Promoting New Actors and Innovative Approaches in the Field of Peacebuilding

Call for Proposals—1 October 2014 

Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are joining efforts to promote new actors as well as innovative approaches in the field of peacebuilding.

This joint Public-Private Partnership on Peacebuilding (Px4 Initiative) will provide funding for one to three consortia that will present projects involving a U.S., a Norwegian and at least one Southern/emerging power partner. Grants can be up to USD 1 million.  There should be substantial involvement by all three consortia partners, with special emphasis on the Southern/emerging power partner. One institute should coordinate the consortium submission, including taking responsibility for financial management and reporting. 

Background

Since the end of the Cold War there has been an increasing number of peace processes and post-war peacebuilding international operations. The results are mixed and in many cases controversial.  Some experts consider that peacebuilding policies are perpetuating economic and institutional models that are at the root of conflict. They also consider peacebuilding as a way of consolidating the domination of Western powers over so-called fragile states. 

For other practitioners, analysts, governments and international organizations, the only way to proceed is supporting and helping countries in post-conflict processes to consolidate effective state systems and to re-integrate into the international economic and mainstream political democratic system.

The proposed projects should move beyond this debate and present ideas connecting peacebuilding policies to current trends and developments in the international system; for example:

1. How peace processes could be connected with post-conflict peacebuilding and reconciliation practices.
2. How countries in peacebuilding processes could become self-sufficient given the sustained reduction of international funding by the donor community.
3. How the emerging powers and South-South cooperation could interact in the future with peacebuilding practices.
4. How possible new alliances among Northern and Southern/emerging power donors and political dialogue between internal and external actors could facilitate the construction of more effective peacebuilding policies. 

The projects should involve translation of research from both Northern and Southern/emerging powers into practical policy recommendations.  Specifically, proposals should demonstrate how to bring those voices into decision-making centers (i.e., EU, US, NATO, emerging powers governments, and regional organizations, as the OAS and AU).

Applicants will be evaluated in terms of how the proposed projects will:

• Address peacebuilding challenges over the next decade in an innovative way that incorporates new approaches and, in particular, emphasizes the role played by new actors addressing these challenges.
• Structure a North-South/emerging power collaboration to ensure an equitable balance in terms of intellectual input, budgetary allocation and comparative advantage.  Note: Many past applicants were weak on the equitable balance among collaboration members, especially the South/emerging power partner(s), which reduced their chance of support.
• Translate research into policy and demonstrate convincingly how the development of products will actually influence policy on peacebuilding.  Note: Several past applicants did not show clearly how this would occur, which reduced their chance of support.
• Establish a more global and inclusive research and policy dialogue.

In addition to the above, specific plans or blue prints on key issues related to countries in peacebuilding processes would also be welcome.

Applications:

Each consortium applicant will incorporate the elements above and provide the following:

• Contact information for the project leader and description of the lead organization (of the three) and evidence that the consortium is functional. Reporting should be done by the U.S. partner regardless of which organization leads the work.
• Rationale for the proposed project and how it connects to other related work.
• Description of a two-year project, timeline, amount requested and itemized budget (in USD) including a brief narrative explanation of each major budget item.
• Qualifications and competence of participating consortium members regarding the issues and/or region, as well as their legal and non-profit status. All applicants must meet U.S. and Norwegian legal and regulatory requirements for grants.
• Description of how the consortium will monitor and evaluate its work.
• Initial applications should be no more than 8 pages.

All applications should be sent in PDF format to: Christopher Harris at charristmg@gmail.com.

Deadline:  Deadline for applications is Saturday 15 November 2014

Grant Awards:  The proposals will be reviewed in two stages. In the first stage, the funding partners will review proposals submitted by 15 November and semi-finalists for grant awards will be contacted in early February 2015.  The second stage involves collecting some additional information from the finalists and ultimately formal approval by the trustees of Carnegie Corporation of New York and equivalent senior officials of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Finalists will be contacted regarding their status in late June and grants awards will be announced 1 July 2015.

Inquiries: Inquiries should be directed to Christopher Harris at charristmg@gmail.com who is serving as manager of the application and grant program.