Deadline: 2 December 2019

The U.S. Embassy in Suriname has announced a call for proposals for the 2020 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) competition.

Focus Areas

• A CULTURAL SITE OR SITES – Conservation of an ancient or historic building, preservation of an archaeological site, or documentation of cultural sites in a region for preservation purposes.
• AN OBJECT OR COLLECTION OF OBJECTS – Conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects; 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 recordings of traditional music and dance forms for broad dissemination as a 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 Information

• Funding amount: $10,000 per project (minimum) to $800,000 per project (maximum).
• Applicants may propose project periods of up to 60 months [five years]; projects must begin after September 30, 2020 and conclude no later than September 30, 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

Reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as non-governmental organizations, museums, government ministries, or similar institutions and organizations that are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. They encourage proposals that include non-U.S. government cost-sharing (including in-kind). Please keep fluctuations in exchange rates in mind when calculating project costs.

Application Requirements

Project proposals must include the following:

• Project basics, including title, project dates, and AFCP focus area;
• Project applicant information, including contact information;
• Project location;
• Official permission to undertake the project;
• Purpose and summary of objectives and desired results;
• Description of activities and tasks in chronological order;
• Project timeframe or schedule that lists the major project phases and milestones with target dates for achieving them;
• Resumes of the project director and professional staff;
• Statement of Importance highlighting the historic, architectural, artistic, or cultural (nonreligious) values of the cultural site, collection, or form of traditional expression;
• Statement of Urgency indicating the severity of the situation and explaining why the project must take place now;
• Statement of Sustainability outlining the steps or measures that will be taken to maintain the site, object, or collection in good condition after the AFCP-supported project is complete; or, in the case of forms of traditional cultural expression, to preserve and disseminate the documentation, knowledge, or skills gained from the project;
• Detailed Project Budget, demarcated in one-year budget periods (2019, 2020, 2021, etc.), that lists all costs in separate categories (Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel [including Per Diem], Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other Direct Costs, Indirect Costs, Cost Sharing); indicates funds from other sources; and gives a justification for any anticipated international travel costs;
• Budget Narrative in U.S. dollars explaining line-by-line how costs are estimated (quantity x unit cost, annual salary x percentage of time spent on project, etc.) and unique budget line items;
• Attachments and Supporting Documents including: At a minimum and REQUIRED, five (5) high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the site, object, or form of expression and, in the case of a site or object, show the urgency or need for the proposed project (collapsing wall, water damage, worn fabric, broken handle, etc.), any historic structure reports, conservation needs assessments, and other planning documents compiled in preparation for the proposed project.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit their applications via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://sr.usembassy.gov/education-culture/ambassadors-fund-for-cultural-preservation/