Deadline: 29 November 2019

The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo is accepting project proposals for its U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2020 Small Grant Competition.

The projects recommended by a review panel for funding under this program will advance U.S. foreign policy objectives and demonstrate American leadership in the preservation and protection of cultural heritage around the world.

U.S. ambassadors in eligible countries may submit proposals for projects to preserve cultural heritage in the host country. This competitive global fund was established to help countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. The projects selected to receive funding under this program will advance U.S. diplomatic goals and demonstrate the depth of U.S. respect for the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Funding Information

• Floor on Amount of Individual Awards: $10,000 per project
• Ceiling on Amount of Individual Awards: $200,000 per project

Funding Areas

Through the AFCP Program, the Department of State supports projects to preserve cultural heritage in the following three areas:

• CULTURAL SITES: conservation of an ancient or historic building, preservation of an archaeological site, or documentation of cultural sites in a region for preservation purposes
• CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS: conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects from a museum, site, or similar institution—that include, but are not limited to, archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and general museum conservation needs; needs assessment of a collection with respect to its condition and strategies for improving its state of conservation; inventory of a collection for conservation and protection purposes; the creation of safe environments for storage or display of collections; or specialized training in the care and preservation of collections
• FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION: documentation and audiovisual recording of traditional music, indigenous languages and dance forms for broad dissemination as the means of teaching and further preserving them, or support for training in the preservation of traditional applied arts or crafts in danger of extinction

Funding Priorities

Proposals for projects that meet one or more of the following criteria will receive consideration in FY 2020:

• Directly support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property protection agreements;
• Preserve World Heritage sites;
• Support risk reduction and disaster preparedness for cultural sites and collections in seismically active and other disaster-prone areas; and
• Engage women, youth, or under-served communities.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Embassy defines eligible project applicants as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based organizations subject to Section 501(c) (3) of the tax code, that are registered and active in SAM.gov and able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
• Embassies must vet applicants for eligibility, suitability, and reputable performance in cultural preservation or similar activities.
• Embassy must ensure the applicants are able to receive support from the U.S. Government and AFCP grants in accordance with AFCP program policies.
• AFCP does not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or to embassies or past award recipients which have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous AFCP awards.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit their applications at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://ba.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grant-opportunities/cultural-preservation-grants/2020-ambassadors-fund-for-cultural-preservation-afcp-small-grant-competition/