Deadline: 7-Dec-22
The Cultural Heritage Center in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia are pleased to announce the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2023 Grants Program.
AFCP aims to preserve archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts. Please note that full implementation of the AFCP 2023 Program is contingent on the availability of funds in fiscal year 2023.
This competitive global fund was established to help countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. The projects selected to receive funding under this program will advance U.S. diplomatic goals and demonstrate the depth of U.S. respect for the cultural heritage of Tunisia.
Funding Areas
- The AFCP 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 host country law. 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)
- Priority will be given to applications that clearly demonstrate the impact of the grant on local communities, Tunisia’s socioeconomic development, and cultural preservation.
Funding Information
- Length of Performance Period: 12 to 60 months
- Award Amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $500,000
Eligibility Criteria
- The Cultural Heritage Center defines eligible project implementers as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that can demonstrate they have the requisite capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. Eligible implementers may include nongovernmental organizations, museums, educational institutions, Ministry of Culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based education institutions and organizations subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code.
Ineligible Activities
- The AFCP will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous AFCP awards.
- 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 or documentation 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 as funds must be expended within the award period of 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 the 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.
- Travel or study outside the host country for professional development
- Independent U.S. projects overseas
- Individual projects costing less than $200,000 or more than $800,000.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Tunisia.
For more information, visit https://tn.usembassy.gov/ambassadors-fund-for-cultural-preservation-afcp-2023/
