Deadline: 14-Aug-23
The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy to Kazakhstan announces an open competition to implement an exchange program that aims to strengthen the capacity of museums and other institutions in Kazakhstan to research, interpret, and teach domestic and foreign audiences about their recent past and the social and cultural contributions of ethnic and religious minority communities.
The program will bring museum and cultural heritage professionals from Kazakhstan on a three-week study tour to the United States, where they will meet and engage with their peers at various U.S. museums and cultural institutions and learn about innovative models for educational programming, outreach, and cultural diversity and accessibility practices. At the end of their U.S. exchange, program participants shall receive small grants for pilot projects at their home institutions, such as the improvement of mobile museum exhibitions, in order to engage audiences that have traditionally had limited access to museums and collections.
Objectives
- Objective 1: Advance the technical knowledge and pedagogical skills of museum and cultural heritage professionals in Kazakhstan through exposure to diverse museum education and interpretive methods for effectively engaging the public.
- Objective 2: Establish bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Kazakhstan in the sectors of museology, heritage management, and site preservation writ large, including museum education and interpretation projects, that are of mutual benefit to the United States and other countries.
- Objective 3: Expand the fact-based interpretation and teaching of recent history in the home institutions of program participants through locally driven pilot projects.
Phases
- The Museum Educators Exchange program shall consist of three phases:
- Virtual exchange components prior to and following the U.S. study tour;
- In-person, U.S.-based three-week study tour consisting of activities such as meetings, tours, site visits, workshops, and interactions with relevant U.S. cultural institutions and museum and cultural heritage professionals, and other educators. The program shall involve four to six (4-6) participants traveling to the United States from Kazakhstan.
- 18-month post-study tour home country pilot project implementation period. The interpretive and educational models developed in pilot projects will address the social and cultural contributions of minority communities. These pilot projects will be developed following the study tour.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 30 months or less
- Number of awards anticipated: One (1) award
- Award amount: Approximately $250,000
- Total available funding: $250,000
- Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2023
- Anticipated Completion Date: August 31, 2025
Project Audiences
- Museum and cultural heritage professionals responsible for or engaged in educational programming, outreach, and the interpretation of historical events, objects, sites, and cultures
- Museum or historic site interpreters or managers
- Professional historians, critics, and other influencers engaged in the preservation of historical memory, storytelling, cultural preservation, or the interpretation of historical events and the social and cultural contributions of communities for general audiences.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- U.S. Educational Institutions
- U.S. Non-Profit (501(c)(3)) Organizations
For more information, visit Grants.gov.