The promotion of democracy abroad is one of the primary foreign policy objectives of the United States, and an important objective of USAID assistance programs overseas.

Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean--where all countries except Cuba have democratically elected governments--USAID is working with governments and civil society to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions.

The overarching goal of U.S. policy toward Cuba is to promote a peaceful transition to democracy on the island.

To that end, U.S. policy is proceeding on a multi-faceted track:

• pressure on the regime for change through the comprehensive economic embargo and Libertad sanctions;
• outreach to the Cuban people;
• the promotion and protection of human rights;
• multilateral efforts to press for democracy; and
• migration accords to promote safe, orderly and legal migration.

In October 1995, President Clinton announced the first USAID grant aimed at promoting a democratic transition in Cuba. The grant supported Freedom House's program of dissemination of informational materials to people in Cuba, visits by external democratic activists to Cuba, publication and dissemination of materials written by democratic activists in Cuba, and modest humanitarian assistance to victims of repression.

The grant was authorized pursuant to the authority provided in the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 (section 1705g), which allows the U.S. government (USG) to provide assistance "through appropriate nongovernmental organizations, for the support of individuals and organizations to promote nonviolent democratic change in Cuba."

The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (section 109a) further elaborates on the types of assistance and support the President is authorized to provide for individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to support democracy-building efforts for Cuba, including:

• published and informational matter--such as books, videos, and cassettes--on transitions to democracy, human rights and market economies, to be made available to independent democratic groups in Cuba;
• humanitarian assistance to victims of political repression, as well as their families;
• support for democratic and human rights groups in Cuba; and
• support for visits and permanent deployment of independent international human rights monitors in Cuba.

U.S. policy encourages U.S. NGOs and individuals to undertake humanitarian, informational and civil society building activities in Cuba with private funds, subject to applicable Treasury and Commerce Department regulations. Dozens of NGOs have been engaging in such activities over the last several years, with licensed humanitarian goods alone amounting to about $150 million.

In comparison, the level of planned USAID funding for section 109 activities in Cuba is quite limited ($1.5 million in FY97 and $2 m. in FY98). These resources are not meant to be utilized as a marginal supplement for activities that are already being effectively undertaken through private initiative.

Rather, the intent of the USG is to support activities for which adequate private resources are not presently available, and which offer favorable prospects for serving a catalytic or leveraging role in promoting a peaceful transition.

A peaceful democratic transition in Cuba must stem from the successful initiatives of Cubans on the island who seek to build civil society and promote respect for human rights on the island. Moreover, it will require that Cubans develop the means to peacefully reconcile conflicts during the transition--be they economic, social or political.

USAID is seeking applications (issuance April 22, 2002; closing date July 26, 2002) for an Assistance Agreement from an organization/consortium for funding a program for Outreach to the Cuban People. Funding for the program is authorized under Section 109 of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, as well as by Section 1705 of the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) of 1992.

The USAID Program, Outreach to the Cuban People, seeks applications for grant funding from:

• U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which have been granted tax-exempt status by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code; and,
• Accredited U.S. colleges and universities

Application forms to respond to this solicitation are available below in MS Word format, PDF, and a self-extracting EXE file. Please note that the forms for this solicitation are only available in the PDF version.

Request for Application: Outreach to the Cuban People (M/OP-02-916)

• PDF, 228k
• MS Word, 180k
• EXE (self-extracting), 88k