Latin America Regional

American Center for International Labor Solidarity (SC)
$400,000
To support unions in Colombia and Venezuela in their defense of fundamental worker rights, the Solidarity Center will work with the principal labor organizations in Venezuela and Colombia to develop responses to new political and legal environments, improve their key representational functions, and increase the inclusion of traditionally marginalized workers. In Venezuela, the SC will build on its ongoing work with partners to promote trade union proposals for labor code reform. In Colombia, the SC will seek to improve trade unions’ capacity to organize workers and bargain around workplace and economic sector issues.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity (SC)
$556,349
To improve trade union capacity to organize workers and bargain on workplace and economic sector issues, incorporating new subjects resulting from regulatory reform. The Solidarity Center will assist trade unions to increase inclusion of traditionally marginalized workers and build leadership skills with new and young members. The SC will support unions’ participation in social dialogue forums, national coalitions, global union federations, and assist unions to develop new leadership and structures that enhance autonomy and internal democracy.

American Center for International Labor Solidarity (SC)
$600,000
To improve inclusion of traditionally marginalized workers in union organizations in Latin America; build constituencies to advocate for interest-based workplace and public policies; and coordinate bargaining and organizing strategies across a network of unions representing workers in a common industry or employer. The experiences of Brazilian unions will be used as a source for replicable best practices and approaches for cross-border, sector-specific initiatives to increase inclusion and improve collective bargaining outcomes for workers throughout Latin America.

Asociación Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos y Políticas Públicas (IEEPP)
$82,795
To promote civilian oversight of the defense and security sectors in Central America. IEEPP will research and share best practices of civil oversight and democratic controls of national defense in Central America. IEEPP will also monitor government actions in Nicaragua regarding foreign affairs, defense and public security and will advocate for the inclusion of these themes in the platforms of political parties competing in the November 2011 elections.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$97,400
To strengthen key business associations in Latin America and the Caribbean on their role in the democratic policymaking process. CIPE will conduct diagnostic assessments of the main business associations in Paraguay, Panama, and Nicaragua, and hold several organizational capacity building workshops in those countries to introduce the leading associations to advocacy, membership services, and strategic planning.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$95,017
To broaden understanding and discussion of democratic, market-oriented themes in Latin America among policy and opinion makers and to reinforce a regional network of market-oriented think tanks. CIPE and ICP will publish two editions of Perspectiva magazine, organize events around the launch of each Perspectiva edition, and coordinate roundtable discussions and reading circles with students and young leaders.

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
$157,000
To strengthen the capacity of human rights organizations working across Latin America. CELS will document its extensive experience in Argentina and will use the resulting publications as tools for fruitful exchange with civil society organizations throughout the region. CELS will place particular emphasis on civil society in Honduras, and will advocate for the inclusion of human rights violation in Honduras on the agenda of international organisms. Additionally, CELS will strengthen the capacity of human rights organizations and legal clinics in the Argentine provinces.

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales
$34,925
Supplement: To promote national mechanisms to foster the implementation of decisions on human rights issues by international and regional bodies, both within Argentina and in other Latin American countries.

Centro para la Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
$75,000
To promote mechanisms for transparency and accountability in social welfare programs in three Latin American countries. Using the conclusions of its FY 2009 project, CIPPEC will train local government officials and civil society organizations on implementing transparency and accountability mechanisms in conditional cash transfer programs. Additionally, CIPPEC will provide follow-on support and technical assistance as authorities and civil society design and implement accountability plans.

Comisión Andina de Juristas (CAJ)
$149,542
To facilitate a dialogue between the judiciary and the media in Bolivia and Ecuador to increase the availability and quality of judicial information. CAJ will also strengthen the legal understanding of journalists, and improve the communication skills of judicial authorities. Finally, CAJ will work with journalism schools to improve the curriculum on legal coverage.

Confederación Colombiana de ONGs (CCONG)
$88,110
To promote the identification and exchange of best practices on NGO transparency and accountability in four Latin American countries, and to encourage NGOs to agree and adopt individual and collective transparency standards. CCONG will develop a website on regional NGO accountability. CCONG will also conduct in-country activities to promote the adoption of individual and collective transparency standards and to collect information on the contribution of NGOs to the development of their countries.

Consorcio Justicia, Inc.
$100,000
To strengthen the Latin American and Caribbean Democracy Network as a voice for the promotion of democratic rights and the defense of civil society in Latin America. Consorcio Justicia will help consolidate the Network’s institutional capacity and its ability to engage regional governments and the Organization of American States. Consorcio Justicia will also coordinate a series of training activities on freedom of expression and citizen journalism for civil society organizations in several countries in the region.

Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF)
$91,926
To promote the use of legal and institutional mechanisms to mediate and mitigate natural resource management conflicts. DPLF will launch a new area of work to provide analysis and information on issues related to natural resources, indigenous rights and the rule of law. Through various events in the region and Washington, DC, DPLF will facilitate dialogue among different actors and build the capacity of civil society organizations to use existent legal mechanisms and advocate before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Fundación Poder Ciudadano (Poder)
$71,935
To encourage compliance with standards for identity documentation set by the Organization of American States (OAS) in nine countries in Latin America. Poder will measure countries’ compliance, and based on these findings, along with local partner organizations, will advocate at the national and international level for improved access to identity documentation for vulnerable populations. Additionally, Poder will facilitate the sharing of best practices around the region.

Global Integrity
$85,000
To build the capacity of sub-national civil society groups to demand and support meaningful transparency and integrity reforms at the local and regional levels in Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru. Global Integrity will train Argentine, Ecuadorian and Peruvian local civil society organizations to diagnose and monitor corruption vulnerabilities in local governments, and to advocate for public policies to address them.

Instituto para la Seguridad y la Democracia, A.C. (INSYDE)
$70,000
To contribute to the reduction of human rights violations of migrant populations in the border region between Mexico and Guatemala. INSYDE will help establish two citizen observatories – one in Mexico and one in Guatemala – to monitor the manner in which public security officials engage migrant populations. INSYDE will use this information to raise awareness about the state of human rights of migrant populations along the Mexican-Guatemalan border.

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad – Perú (IPYS-Perú)
$92,854
To defend and promote freedom of expression in the region through systematic monitoring of threats against journalists. IPYS-Peru will also work to improve the quality and impartiality of media coverage regarding issues of social conflict in Peru as a way to raise public, private, media and civil society awareness on the issue.

Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos (INVESP)
$90,000
To strengthen the ability of the Active Democracy Network to monitor states compliance with obligations established under the Summits of the Americas process. INVESP will work with civil society partner organizations to conduct a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of current levels of state compliance.

International Republican Institute (IRI)
$158,000
To deploy in Latin America retired American mayors who will serve as mentors for current municipal leaders eager to learn best practices and receive peer guidance. The program complements IRI’s ongoing Good Governance program, and seeks to reinforce best practices pertaining to transparency, accountability, thoughtful policy design, communications and constituency service.

International Republican Institute (IRI)
$278,533
To facilitate access to and dissemination of successful democratic governance models and best practices developed in Latin America and encourage a deeper understanding of the role that democratic governance plays in building institutional legitimacy. The Institute will encourage the study, documentation and institutionalization of best practices in local democratic governance, creating a network of partners committed to effective local governance.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
$250,000
Polling research conducted across the region underscores the perception that political parties are not governing for the benefit of all. In response, NDI seeks to strengthen its Political Party Network initiative which encourages political parties in Latin America to adopt more effective practices by facilitating access to comparative and new information, manuals, curricula, case studies and training exchanges on party reform and democratic governance.

The grant listings posted here are from tthe 2010 Annual Report, published in August 2011.