Deadline: 30-Sep-24
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is inviting proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the U.S. and Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean through cultural, educational, business, and scientific programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation.
Purpose of Small Grants
- All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and priorities.
- Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to:
- Academic and professional lectures, seminars and speaker programs;
- Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions;
- Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;
- Professional and academic exchanges and programs.
Priority Program Areas
- This NOFO is part of Mission Bridgetown’s support for public diplomacy programming in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Proposals should address PAS Bridgetown’s stated goals, objectives, target audiences, and geographic locations. PAS Bridgetown focuses on economic diversification, education, human rights, intellectual property rights, professional and academic exchange, cultural connections through people-to-people, institutional, and economic ties, and leveraging alumni of U.S. government programs to achieve long-term objectives in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
- PAS Bridgetown’s programming in Barbados and Eastern Caribbean:
- Strengthens local institutions to build long-term, self-sustaining relationships and institutional linkages between U.S. and Barbados and Eastern Caribbean organizations, including capacity building support for organizations as needed.
- Contributes to economic growth; improves human capacity by creating a better educated and more skillful workforce; and contributes to the development of government capacity in Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, in particular in areas outside of urban centers and other remote and/or disconnected areas while contributing to local and regional stability.
- Empowers civil societies to strengthen diversity, the rule of law, transparency, and human rights.
- Strengthens people-to-people ties between the United States and Barbados and Eastern Caribbean through shared information, experiences, exchanges, and/or expertise.
- Enhances community engagement through positive messages and tolerant perspectives that enhance and amplify community-based efforts in a wide range of areas.
- Expands media outreach by amplifying U.S. diplomacy activities and programs on social and traditional media platforms.
- Demonstrates shared values, which build respect and trust and increase effective communication.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 1 day to 18 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 8 awards (dependent on amounts)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $24,000
- Total available funding: $75,000 (subject to funding availability)
Participants and Audiences
- Program participants and audiences can include, but are not limited to, youth, students, activists and advocates, girls and women, civil society, cultural practitioners, entrepreneurs, and alumni of U.S. Department of State exchange programs. Proposals should detail how activities will include and/or reach targeted audiences and the impact on beneficiaries.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from the United States, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations with programming experience
- Individuals
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
- Governmental institutions For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
Ineligible
- The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:
- Programs relating to partisan political activity;
- Charitable or development activities;
- Construction programs;
- Programs that support specific religious activities;
- Fund-raising campaigns;
- Lobbying for specific legislation or programs
- Scientific research;
- Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization; or
- Programs that duplicate existing programs.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy Bridgetown.