Deadline: 1-Jul-21
The U.S. Embassy Bangui Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.
PAS Bangui invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the U.S. and the Central African Republic (CAR) through cultural programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. 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;
- Entrepreneurship, business development, and tech/innovation training;
- Hands-on media workshops for journalists, media professionals, and the public; and
- Sports-related programming.
Priority Program Areas
- Good governance and democracy;
- Rule of law and justice;
- Journalistic integrity and media literary;
- English language instruction and learning;
- Economic growth and development;
- Peace, reconciliation and social cohesion.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $10,000;
- Length of performance period: Up to twelve months.
Target Audiences
PAS Bangui strongly encourages proposals that bring together diverse groups from across CAR society who might otherwise have little to no interaction with each other. Proposals should describe both the primary and secondary audiences for the program, including numbers anticipated to be reached. Primary audiences are those who will participate directly in the program, while secondary audiences are those who will be reached by the project’s primary audiences, as a result of their participation. Specific audiences who are considered a priority for grants funded under this APS are:
- Minorities and underserved communities;
- Young leaders in the 13-18 or 18-30 age ranges;
- Community leaders and NGO staff;
- Business leaders and entrepreneurs;
- English language teachers and educators;
- Journalists and media professionals.
Eligible Applicants
PAS Bangui encourages applications from U.S. and CAR:
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience;
- Individuals;
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions;
- Governmental institutions;
- For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
Criteria
Each application will be evaluated and rated based on the evaluation criteria outlined below:
- Organizational capacity and record on previous grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and PAS Bangui is confident of the applicant’s ability to undertake the project. The organization shows how it uses its capabilities effectively to reach the broadest audience that makes sense for the purpose of the project.
- Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea: The program idea is well developed, with detail about how project activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.
- Goals and objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and project approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results.
- Embassy priorities: Applicant has clearly described how stated goals are related to and support U.S. Embassy Bangui’s goals, priority program areas and target audiences as described in Section A, and clearly address the requirements of this APS. The applicant also clearly identifies the American component to be included in the program.
- Budget: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities.
- Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The project includes output and outcome indicators and shows how and when those will be measured.
- Media outreach plan: Applicant describes a clear plan for how the program will be shared with secondary audiences through traditional and/or social media. The applicant describes clearly how the partnership with the U.S. government will be made visible to the participants and to secondary audiences. The applicant describes the outreach tools to be used and demonstrates the capacity to implement visibility through traditional and/or social media, taking into consideration, however, any cultural and political sensitivities that may affect or compromise the program or the participants. Branding waivers will only be granted on a rare basis and with a strong justification of why one is needed in order for the project to be successful.
For more information, visit https://cf.usembassy.gov/education-culture/annual-program-statement/