Countering Crowdfunding for Terrorism Financing | DFOP0009889

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0009889

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Countering Crowdfunding for Terrorism Financing" (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0009889). It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the Department of State expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The overall aim is to strengthen the ability of selected countries to detect, prevent, and respond to terrorism financing that occurs through crowdfunding channels, including cases where terrorist actors exploit the non-profit organization (NPO) sector or rely on virtual assets to move or store value.

The core problem this opportunity targets is the growing use of online fundraising and crowdfunding-style mechanisms to support terrorist activity. This can include donations solicited through mainstream platforms, social media campaigns, encrypted communication channels, or purpose-built fundraising sites. The announcement also highlights two specific risk areas that often intersect with crowdfunding: misuse of the NPO sector (where legitimate charitable structures can be exploited, infiltrated, or impersonated to collect and route funds) and the use of virtual assets (which can complicate tracing, attribution, and enforcement when compared with traditional banking rails). Projects funded under this opportunity are expected to improve partner-country capacity in practical, operational ways, such as strengthening relevant institutions, enhancing investigative or analytical capabilities, improving cross-sector coordination, and supporting the development or implementation of effective counter-terrorism financing approaches in this niche but increasingly important space.

Eligible applicants are broad and include not-for-profit organizations (such as think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, public international organizations (PIOs), and governmental institutions. This mix suggests CT is open to both practitioner-led programs (for example, technical assistance and training delivered by specialized organizations) and research or academic contributions that can translate into usable policy and operational improvements, as long as the work directly advances the stated capacity-building goals. The funding activity category is listed under law, justice, and legal services, which signals an emphasis on legal frameworks, regulatory and supervisory practice, investigative capacity, and the justice-sector aspects of countering illicit finance.

The opportunity anticipates making a single award, with an award ceiling of $1,480,019. The original closing date for applications was May 17, 2024, and the opportunity was created on March 12, 2024. The associated CFDA number is 19.701, which corresponds to Department of State program assistance. In practical terms, the single-award design and the relatively specific technical focus suggest CT is looking for one lead implementer (or a strong consortium led by one organization) capable of delivering a cohesive program across the targeted countries and stakeholders, likely coordinating with government counterparts, regulators, law enforcement, financial intelligence units, and potentially private-sector or platform stakeholders where appropriate.

In summary, this grant competition is designed to fund one cooperative agreement that helps selected countries better counter terrorism financing enabled by crowdfunding, with particular attention to vulnerabilities involving the NPO sector and virtual assets. The funding is aimed at applied, capacity-building work in the counter-terrorism financing space, and it is open to a range of qualified organizations across nonprofit, academic, international, and governmental categories.

• The Bureau of Counterterrorism in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countering Crowdfunding for Terrorism Financing" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.701.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-17. (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 $1,480,019.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0009889

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: