Deadline: 15/06/24
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador announces an open competition for public institutions and civil society organizations to submit applications in response to issuance of this Annual Program Statement (APS).
Program Objectives
- PAS welcomes proposals for creative, engaging projects that line up with the U.S. Embassy’s main objectives. That includes strengthening the relationship between El Salvador and the United States and sharing U.S. culture, society, values, and policies to Salvadoran audiences. The Embassy is also working with local partners on promoting economic development; strengthening democracy; a free press, and human rights.
- Please be aware that projects funded through this APS must include an American element. Examples could include a connection or partnership between a Salvadoran and a United States based organization or institution; or an U.S. expert taking part, in person or virtually, in your project.
- Alumni of the U.S. Exchange programs might incorporate a U.S. approach or method you have learned about addressing an issue or challenge facing your community, institution, or profession.
- Grant activities may take any number of forms. Past programs in El Salvador have included English learning for special purposes; improvement of learning curriculums by a U.S. specialist; youth participation and civic engagement; cybersecurity; U.S. cultural expressions and the arts, using entertainment to forward good practices (development of comics, songwriting, etc.); advancement of economic prosperity through entrepreneurship skill building; storytelling and technology skill building (videography, technology, coding, and social media content production, among others); and documentary and filmmaking when it addresses the mission’s goals. These are only some examples of activities that you can consider when creating your proposal.
- Grant activities may also include academic competitions, spelling bees, summer camps (focused on language study, sports, etc.), cross-border exchanges, conferences, workshops, courses, curriculum development, exhibits, hackathons or app development, online projects, mock trials or moot court competitions, simulations and role-playing activities (e.g., Model Congress, Model United Nations), film or theater festivals, performances, or other activities.
- Projects should begin no earlier than October 2024, and no later than January 2025, i.e., about a year from now. All activities and your evaluation or assessment of the project should be completed within 24 months.
- Activities should focus on Salvadoran audiences living in El Salvador. However, applicants can certainly include participants or partners from neighboring Central American nations if the program allows for a larger effort that is coherent and achievable.
- Please use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. when thinking about your project. The objective of your activity should be: Specific, Measurable, realistically Achievable within the period of the grant, Relevant to an actual problem or challenge, and Time-bound, meaning that you will be able to finish the project and measure the impact by a set date. They will ask you how you will measure or evaluate the progress achieved or the impact you have made on the participants or audiences through your project activities.
- As you work on the budget, consider all the logistics and the administrative costs involved in your project. For example, if program participants are traveling to a workshop, remember to factor in how much it might cost to pay for their travel to the workshop location, lodging costs (if applicable), etc.
- Please be aware that if you are successful in securing PAS funding to launch your project, you will be expected to publicize your activities, including through social media and/or traditional press outlets; and highlight U.S. Embassy support for your activity, with the logo included on project-related materials.
Program Themes
- The Embassy is seeking applications focusing specifically on the themes below. Under some program themes, they are including some ideas about what your project could do, but you do not need to limit yourself to these. Feel free to come up with your own creative concepts for approaches and activities that relate to the program theme.
- The Embassy in particular is seeking applications that focus on the following themes:
- Entrepreneurship
- Programs that aim to create entrepreneurial skills in audiences and places where these skills are otherwise unavailable can engage different groups of beneficiaries (women, youth, and other key audiences) that look to improve their lives and build a better future in El Salvador. These programs may address entrepreneurship from different angles like the arts, crafts, technology, among others.
- Leadership
- Programs that aim to empower different sectors in society, with special focus on youth and women, to have a voice and act on issues such as civic participation, caring for the environment, and/or contributing proactively to the advancement of society, among others.
- Freedom of the Press/of Speech.
- Programs that engage audiences in the correct exercise of the right of free expression and topics pertaining to the journalistic sector such as misinformation, disinformation, security protocols, and new technologies, among others.
- Gender Issues (Gender Based Violence prevention, New Masculinities, among others)
- Programs that aim to change perceptions and behaviors in relation to one or more problems that hinder the ability to have a society with equal opportunities, and that actively counters gender violence. Programs may aim to build better and healthier relationships (personal or social) according to today’s inclusive context.
- Educational Opportunities (STEAM, English learning, among others)
- Programs that look to provide a set of skills that enable youth and young professionals to build a strong and effective career in El Salvador. These educational opportunities should respond to current needs in the Salvadoran labor market as well as supplying training or knowledge that would not be accessible to the selected audience.
- Human Rights
- Programs addressing human rights should bring an increased awareness, a change in perception and behaviors through programs that address stigmatization; access to education, health and other public services; the exercise of democratic rights among the key audiences described above.
- Anti-Corruption
- Anti-Corruption programs can engage audiences to learn about best practices on how to avoid and counter corruption, addressing younger demographics to tackle this problem from a young age by installing the understanding of how corruption hinders social and economic development and represents one of the main causes for irregular migration. Other types of anti-corruption programs may address the role of free press in investigative journalism related to transparency issues.
- Good Governance
- Programs that address good governance may include but are not limited to full respect of human rights; the rule of law; effective civic participation, partnerships, transparent and accountable processes and institutions; an efficient and effective public sector; access to knowledge, information, political empowerment of people; and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance.
- Note: Projects integrating elements of education and economic development will be accorded priority consideration, ensuring a balanced evaluation process that fosters inclusive opportunities for all applicants.
- Entrepreneurship
Funding Information
- Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum (floor) of US$10,000 to a maximum (ceiling) of $70,000. PAS strongly recommends that first-time applicants keep their budget under $25,000. If a new applicant has no proven track record or the review panel has doubts or concerns about the capacity to implement a larger project, it makes sense for the applicant to submit a smaller, more modest proposal.
- Length of performance period: Up to 15 months (including your evaluation or assessment period.)
- Anticipated program’s start and end dates: Your project should start no earlier than October 2024 and finish no later than December 2025.
- Program Performance Period: Proposed projects should generally be completed within 12 months, or up to 15 months for bigger, more complex projects. This includes the time for assessment and evaluation, as well as the drafting of the final report.
Participants and Audiences
- Your proposal can benefit the following suggested (but not limited to) audiences:
- Youth
- Women
- LGBTQIA+
- Persons with disabilities
- Indigenous populations
- Afro descendants
Priority Regions
- Urban and rural areas:
- Where opportunities of development are otherwise unavailable.
- Where a certain set of skills is needed.
- Where one of the priority themes mentioned above is addressed.
- Note: PAS San Salvador encourages potential applicants to consider submitting proposals with activities focusing on participants or audiences in cities and towns in El Salvador besides San Salvador, Santa Ana and San Miguel.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following entities, from El Salvador or from the U.S., are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including educational and cultural institutions, civil society organizations or non-governmental organizations, think tanks, professional associations, among others.
- Governmental institutions.
- Individual citizens, including alumni of the U.S. Government (USG) exchange programs, who have a demonstrated capacity or proven track record to carry out the proposed activities.
- To be eligible for consideration, every El Salvador-based applicant organization must be registered in the territory of the Republic of El Salvador with the Ministry of the Interior (Ministerio de Gobernación.)
- Businesses and other for-profit organizations may not apply for funding under this APS.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in El Salvador.