Undercover Backstopping Project
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- OFOP0002752
- Agency
-
Bureau of International Narcotics Law Enforcement
Department of State
- Applications due
- Award size
- $1,000,000 to $1,500,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
-
- 19.705 Trans-National Crime
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Law, Justice and Legal Services
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Daniela Pedroza pedrozadg@state.gov
- Najar Starr starrrnd@state.gov
- Mexico City Grant Unit mexicocityinlgu@state.gov
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is soliciting applications for a cooperative agreement to strengthen Mexican federal and state law enforcement agencies' capacity to conduct secure undercover operations against transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels, with applications due June 15, 2026.
Eligible applicants are U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations and educational institutions; consulting firms are ineligible unless formally recognized as non-profit or educational institutions. Consortia of two or more organizations may submit joint applications with one organization serving as prime applicant and assuming overall legal and financial responsibility. Mexican organizations are eligible to serve as subrecipients. All applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and maintain active registration in SAM.gov at the time of proposal submission.
The funding ceiling is $1,500,000 and the floor is $1,000,000, with 1–2 awards anticipated depending on proposed amounts. The cooperative agreement runs 24 months with an estimated start date of October 2026. Place of performance is Mexico, with work encompassing legal framework assessment and recommendations at federal and state levels, design of a sustainable identity document backstopping system for undercover agents, development of a train-the-trainer undercover operations curriculum ensuring Mexican ownership, and implementation of a limited-scope pilot program with selected Mexican agencies.
The Statement of Interest submission is the first step in a two-step process; selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. SOI submissions are limited to three pages and must include a completed SF-424 form, project description, organizational capacity statement, and budget summary table. Questions are due May 29, 2026 by 11:59 PM EST. Review criteria allocate 50 points to quality of program idea, 35 points to organizational capacity and prior grant management experience, and 15 points to program planning ability to achieve objectives. All deliverables will be designated Sensitive But Unclassified or Law Enforcement Sensitive with strict access controls; quarterly and final reports are not made public. The funding is available under Assistance Listing 19.705 (Trans-National Crime).
Synopsis
To carry out a project that protects American communities by enhancing Mexican agencies' ability to carry conduct undercover operations against transnational criminal organizations and drug cartels threatening U.S. national security. This project will provide recommendations on how the Mexican government could close critical gaps in Mexico's legal protections and enhance identity management systems for undercover agents, enabling Mexican federal and state law enforcement to safely and reliably conduct undercover operations that support U.S. and Mexican investigations targeting cartels and criminal networks.
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