Deadline: 1 February 2020

The U.S. Embassy Libya’s Public Affairs Office (PAO) has announced that funding is available through the Public Diplomacy Grant Program for projects up to $5,000 USD. Projects for a greater value will be considered on a case by case basis.

The objectives of the Public Diplomacy Grant Program are to promote Libyan-U.S. relations, to enhance mutual understanding between the people of Libya and the United States, and to reinforce shared values through projects that:

• Strengthen understanding of U.S. values and institutions; highlight U.S. culture, including American Studies, English language teaching/learning, and study in the United States; and support diversity, acceptance of minority groups, and other areas of mutual interest.
• Help Libyan youth explore and discover their potential through innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs particularly through the engagement of U.S. experts and/or adaptation of U.S. models and best practices in these fields.
• Projects led by State Department Alumni that promote positive community engagement and volunteerism, develop soft skills development among youth and support U.S. Embassy efforts in promoting U.S. exchange opportunities across Libya.

Activities

Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to:

• Programs that reinforce and amplify lessons learned by Libyan Alumni of State Department-funded exchange programs;
• Youth engagement, leadership, and education programs;
• Workshops, seminars, trainings, and master classes on American themes or issues of mutual interest mentioned in the above goals of the Program;
• Cultural programs that target youth and underserved communities;
• Radio, television, and social media training and programming in support of the above Program objectives.

Activities that are not typically funded include, but are not limited to:

• Fees and travel costs to attend conferences in the United States,
• Ongoing salary costs and office equipment,
• Paying to complete activities begun with other funds,
• Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns,
• Social welfare projects,
• Political party activities,
• Projects that support specific religious activities,
• Trade activities; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research; construction projects;
• Projects whose primary aim is the institutional development of the organization itself;

Eligibility Criteria

• The Public Affairs Office encourages applications from all sectors: committed and organized civil-society organizations, local representatives of civil society, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, academic institutions, and individuals. All grantees must have a non-profit status.
• They seek proposals for geographically and demographically diverse audiences within Libya. U.S. NGOs and individuals may apply, but preference is given to Libyan NGOs or to partnerships that develop capacity with Libyan NGOs and include plans to transfer programs to sustainable local management in Libya.

Evaluation Criteria

Grant applications will be reviewed by the Public Affairs Office’s Grant Committee. Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the following criteria:

• Strength of U.S. component/content;
• The degree to which the proposed project addresses one or more of the objectives of the Public Diplomacy Grant Program, as outlined above;
• Its ability to engage youth audiences or strengthen the ability of established community leaders to engage youth audiences;
• The extent to which it will create new ties between U.S. and Libyan peer institutions, new connections between Americans and Libyans, or present American culture and society in an innovative manner;
• Strength of outreach and social media component; and
• Promotion of diversity and acceptance of minority groups, including persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged communities.

For more information, visit https://ly.usembassy.gov/education-culture/funding-opportunities/