria | INL 17GR0065 AMENIGERIA ANTICORR 0917201

Opportunity Information: Apply for INL 17GR0065 AMENIGERIA ANTICORR 0917201

The grant opportunity titled "Strengthening National, State, and Local Level Anti-Corruption Efforts in Nigeria" is a U.S. Department of State program, managed through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), focused on helping Nigeria move beyond purely traditional anti-corruption approaches and toward a more durable, institutional culture of accountability. Nigeria has historically addressed corruption through legal reforms, law enforcement action, and governance-centered interventions, but this opportunity is designed to complement those efforts by building more strategic, coordinated anti-corruption programming that strengthens both prevention and enforcement across multiple levels of government. The core idea is to support the Government of Nigeria (GON) in embedding accountability practices into how institutions operate day to day, rather than relying only on reactive investigations or prosecutions after corruption occurs.

A defining feature of the program is its emphasis on nationwide reach and multi-level engagement. The project is expected to operate at the national, state, and local government levels and to do so across every geopolitical zone in Nigeria. This broad footprint is meant to reduce the risk of anti-corruption gains being isolated to a single region or institution and instead create connected "networks of change" that encourage collective action. In practical terms, the opportunity signals a preference for approaches that link actors and reforms horizontally (across states and civil society groups) and vertically (from federal institutions down to local structures), so that progress in one place can be shared, reinforced, and replicated elsewhere.

The opportunity also highlights coordination with civil society as a central implementation principle. Applicants are expected to work in collaboration with relevant civil society stakeholders, which suggests programming that does not treat anti-corruption as a government-only project. Instead, it encourages building coalitions and practical partnerships that can increase oversight, improve public accountability, and sustain pressure for reform. This civil society coordination component implies activities like structured engagement platforms, joint problem-solving, information sharing, and mechanisms that allow non-government actors to contribute to monitoring, advocacy, and reform implementation without duplicating ongoing work by government or other donors.

A particularly important priority area is corruption linked to the security and justice sectors. The opportunity explicitly asks applicants to pay special attention to anti-corruption efforts in these sectors, reflecting how corruption within policing, justice administration, and related security institutions can weaken rule of law, undermine public trust, and compromise both governance and safety. While the notice does not prescribe specific interventions, this priority signals interest in reforms that improve integrity and accountability within institutions that investigate crimes, manage prosecutions, adjudicate cases, and handle security-related resources and decision-making.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program (not a formula allocation), with a single expected award. The award ceiling is USD 2,000,000, indicating a medium-sized project intended to be strategic and targeted rather than sprawling. The funding activity category is listed as Law, Justice and Legal Services, and the CFDA number is 19.703, aligning it with international law enforcement and rule-of-law assistance. The funding opportunity number is INL 17GR0065 AMENIGERIA ANTICORR 0917201, and it was created on September 17, 2017, with an original closing date of October 31, 2017.

Eligibility is open to a range of organizational types that typically implement governance and justice-sector assistance. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations both with and without U.S. IRS 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not higher education institutions in the nonprofit category). This eligibility scope suggests the funder is open to both academic-led initiatives (such as research, training, and evidence-based program design) and practitioner-led initiatives (such as technical assistance, coalition building, institutional strengthening, and civil society engagement), so long as the proposed work advances the goal of stronger anti-corruption programming at national, state, and local levels and aligns with the emphasis on security and justice sector integrity.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as an effort to help Nigeria build a more systematic, prevention-oriented, and networked anti-corruption ecosystem. Rather than focusing only on isolated enforcement actions, it seeks programming that reinforces accountability norms across government layers, connects reform-minded stakeholders across the country, and strengthens integrity where it matters most for public trust and rule of law, particularly in the security and justice sectors.

• 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 National, State, and Local Level Anti- Corruption Efforts in Nigeria" 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 Sep 17, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2017. (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 $2,000,000.00 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 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 INL 17GR0065 AMENIGERIA ANTICORR 0917201

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