Strengthening Local Systems and Partnerships for More Effective and Sustainable Counter-Trafficking in Persons in the Philippines (STRENGTH CTIP-P) | 7200AA19APS00007 ADDENDUM 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 7200AA19APS00007 ADDENDUM 01

The Strengthening Local Systems and Partnerships for More Effective and Sustainable Counter-Trafficking in Persons in the Philippines (STRENGTH CTIP-P) opportunity is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grant competition designed to improve how trafficking in persons is prevented and addressed across the Philippines by reinforcing the capacity of local systems and the partnerships that connect them. The central aim is not simply to run isolated anti-trafficking activities, but to help local institutions work better together and sustain anti-trafficking results over time. The activity is framed as a holistic, multi-sectoral effort, meaning it expects coordination across government, civil society, service providers, and justice actors so that interventions reinforce one another rather than operating in parallel.

A key feature of the opportunity is its alignment with the four pillars of the U.S. Government counter-trafficking strategy: prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships. In practical terms, that signals an expectation that programming will address the full lifecycle of anti-trafficking work. Prevention typically involves reducing vulnerabilities and risk factors that traffickers exploit, improving awareness, and strengthening community or institutional safeguards. Protection focuses on identifying survivors and ensuring access to appropriate, trauma-informed services and longer-term support. Prosecution involves improving the justice response, including investigation and case build-up, lawful and survivor-centered procedures, and strengthening accountability for traffickers. Partnerships emphasizes the connective tissue that makes all of the above work, such as coordination mechanisms, referral pathways, joint planning, data sharing where appropriate, and cooperation among national and local stakeholders.

The opportunity also explicitly points implementers to the recommendations for the Philippines contained in the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report (referencing the 2019 report). By anchoring the activity in TIP Report recommendations, USAID is signaling that proposed approaches should respond to identified gaps and priorities recognized by the U.S. Government, such as improving victim identification and assistance, strengthening law enforcement and prosecutorial effectiveness, and enhancing collaboration across agencies and sectors. In other words, applicants are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the country context and the specific issues highlighted in the TIP assessment, and then translate those into implementable strategies that strengthen local systems rather than delivering stand-alone services.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by USAID under a cooperative agreement instrument. A cooperative agreement usually indicates that USAID anticipates being more substantially involved during implementation than in a standard grant, often through collaboration on planning, monitoring, and adaptive management. The activity category is listed under law, justice, and legal services, which underscores that strengthening the justice and accountability response is likely a meaningful part of the overall approach, even while the activity remains multi-sectoral and not limited to criminal justice alone. The CFDA listing is 98.001, and the opportunity anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), suggesting a unified project rather than multiple smaller grants.

The stated ceiling for the award is USD 3,000,000, which provides a sense of scale and implies a focused but significant intervention intended to achieve systems-level improvements. The posting shows a creation date of July 15, 2019, with an original closing date of July 26, 2019, reflecting a relatively short window for submission at that time. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full text of the announcement, indicating that eligibility may include a range of entities beyond typical categories, but applicants would need to consult the detailed eligibility language in the official solicitation to confirm whether they qualify.

Overall, STRENGTH CTIP-P is best understood as a capacity-strengthening and coordination-focused anti-trafficking initiative for the Philippines, built around the 4P framework and grounded in TIP Report priorities. Its emphasis on local systems and partnerships suggests a focus on making anti-trafficking efforts more coherent, more locally led, and more sustainable, so that prevention efforts, survivor protection services, and justice sector actions operate as parts of an integrated response rather than as disconnected programs.

• The Agency for International Development in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Local Systems and Partnerships for More Effective and Sustainable Counter-Trafficking in Persons in the Philippines (STRENGTH CTIP-P)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2019. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 7200AA19APS00007 ADDENDUM 01

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