Deadline: 10 December 2019

The U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State have announced the 2020 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Large Grants Competition.

Since its inception in 2001, AFCP has helped preserve cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in Mongolia and around the world. Cultural heritage endures as a reminder of the contributions and historical experiences of humanity. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, the U.S. shows its respect for other cultures. AFCP-supported projects include the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages.

Funding Information

• Floor on Amount of Awards: US $200,000 per project
• Ceiling on Amount of Individual Awards: US $800,000 per project

Funding Areas

The AFCP Large Grants Program supports the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in the host country. Appropriate project activities may include:

• Preventive conservation (addressing conditions that damage or threaten the site)
• Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance [e.g., settling, collapse] of a site)
• Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to a collection or sites)
• Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of a site)
• Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts)
• Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of a site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings)

Funding Priorities

Applications for projects that do one or more of the following will receive additional consideration in FY 2020.

• Support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations
• Support U.S. Embassy Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals
• Support disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas
• Support post-disaster cultural heritage recovery
• Preserve World Heritage sites
• Partner, connect with or feed into other ECA programs

Eligibility Criteria

• AFCP defines eligible project applicants as reputable and accountable noncommercial 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 www.SAM.gov and able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
• The U.S. Embassy in Mongolia vets applicants for eligibility, suitability, and reputable performance in cultural preservation or similar activities.

How to Apply

• This Opportunity consists of two application rounds:
  • Round 1 (Project Abstract)
  • Round 2 (Full Application)
• Abstracts must be submitted via email at the address given on the website.

Eligible Countries: Mongolia and United States

For more information, please visit https://mn.usembassy.gov/2020-afcp-large/