Counter ISIS Ideologies in Returnee Populations from Northeast Syria | DFOP0017298

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0017298

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Counter ISIS Ideologies in Returnee Populations from Northeast Syria" (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0017298). The program is focused on Iraq, specifically on Iraqis returning from northeast Syria through the Al Amal Rehabilitation Center, which was previously known as Jeddah-1 (J1). The central concern is that the next wave of returnees is expected to include a higher share of people who hold, to some extent, ISIS-aligned beliefs, including children and teenagers who spent formative years in the al Hol and Roj displaced persons camps. The opportunity is designed to strengthen the ability of frontline institutions and personnel to recognize and address extremist ideology early, before it translates into renewed recruitment, local destabilization, or violent activity.

The grant is framed around practical capacity-building for three key groups: administrators at the Al Amal Rehabilitation Center, service providers operating in receiving communities, and Government of Iraq personnel involved in rehabilitation, reintegration, and community safety. The stated need is for help developing skills and techniques to identify ideological influence, prevent further radicalization, and counter ISIS narratives among returnees. In plain terms, the program aims to improve screening and assessment practices, bolster prevention and intervention tools, and equip Iraqi stakeholders to manage reintegration in a way that reduces the risk of ISIS reemergence. The rationale is explicitly tied to broader counterterrorism goals, including mitigating threats not only inside Iraq but also potential attacks against the U.S. homeland and U.S. persons and facilities overseas.

From an implementation standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement or close coordination with the U.S. government during the project. The activity category is listed under Law, Justice and Legal Services (CFDA/Assistance Listing 19.701), signaling an emphasis on public safety, legal or justice-adjacent systems, and institutional capability rather than purely humanitarian assistance. The opportunity anticipates a single award, with an award ceiling of $986,500, meaning applicants should design a focused project that can realistically deliver measurable training, tools, and operational improvements within that budget.

Eligibility is broad. Applicants may include not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. The posting was created on 2025-06-20, and the original closing date for applications is 2025-08-04. Overall, the opportunity is a targeted effort to professionalize and strengthen Iraqi rehabilitation and reintegration systems facing a specific risk profile: returnees from NES, including youth, who may carry ISIS ideological exposure and require tailored, skilled interventions to reduce the chance of future radicalization and violence.

• The Bureau of Counterterrorism in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Counter ISIS Ideologies in Returnee Populations from Northeast Syria" 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 2025-06-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-04. (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 $986,500.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0017298

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