FY 2023 Enhancing Domestic Capacity and Coordination to Advance Internationally Accepted Investment Standards | CPIF MON FY23 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for CPIF MON FY23 01

The FY 2023 grant opportunity titled "Enhancing Domestic Capacity and Coordination to Advance Internationally Accepted Investment Standards" (Funding Opportunity Number: CPIF MON FY23 01) is a discretionary U.S. Mission to Liberia program designed to strengthen how Liberia evaluates, negotiates, oversees, and enforces standards for major lending and investment projects. The central problem the program is responding to is the widely observed pattern that many large investments across Africa, including in Liberia, do not meet internationally accepted norms for transparency, accountability, environmental and social protections, and responsible governance. According to the opportunity description, these shortcomings persist in part because host-country institutions and stakeholders often lack the awareness, technical capacity, and governance tools needed to demand better terms, monitor implementation, and penalize non-compliance when investors or project implementers fall short.

The grant focuses on building Liberia's internal capacity by improving coordination among key groups that influence investment outcomes. The program is explicitly structured to bring together government actors, civil society organizations, journalists, academics, and other relevant stakeholders so they can share information, align approaches, and develop practical skills that lead to stronger oversight of investment deals. The aim is not simply to host general discussions, but to help create better systems and habits around investment decision-making, such as improved negotiation transparency, stronger legal and regulatory frameworks, and more consistent mechanisms to monitor projects and enforce standards. The intended end state is that future investments and major projects in Liberia come with clearer safeguards and workable accountability pathways, reducing the likelihood that harmful or exploitative arrangements proceed unchecked.

A core feature of the program is training and knowledge transfer rooted in real-world examples. The solicitation highlights the use of global best-practice case studies, particularly those relevant to Africa, showing what responsible investment standards look like in practice and how countries can advance transparency when negotiating large investment agreements. This includes practical learning around how investment contracts are structured, what kinds of clauses and compliance mechanisms matter, how disclosure and public reporting can reduce corruption risks, and how oversight bodies and watchdog groups can track commitments during implementation. The emphasis on case studies suggests the program wants participants to move beyond theory and learn from concrete successes and failures in comparable contexts.

Another major component is capacity building for government officials involved in investment governance. The opportunity calls for training and advising aimed at developing or strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks that guide investment, including rules that set expectations for investors and establish consequences for violations. This can include support on drafting or updating regulations, improving institutional procedures, clarifying agency roles, strengthening review and approval processes, and building the ability to assess investor proposals against international standards. The reference to "mechanisms in place to monitor and penalize non-compliance" indicates the program is interested in the full lifecycle of investment governance: negotiation and approval, implementation monitoring, and enforcement when standards are breached.

The program also elevates public-facing accountability and the role of information in shaping investment outcomes. It includes mentoring support for public awareness campaigns focused on investment standards, meaning applicants may design efforts that help citizens understand what responsible investment looks like, what commitments have been made by investors and government, and what red flags to watch for. This public engagement element is reinforced by the inclusion of journalists and the mention of seminars aimed at investigating investment-related challenges and successes in the African context. In practice, this could involve training on investigative techniques, data and document analysis, safe and ethical reporting practices, and ways to cover complex financial and regulatory issues in a way that is accurate and accessible to the public. The underlying idea is that informed public scrutiny and credible reporting can deter misconduct, strengthen oversight, and create pressure for better standards.

In terms of strategic purpose, the solicitation frames the target problem as investments and lending arrangements that fail to adhere to internationally accepted practices and, as a result, can threaten Liberia's sovereignty, socio-economic well-being, and biodiversity. This signals that the program is concerned about high-stakes projects that may create long-term dependencies, undermine national decision-making, impose unfair economic burdens, or cause environmental harm. While the notice does not list specific sectors, the reference to biodiversity implies attention to investments with potential land use, forestry, mining, agriculture, or infrastructure impacts, where weak standards and weak enforcement can lead to irreversible ecological and community damage.

Administratively, this is a grant funded by the U.S. Mission to Liberia under CFDA number 19.989, categorized under the Business and Commerce activity area. The award ceiling is listed as $750,000, with an expectation of up to five awards. The opportunity was created on 2024-07-15 and originally closes on 2024-08-12. While the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia encourages applications from both U.S.-based and Liberian applicants, the program makes clear that all activities must take place in Liberia, so proposals should be designed around implementation on the ground, local engagement, and Liberia-specific institutional realities.

Eligibility is broad and includes not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. This wide applicant pool suggests the embassy is open to different types of implementers, from universities and policy institutes that can provide research and training, to NGOs and media-focused groups that can drive public awareness and accountability, to consulting or technical firms that can support regulatory capacity building. Competitive proposals would typically be expected to demonstrate a clear Liberia-based implementation plan, credible partnerships across stakeholder groups, and a practical strategy for turning trainings and seminars into lasting improvements in coordination, oversight, transparency, and enforcement around major investment projects.

• The U.S. Mission to Liberia in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2023 Enhancing Domestic Capacity and Coordination to Advance Internationally Accepted Investment Standards" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-12. (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 $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for CPIF MON FY23 01

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