The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) champions universal values, including respect for the rule of law, democratic institutions, and human rights. The Bureau’s work helps bolster democratic institutions, confront democratic backsliding, promote accountability, uphold internationally recognized labor standards, and advance the rights and equity of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious communities, indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ persons.
The grant program seeks to deter governments from participating in or facilitating transnational repression activities and to reduce the impact of such activities on individuals and communities. It encourages competitive proposals that encompass activities across at least three different regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and Western Hemisphere.