Investigating the Economic Impact of Transnational Criminal Organizations in Migrant Smuggling | CJ PAS 2024 TCO

Opportunity Information: Apply for CJ PAS 2024 TCO

This grant opportunity, titled "Investigating the Economic Impact of Transnational Criminal Organizations in Migrant Smuggling" (Funding Opportunity Number: CJ PAS 2024 TCO), is offered by the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez under the U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to Mexico). It funds research focused specifically on the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, with the goal of building a clearer, evidence-based picture of how transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) profit from and shape migrant smuggling, and what those activities do to local and regional economies as well as to migrants themselves. The program is framed as a policy-relevant research effort, meaning the expectation is not just academic insight but practical findings that decision-makers can use to improve responses to smuggling networks and reduce harm to communities and migrants.

The application process is intentionally staged as a two-step competition. First, applicants submit a short, concise Statement of Interest (SOI) limited to two pages. This initial document is meant to communicate the core idea, goals, and approach without requiring a full proposal upfront. After a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, which then goes through a second merit review before final award decisions are made. The posted closing date for the opportunity is 2024-08-26. The award ceiling is $40,000 per award, and the agency expects to make about two awards, indicating a relatively small, targeted research funding effort rather than a large multi-year program.

The central objective is a comprehensive research project that investigates the economic impact of TCO involvement in migrant smuggling in Chihuahua. The program is expected to deepen understanding of which TCOs are active, how they operate, what routes and methods they use, and what economic consequences follow for transit communities (for example, border and transit cities) as well as for migrants. The opportunity explicitly ties this research to strengthening international security and supporting more resilient economic environments in affected areas, suggesting that the results should be actionable and relevant to cross-border or binational policy discussions. In practical terms, the project should combine analysis of smuggling operations with an assessment of downstream impacts such as distortions in local markets, costs imposed on local services, illicit revenue flows, and the financial and social burdens placed on migrants and their families.

The opportunity lays out concrete expected outputs. Deliverables should include a comprehensive data analysis report, a policy brief, and an academic paper, so applicants should plan for both technical depth and accessible policy communication. The project is also expected to include on-the-ground research to identify key TCOs and analyze smuggling methods and routes, and to gather and analyze data on economic impacts and socio-economic effects on migrants and transit cities. Finally, the work must culminate in evidence-based policy recommendations, meaning the research design should be built to support credible, defensible recommendations rather than general commentary. Budget planning is expected to be realistic and include typical research cost categories such as personnel and travel, indirect costs, and even a contingency fund, which signals the agency recognizes uncertainty and risk in field research environments.

The target audiences are broad but clearly oriented toward practitioners and institutions that can use the findings. These include policymakers and government officials who shape regulations and strategy, law enforcement agencies seeking to better understand TCO operations, and international organizations such as UNICEF, UNHCR, and IOM that work on migration, protection, and anti-trafficking issues. The opportunity also highlights academics and researchers as an audience, reinforcing the expectation of rigorous methodology, and NGOs focused on migrant rights, human trafficking, and community development, which may use the findings for advocacy, program design, and service delivery planning.

Eligibility is open to a range of applicant types, with an emphasis on non-commercial research and policy actors. Eligible applicants include U.S. or foreign not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and NGOs), U.S. or foreign educational institutions, and individuals. For-profit or commercial entities are explicitly not eligible. The source listing also notes eligibility across several government and education categories (such as city or county governments and public institutions of higher education), as well as nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, tribal governments and tribal organizations, individuals, and other categories, reflecting the broad eligibility frameworks often used in federal listings. Cost sharing or matching is preferred but not required, so proposals can be competitive without outside match funding, although voluntary cost share may be viewed favorably.

There are also compliance and submission rules that matter for eligibility. Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active SAM.gov registration to receive an award, while individuals are not required to have a UEI or SAM registration. Applicants are limited to one submission per organization; if more than one proposal is submitted from the same organization, all submissions from that organization are deemed ineligible. Taken together, the opportunity is best understood as a focused, short-budget research grant designed to produce field-informed analysis and policy-ready recommendations about how migrant smuggling by TCOs affects economies and people in Chihuahua, with deliverables aimed at government, enforcement, international agencies, academia, and civil society.

• The U.S. Mission to Mexico in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Investigating the Economic Impact of Transnational Criminal Organizations in Migrant Smuggling" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.750.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-26. (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 $40,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Individuals, Others.

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