Opportunity Information: Apply for SMK80019PAS004
The Municipal-Level Tabletop Exercise grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SMK80019PAS004) is a discretionary U.S. Department of State award administered by the U.S. Mission to North Macedonia. It funds one project (Expected Awards: 1) with a maximum budget of $75,000. The opportunity was released on May 15, 2019, with an original closing date of June 28, 2019. The funded project is intended to support North Macedonia's local and national efforts to counter violent extremism (CVE) and counter terrorism (CT), with a strong focus on practical municipal-level coordination and preparedness.
At its core, the grant supports the development and delivery of a series of tabletop exercises built around fictional case studies of radicalization. The selected organization would design scenarios and then run these exercises in 3 to 6 municipalities across North Macedonia. The idea is to bring together municipal stakeholders and walk them through realistic, structured situations involving early warning signs, recruitment dynamics, and escalation pathways that can lead to violent extremism. These exercises are meant to be hands-on planning and coordination sessions rather than academic workshops, helping local actors test decision-making, clarify roles, and identify what they would actually do when faced with a potential radicalization case in their community.
A key expectation is close cooperation with major partners, including the U.S. Embassy in Skopje and North Macedonia's National Committee for Countering Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism, along with other relevant stakeholder organizations. The program is designed not only to improve municipal responses to extremist recruitment, but also to help municipalities address challenges connected to returning foreign fighters, including community vulnerabilities, prevention, and rehabilitation. In practice, the exercises should strengthen relationships across sectors that often need to work together in these situations, such as local government, schools, social services, community leaders, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and civil society organizations, depending on the municipality and scenario.
The program priorities lay out what applicants are expected to deliver. First, the awardee should develop exercise scenarios and choose the municipal sites in close coordination with partner organizations, ensuring the scenarios fit local realities while supporting national CVE/CT goals. Second, the awardee is responsible for end-to-end logistics for implementing the full series of exercises, which typically includes planning sessions, venues, materials, facilitation, participant coordination, and any related costs. Third, the program should clearly build the capacity of municipal stakeholders to recognize and respond to extremist recruitment and pathways to radicalization, meaning participants should leave with improved practical skills, clearer coordination habits, and a stronger understanding of intervention options. Fourth, the program should help local and national stakeholders identify concrete local needs, such as gaps in services, coordination breakdowns, training needs, or missing referral pathways, so that future CVE efforts are better targeted.
The application requirements emphasize that proposals need to be structured around measurable results and clear accountability. Applicants should explain how their approach directly supports the listed priorities and should spell out specific outputs and outcomes expected by the end of the grant period. Outputs might include the number of tabletop exercises conducted, the number and types of participants trained, scenario packages developed, or after-action reports produced. Outcomes would focus more on what changes because of the project, such as improved interagency coordination, increased municipal readiness to intervene early, new or strengthened local networks, or clearer linkages between municipal leaders and national CVE/CT frameworks.
Proposals also need to describe any American content or involvement. In this context, that could mean U.S.-supported expertise, U.S. best practices in community-based prevention, participation of American specialists, or use of U.S.-developed methodologies, as long as it is relevant and appropriately adapted to the North Macedonian setting. Applicants must clearly specify the intended audiences and the geographic locations where activities will take place, explain why those municipalities were chosen, and describe how participation will be achieved. In addition, proposals must include a plan for monitoring and evaluation, explaining how the project will track performance, capture lessons learned, and assess whether the exercises improve coordination and preparedness.
Finally, the Embassy is looking for projects that do not end when the grant ends. Applications should explain how the work will have a multiplier effect or remain sustainable, such as by creating reusable tabletop materials, developing local facilitators who can run future exercises, institutionalizing municipal coordination mechanisms, or embedding lessons learned into local action plans. Applicants must also demonstrate they can manage the full financial and compliance responsibilities of a U.S. government grant, including participant costs and any sub-grants to partners, with transparent oversight and clear financial controls.Apply for SMK80019PAS004
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to North Macedonia in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Municipal-Level Tabletop Exercise" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 15, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 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 $75,000.00 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
This opportunity is titled the Municipal-Level Tabletop Exercise grant opportunity.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is SMK80019PAS004.
Which U.S. government entity is providing and administering the award?
This is a discretionary U.S. Department of State award administered by the U.S. Mission to North Macedonia.
How many awards are expected to be funded?
The opportunity is expected to fund one project (Expected Awards: 1).
What is the maximum budget allowed under this grant?
The maximum budget is $75,000.
When was the opportunity released?
The opportunity was released on May 15, 2019.
What was the original closing date for applications?
The original closing date was June 28, 2019.
What is the overall purpose of the funded project?
The project is intended to support North Macedonia's local and national efforts to counter violent extremism (CVE) and counter terrorism (CT), with a strong focus on practical municipal-level coordination and preparedness.
What kind of activities does the grant fund?
The grant supports the development and delivery of a series of tabletop exercises built around fictional case studies of radicalization, implemented in multiple municipalities.
What is a "tabletop exercise" in this program?
In this program, tabletop exercises are structured, realistic coordination and planning sessions where municipal stakeholders work through scenario-based situations involving early warning signs, recruitment dynamics, and escalation pathways that can lead to violent extremism. They are designed to test decision-making, clarify roles, and identify practical actions participants would take in real situations.
How many municipalities will host tabletop exercises?
The selected organization would run these exercises in 3 to 6 municipalities across North Macedonia.
Who designs the exercise scenarios?
The selected organization (awardee) is responsible for designing the fictional scenarios and building the tabletop exercises around them.
How are the municipalities selected?
Municipal sites should be chosen in close coordination with partner organizations, and applicants must explain the geographic locations where activities will take place and why those municipalities were chosen.
What are the major partners the awardee is expected to work with?
A key expectation is close cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Skopje and North Macedonia's National Committee for Countering Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism, along with other relevant stakeholder organizations.
What topics should the scenarios and exercises cover?
Scenarios should address radicalization case studies and incorporate elements such as early warning signs, recruitment dynamics, and escalation pathways. The program is also designed to help municipalities address challenges connected to returning foreign fighters, including community vulnerabilities, prevention, and rehabilitation.
Who is expected to participate in the tabletop exercises?
Participants are expected to include municipal stakeholders and cross-sector actors that often need to work together in these situations. Examples listed include local government, schools, social services, community leaders, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and civil society organizations, depending on the municipality and scenario.
Are these activities meant to be academic trainings or practical coordination sessions?
They are intended to be hands-on planning and coordination sessions rather than academic workshops.
What are the main program priorities applicants are expected to deliver?
The priorities include: (1) developing exercise scenarios and selecting municipal sites in close coordination with partners, ensuring alignment with local realities and national CVE/CT goals; (2) providing end-to-end logistics for the full series of exercises; (3) building municipal stakeholder capacity to recognize and respond to extremist recruitment and pathways to radicalization; and (4) helping identify concrete local needs and gaps to better target future CVE efforts.
What does "end-to-end logistics" include for this grant?
It typically includes planning sessions, venues, materials, facilitation, participant coordination, and any related costs needed to implement the full series of tabletop exercises.
What kinds of capacity improvements should participants gain from the program?
The program should leave participants with improved practical skills, clearer coordination habits, and a stronger understanding of intervention options for responding to extremist recruitment and pathways to radicalization.
What does the program mean by identifying "local needs" and "gaps"?
It refers to surfacing practical issues such as gaps in services, coordination breakdowns, training needs, or missing referral pathways, so future CVE efforts can be targeted more effectively.
How should applicants structure their proposals?
Proposals need to be structured around measurable results and clear accountability. Applicants should explain how their approach supports the listed priorities and spell out specific outputs and outcomes expected by the end of the grant period.
What is the difference between outputs and outcomes in this opportunity?
Outputs are the direct deliverables produced by the project (for example, the number of tabletop exercises conducted, the number and types of participants trained, scenario packages developed, or after-action reports produced). Outcomes describe the changes that occur because of the project (for example, improved interagency coordination, increased municipal readiness to intervene early, strengthened local networks, or clearer linkages between municipal leaders and national CVE/CT frameworks).
What examples of outputs are specifically mentioned?
Examples mentioned include the number of tabletop exercises conducted, the number and types of participants trained, scenario packages developed, and after-action reports produced.
What examples of outcomes are specifically mentioned?
Examples mentioned include improved interagency coordination, increased municipal readiness to intervene early, new or strengthened local networks, and clearer linkages between municipal leaders and national CVE/CT frameworks.
Is American content or involvement required?
Proposals need to describe any American content or involvement. Examples that could qualify include U.S.-supported expertise, U.S. best practices in community-based prevention, participation of American specialists, or use of U.S.-developed methodologies, as long as it is relevant and appropriately adapted to the North Macedonian setting.
What information must proposals include about audiences and locations?
Applicants must specify the intended audiences and the geographic locations where activities will take place, explain why those municipalities were chosen, and describe how participation will be achieved.
Is monitoring and evaluation (M&E) required?
Yes. Proposals must include a monitoring and evaluation plan explaining how the project will track performance, capture lessons learned, and assess whether the exercises improve coordination and preparedness.
What does the Embassy mean by sustainability or a "multiplier effect"?
The Embassy is looking for projects that continue to have impact after the grant ends. Examples include creating reusable tabletop materials, developing local facilitators who can run future exercises, institutionalizing municipal coordination mechanisms, or embedding lessons learned into local action plans.
What financial and compliance responsibilities are emphasized for applicants?
Applicants must demonstrate they can manage the full financial and compliance responsibilities of a U.S. government grant, including participant costs and any sub-grants to partners, with transparent oversight and clear financial controls.
Can the project include sub-grants to partners?
The opportunity notes that applicants must be able to manage compliance responsibilities including any sub-grants to partners, implying sub-grants may be part of implementation if used, provided they are managed with appropriate oversight and controls.
What is the intended practical impact at the municipal level?
The exercises are intended to strengthen municipal preparedness by testing decision-making, clarifying stakeholder roles, improving coordination across sectors, and strengthening linkages between local actors and national CVE/CT frameworks.
How does this program relate to returning foreign fighters?
The program is designed to help municipalities address challenges connected to returning foreign fighters, including community vulnerabilities, prevention, and rehabilitation, through practical coordination and preparedness exercises.
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