Enhancing Students’ Understanding of their Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Criminal Justice System through Mock Trials | INL19GR0062 EABOSNIA MOCKTRIAL 073019

Opportunity Information: Apply for INL19GR0062 EABOSNIA MOCKTRIAL 073019

The grant opportunity titled "Enhancing Students' Understanding of their Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Criminal Justice System through Mock Trials" (Funding Opportunity Number INL19GR0062 EABOSNIA MOCKTRIAL 073019) is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) discretionary grant aimed at strengthening young people's understanding of the criminal justice system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The central idea is to use experiential learning, specifically a structured mock trial program, to help secondary school students learn how courts function, what rights individuals have when interacting with the justice system, and why rule-of-law institutions matter in everyday life. By making the justice system more understandable and less abstract, the program is designed to build student trust and confidence in governing institutions and to encourage more active, informed civic engagement over the long term.

The project builds on an existing Mock Trial (MT) initiative rather than starting from scratch. It continues work with four established partner high schools located in Banja Luka and Sarajevo, giving new cohorts of students a chance to participate each year while further embedding mock trial activities as a recurring educational experience within those schools. In practical terms, this implies repeat implementation cycles that allow the program to become institutionalized: students gain hands-on exposure to legal concepts and procedures, teachers become more comfortable supporting the activity, and schools develop routines for sustaining participation.

A major component of the opportunity is geographic expansion to increase reach and promote interaction across the country. The program is expected to extend beyond the original sites by adding at least one additional city in each of Bosnia and Herzegovina's entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS). This expansion is meant to broaden participation, create opportunities for student exchange and interaction across different communities, and support a more country-wide culture of legal awareness and shared civic standards.

Sustainability and local capacity-building are explicitly emphasized through two linked strategies. First, the program seeks to integrate teachers and guest lecturers from the existing partner schools into training workshops for four new high schools joining the mock trial program. This "train-the-trainer" style approach is intended to transfer know-how locally, reduce dependency on external implementers, and ensure that experienced educators and practitioners help standardize quality as the program scales. Second, the opportunity calls for deeper engagement with legal professional associations in multiple cities, with the goal of establishing an ongoing professional support network. In effect, this would connect schools and students with practicing legal professionals who can provide mentoring, guest instruction, and credibility, while also helping the program endure beyond the grant period through institutional relationships.

From an administrative perspective, this is a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) categorized under Law, Justice and Legal Services (Funding Activity Category), associated with CFDA number 19.703. The opportunity anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $215,000, meaning applicants were expected to propose a complete implementation approach within that maximum budget. The opportunity was posted July 30, 2019, with an original closing date of August 30, 2019. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement materials, suggesting that nontraditional entities such as nongovernmental organizations, educational organizations, or other qualified implementers could potentially apply depending on the specific criteria in the eligibility section.

Overall, the grant focuses on improving legal literacy and confidence in the justice system among high school students by letting them learn through doing: preparing cases, understanding roles in a courtroom, and practicing procedures and rights in a simulated trial setting. By continuing established partnerships, expanding to new cities across both entities, and anchoring the program in educator training and professional legal networks, the opportunity is structured to produce both immediate educational benefits for participating students and longer-term contributions to rule of law culture and civic participation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• The Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Students’ Understanding of their Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Criminal Justice System through Mock Trials" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.703.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 30, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 30, 2019. (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 $215,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for INL19GR0062 EABOSNIA MOCKTRIAL 073019

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: