The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation 2023 Grants Program (Afghanistan)

Deadline: 9-Jan-23

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan announces an open competition for organizations to submit a Concept Note (Round 1) for funding through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to implement individual projects to preserve cultural heritage.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $6,000,000;
• Award Ceiling: $500,000;
• Award Floor: $10,000;
• Project Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed in 60 months or less. The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation of grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

The AFCP Grants Program supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts.

Appropriate project activities may include:

• Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts);
• Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site);
• Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site);
• Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition);
• Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state);
• Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition);
• Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings);
• Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site).

Funding Restrictions

This announcement does not support the following activities or costs, and applications involving any of the activities or costs below will be deemed ineligible:

• Preservation or purchase of privately or commercially owned cultural objects, collections, or real property, including those whose transfer from private or commercial to public ownership is envisioned, planned, or in process but not complete at the time of application;
• Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants, fossils, etc.);
• Preservation of hominid or human remains;
• Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, radio and TV programs, etc.);
• Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.);
• Development of curricula or educational materials for classroom use;
• Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research purposes;
• Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project;
• Acquisition or creation of new exhibits, objects, or collections for new or existing museums;
• Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example);
• Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes;
• Creation of new or the modern adaptation of existing traditional dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances;
• Creation of replicas or conjectural reconstructions of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist;
• Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another;
• Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason;
• Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger, clearly defined conservation, documentation, or public diplomacy effort;
• Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies;
• Cash reserves, endowments, or revolving funds (funds must be expended within the award period [up to five years] and may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund);
• Costs of fund-raising campaigns;
• Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees;
• Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award unless allowable per 2 CFR 200.458 and approved by the Grants Officer;
• International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project or to provide project leaders with learning and exchange opportunities with cultural heritage experts;
• Individual projects costing less than US $10,000 or more than $500,000;
• Independent U.S. and foreign projects overseas that do not have a local partner or a pre existing
• Formal agreement with the national cultural authority in the specified country to
• Conduct cultural heritage preservation activities.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants:

The following entities are eligible to apply:

• Foreign Institution of Higher Education;
• Foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO);
• Foreign Public Entity, where permitted;
• U.S. Non-Profit Organization (501(c)(3));
• U.S. Institution of Higher Education.

Eligible implementers may also include, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations. The AFCP will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards.

The AFCP further defines eligible applicants as reputable and accountable entities that are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite capacity and permission to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage in the specified country.

Other Eligibility Details

• Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal;
• In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (UEI);
• Cost sharing or matching is encouraged, but not required for this funding opportunity;
• Pre-award costs are generally not an allowable expense for this funding opportunity, but may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information, visit The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation 2023 Grants Program.