Deadline: 23 December 2019

The U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Cultural Heritage Center (“the Center”) of the U.S. Department of State have announced the “2020 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Large Grants Program”.

The projects recommended for funding under this program shall advance U.S. foreign policy goals and demonstrate American leadership in the preservation and protection of cultural heritage in support of prosperity and stability around the world.

Funding Information

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

Foreign Policy Areas

AFCP will recommend for funding those projects that address one or more of the following ECA Bureau strategic goals:

• Promote American leadership
• Renew America’s competitive advantage for sustained economic growth by increasing the global skills of Americans and expanding the reach of U.S. businesses and institutions
• Counter foreign government disinformation and foster alternatives to radicalization through international exchange programs
• Promote American values, such as tolerance and respect for cultural diversity

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 [settling, collapse, etc.] 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 directly support one or more of the following will receive additional consideration in FY 2019:

• U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property agreements
• U.S. Embassy Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals
• Disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas
• Post-disaster cultural heritage recovery
• Preservation of inscribed World Heritage sites

Eligibility Criteria

• The Center defines eligible project applicants as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as nongovernmental 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 and ensure that the applicants are able to receive U.S. federal assistance.
• The Center requests that embassies consider any country-specific sanctions that might impede project implementation before submitting applications.

How to Apply

• The application process for the AFCP Large Grants Program FY-2020 consists of two rounds:
  • Round 1 (Project Abstract)
  • Round 2 (Full Application)
• Applicants must submit their applications at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://la.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/85/Call-for-proposals-guidelines-AFCP-2020-LG.pdf