Building Youth Resilience to violent Extremism – Youth Employability Program. | PDS LOME FY2022 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for PDS LOME FY2022 01

The U.S. Embassy in Lome (U.S. Department of State) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity called "Building Youth Resilience to Violent Extremism - Youth Employability Program" (Funding Opportunity Number: PDS LOME FY2022 01). The program is designed to reduce vulnerability to violent extremist recruitment in Togo by expanding realistic employment pathways for young people, especially disadvantaged young women and men living in areas affected by violent extremism pressures. The core idea behind the grant is that improving employability and economic prospects can strengthen resilience and help address some of the local conditions that extremist groups exploit.

The opportunity is grounded in the security situation in northern Togo and the wider region. While Togo has historically experienced comparatively more stability than some neighbors, spillover from escalating violence in Burkina Faso has contributed to a worsening threat environment. The funding notice cites national-level impacts attributed to violent extremist attacks, including reported military and civilian casualties and displacement, with thousands seeking refuge outside the country. It also references multiple assessments in the Savanes region pointing to poverty and lack of jobs, particularly for youth and women, as key factors that can increase susceptibility to recruitment or sympathy for extremist organizations. A USAID-commissioned baseline study in northern Togo (late 2019) is highlighted as reinforcing the conclusion that young men and women facing difficult living conditions are especially exposed to extremist rhetoric. Against this backdrop, the grant positions youth employment support as a practical prevention approach.

Programmatically, applicants are expected to propose a youth employability initiative that is strongly tied to labor market demand. The notice emphasizes demand-led technical skills training (training aligned with actual hiring or market needs rather than generic coursework) alongside employability training and career guidance. In addition, it calls for activities that promote green entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and agripreneurship, suggesting an interest in supporting both wage employment and self-employment pathways that are relevant to local economies and emerging sectors. The overarching intended outcome is not just training delivery, but meaningful support for youth entry into the labor market, ultimately contributing to the prevention of violent extremism by addressing economic grievance and limited opportunity.

Eligibility is broad. Applications may be submitted by not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. For U.S.-based NGOs, the embassy specifically notes that applicants should be able to demonstrate in-country local expertise and include local experts to help implement the project, signaling that local context and on-the-ground capacity will matter in review and execution. Another operational requirement is that applicants are responsible for negotiating any necessary prior agreements with Togolese state institutions to implement the program; the Public Affairs Section may request evidence that these arrangements are in place.

Key funding details included in the notice are an award ceiling of $250,000 under a grant instrument. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 19.979 and is administered by the U.S. Mission to Togo. The posting shows a creation date of 2023-06-15 and an original closing date of 2023-08-15. Overall, the grant is framed as a way to leverage U.S. expertise and the growing U.S.-Togo relationship to help young people in vulnerable areas gain marketable skills, improve employability, and create viable livelihoods, with resilience to violent extremism as the broader policy objective.

• The U.S. Mission to Togo in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Youth Resilience to violent Extremism – Youth Employability Program." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.979.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-15. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for PDS LOME FY2022 01

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