The 2025 Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites organizations to submit Statements of Interest (SOIs) aimed at measurably reducing human trafficking outside the United States. This opportunity, managed by the U.S. Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office), is the first stage of a two-stage competitive process. Successful SOI applicants will later be invited to submit full proposals. The TIP Office is seeking evidence-driven, innovative, and scalable anti-trafficking interventions with a strong evaluation component. A total of up to $22 million in funding is anticipated for Fiscal Year 2024, with individual awards ranging between $500,000 and $5,000,000 for a performance period of 24–54 months. Awards are expected to commence in fall 2025, pending fund availability.

The primary purpose of PEMS funding is to validate and scale interventions that address human trafficking through rigorous evaluations. This year’s opportunity prioritizes stage two efforts, which focus on implementing and rigorously evaluating promising practices. Eligible interventions include existing programs that have shown potential but have not undergone formal evaluation, models adapted from other fields like gender-based violence, or research-based designs that have not yet been implemented. Applications must propose an intervention alongside an evaluation methodology that provides strong evidence of the program’s effectiveness and potential scalability. The proposed evaluation is expected to answer critical questions about the intervention’s impact, inform future programming, and build the global evidence base on effective anti-trafficking efforts.

The TIP Office seeks projects with systemic, sustainable impact that align with U.S. government anti-trafficking priorities. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate strong local expertise, partnerships, and contextual knowledge to ensure effective implementation. Preference will be given to interventions that can meaningfully impact large populations vulnerable to trafficking or address critical evidence gaps. Proposals must outline implementation plans, target beneficiaries, and the intervention's logical framework, including its theory of change. Additionally, applicants should detail systems integration and sustainability strategies, showing how the intervention will strengthen existing local systems or continue beyond the grant period.

Organizations eligible to apply include U.S.-based and foreign non-profits, non-governmental organizations, institutions of higher education, for-profit entities, and public international organizations. For-profit entities are prohibited from earning profit under the award. While cost sharing or matching is not required, applicants may include voluntary cost share in their submissions. SOIs must not exceed five pages and must address all guidance outlined in the NOFO, including intervention description, implementation plans, evidence of effectiveness, and evaluation design. Applicants may submit up to three SOIs as the lead organization, though there is no limit on participation as a partner organization.

SOIs will be evaluated based on criteria such as the strength of intervention design, quality of evidence, organizational capacity, feasibility, evaluation approach, potential for impact, sustainability, and cost effectiveness. Applicants should propose realistic budgets that prioritize in-country expenditures, monitoring, evaluation, and dissemination of findings. Following the SOI stage, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals with additional documentation, including monitoring and evaluation plans, budgets, and letters of intent from partners.

The application submission deadline for the SOI stage is 5:00 PM EST on February 4, 2025. Applications must be submitted electronically through MyGrants, the designated submission platform. Late submissions will only be considered if technical issues are documented and reported before the deadline. Final award decisions are expected in fall 2025, with projects beginning shortly thereafter. Successful applicants must comply with all reporting and monitoring requirements, including quarterly progress and financial reports, as well as evaluation and audit obligations. Additional guidance and resources are available on the TIP Office website.