Call for Projects in South Africa: Adapting to Climate Change, Promoting Social Justice, Expanding Cooperation in Higher Education

Deadline: 30-Apr-23

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Mission to South Africa of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for Federal financial assistance to support projects that strengthen ties and build relationships between the United States and South Africa.

Objectives

• PAS is seeking proposals that address one or more of the following challenges from a public diplomacy perspective. Public Diplomacy (PD) seeks to promote partnerships and information/knowledge exchange between the Americans and South African publics and institutions to enable more effective, mutually beneficial cooperation with the United States globally, benefitting the U.S. national interest and the national security as well as South Africa. PD aims to identify and fund programs and projects that broaden and deepen dialogue and empower cooperation between American citizens and institutions – including civil society and educational organizations – and their South African counterparts.
• Adapting to Climate Change and Implementing a Just Green Energy Transition
  • Priority project areas include:
    • fostering economic opportunity and facilitating a green energy transition;
    • sustainable waste management and recycling;
    • urban and peri-urban clean water solutions;
    • climate change adaptation; or
    • urban gardening and greening.
• Promoting Equity, Social Justice, and Social Cohesion
  • Priority project areas include:
    • Outreach to underscore connections between the struggle for equality of marginalized groups in the United States and South Africa’s liberation struggle;
    • Exploration of the literature, culture, and histories of marginalized groups in the United States with South African audiences; or
    • Facilitation of dialogues and exchanges which increase connections between individuals and communities in the United States and South African committed to increasing equity and social inclusion in both countries, sharing challenges and best practices from contemporary scholarship.
• A Global Crisis: Trafficking in Persons
  • Priority project areas include:
    • Increasing the public’s understanding of trafficking in persons;
    • Increasing TIP awareness among populations vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation;
    • Reducing demand for labor and sexual exploitation; or
    • Increasing the public and civil society’s reporting of TIP offenses and official complicity to appropriate South African authorities.
• Expanding Cooperation in Higher Education and Vocational Training
  • Priority project areas include:
    • Promoting U.S.- South Africa faculty and student exchanges, particularly the development of dual degree programs that have South Africans complete their studies locally and address South Africa’s shortage of qualified academic staff and that facilitate collaboration on addressing shared challenges in the United States and South Africa;
    • Sharing best practices and expertise in curriculum development and aligning curricula to address job market needs and skills gaps;
    • Developing the use of instructional technology to increase access to educational opportunities, including in the context of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic;
    • Facilitating early-career training for academics;
    • Joint research, especially in agriculture, food security, health, and STEM;
    • Providing training and transfer skills in all aspects of university and TVET college administration through subject-matter exchange programs;
    • Sharing best practices for student recruitment, retention, and job placement while battling misconceptions about the utility of TVET and community college education; or
    • Exploring public-private partnerships, with an emphasis on commercialization, technology transfer, and job creation as well as post-graduate job placement.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 12 to 24 months
• Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $200,000
• Total available funding: $800,000

Priority Region: Project activities must take place in South Africa and be directed at South African audiences/participants. PAS welcomes proposals that reach multiple provinces or engage in areas outside the metropolitan areas of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, including townships and other historically underserved areas.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only non-profit South African or U.S. organizations are eligible to apply.  This includes non-profit think tanks, civil society/non-governmental organizations, and public and private educational institutions.  Proposals from for-profit entities may not be considered.  Proposals from American entities must demonstrate that the entity has a strong presence or partner in South Africa.
• Applicants may be asked to provide proof of their non-profit status if such status is unclear to the selection committee.
• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=344613