U.S. Embassy in Jordan: Public Affairs Section Alumni Annual Program Statement

Deadline: 30 April 2020

The U.S. Embassy in Jordan Public Affairs Section (PAS) is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Alumni Grants Program.

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) at U.S. Embassy Amman, Jordan, administers an Alumni Grants program to support projects initiated by Alumni of programs affiliated with the Public Affairs Section in Amman.

All alumni grants proposals should demonstrate the following:

How the proposed activities develop and share the skills and expertise the alumni gained during their program.
How the proposed activities continue the purpose or theme of the alumni’s program.
How the project benefits other Jordanians.

Participants and Audiences

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.

Audiences who are considered a priority for grants funded under this APS are:

Jordanian youth and young adult leaders between 13 and 30 years old.
Community leaders and local officials.
Teachers and academic professionals.

Note: Proposals addressing audiences not listed above can still be eligible, but such proposals must clearly indicate why addressing the proposed audience is especially important to achieving the goals.

Funding Information

Total Amount Available: Approximately $60,000;
Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $1000 to a maximum of $15,000.

Funding Restrictions

Fees and travel cost to attend conferences in the United States;
Ongoing salary costs;
Office equipment;
Paying to complete activities begun with other funds;
Refreshments (exception: expenses for coffee breaks and working lunches which are essential to the realization of the program might be funded);
Costs of alcoholic beverages are unallowable.

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;
Individual travel to attend a conference and/or courses at any Educational institution.

Eligibility Criteria

Grants will be awarded to individuals who are an alumnus or alumna of a U.S. Government sponsored exchange program, the Access program in Jordan, the Inspire program in Jordan, or to an organization, as listed below, directly affiliated with the alumnus/alumna;
Alumni may create project groups with other alumni or other non-alumni in Jordan to carry out the award. The below-listed organizations and institutions may receive the grant if the alumnus or alumna is an active participant in the organization and will actively work as the primary contact for the award;
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations with programming experience;
- Individuals;
For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Evaluation Criteria

Each application will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below. The criteria listed are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an application.

Organizational capacity and record on previous grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and Public Affairs Section is confident of its ability to undertake the program. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.
Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea – The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.
Goals and objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and program 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 Amman’s priority areas or target audiences.
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.
Media Plan: Applicants must propose an outreach or media promotion plan with the proposal. If a media plan is not recommended, the applicant should explain why.
Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to measure program success against key indicators and provide milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The program includes output and outcome indicators, and shows how and when those will be measured.
Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.