Strategic Trade Controls South and Central Asia and Mongolia | DFOP0009163

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0009163

The grant opportunity titled "Strategic Trade Controls South and Central Asia and Mongolia" (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0009163) is a discretionary U.S. government funding announcement issued by the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation under the Office of Export Control Cooperation (ISN/ECC). It is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government expects to be actively involved with the recipient during implementation rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The program sits under CFDA 19.901 and is focused on export control capacity-building, specifically helping partner governments strengthen the rules and practical systems they use to manage sensitive trade.

The central purpose is to provide a series of legal, regulatory, and technical consultations aimed at assisting relevant government agencies in nine countries: Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The consultations are intended to support these countries as they adopt and implement dual-use export control systems. Dual-use controls cover items, software, and technologies that have legitimate civilian applications but could also be used in military programs or in the development of weapons of mass destruction, advanced conventional weapons, or other sensitive capabilities. In practical terms, the work typically involves helping governments develop or refine national laws and regulations, establish licensing and enforcement procedures, improve interagency coordination, and build the technical expertise needed to identify and control sensitive goods and technology moving across borders.

The activity described emphasizes both the legal/regulatory side and the operational side. On the legal and regulatory front, the project would be expected to help partners draft, amend, or align legislation and implementing regulations that enable effective controls on strategic and dual-use items. On the technical side, the consultations would generally support implementation topics such as licensing and risk assessment processes, control list understanding and classification, end-use and end-user screening practices, compliance and outreach to industry, information sharing across agencies, and enforcement-related capabilities such as targeting, investigation procedures, and customs controls. The overall goal is to move beyond paper frameworks and help agencies build systems that function day to day, including the institutional knowledge and procedures needed to sustain the program over time.

Eligibility is broad and includes domestic non-federal entities (such as state or local governments, federally recognized tribes, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations), foreign nonprofit organizations, domestic and foreign for-profit organizations (with the condition that they must waive any fee or profit), and foreign public entities including public international organizations. This range of eligible applicants signals that the sponsor is open to experienced implementers across academia, nonprofits, consulting and technical assistance providers, and relevant public-sector institutions, as long as they can deliver specialized export control legal and technical expertise across multiple countries.

The funding parameters indicate a single expected award, with an award ceiling of $700,000. The opportunity was created on 2024-04-01 and had an original closing date of 2024-04-19. In effect, the program is a targeted, regionally focused capacity-building effort designed to strengthen strategic trade control frameworks in South and Central Asia and Mongolia by pairing regulatory development support with hands-on technical implementation assistance delivered through structured consultations with partner government agencies.

• The Bureau of International Security-Nonproliferation in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strategic Trade Controls South and Central Asia and Mongolia" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.901.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-19. (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 $700,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0009163

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