Deadline: 31 May 2020
The U.S. Embassy in Sierra Leone Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State has announced that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.
PAS Freetown invites proposals for programs that strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Sierra Leone through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. 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 perspectives.
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;
- Workshops;
- Programs that strengthen entrepreneurship;
- Train-the-trainer activities;
- Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;
- Professional and academic exchanges and programs;
- Programs that engage alumni of U.S. Embassy-sponsored cultural exchange programs;
- Programs that promote women’s empowerment and gender inclusivity;
- Programs that promote youth leadership;
- Programs that build capacity of Sierra Leonean media
Priority Program Areas
- Advance Peace
- Promote Sustainable Economic Growth, including anti-corruption activities
- Strengthen Democracy, Human Rights, Access to Justice, and Media Freedom
- Promote Inclusive, Country-Led Development
- Health
- Education
- Agriculture and Nutrition
- Infrastructure and Resilience
Funding Information
- Awards generally do not exceed $25,000;
- Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months or less.
Participants and Audiences
- Expertise and established relationships with indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and/or local officials in the communities in which the programs will be conducted will be considered favorably.
- All programs must include an American cultural element and/or should increase mutual understanding between the United States and Sierra Leone.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from the United States and Sierra Leone:
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
- Individuals
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
- 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.
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.
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 PAS 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 Sierra Leone’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.
- 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.
How to Apply
Please ensure:
- The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity;
- All documents are in English;
- All budgets are in U.S. dollars;
- All pages are numbered;
- All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and
- All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.
Applicants must submit a complete proposal with concise budget that should tie in with the scope of work as indicated on the proposal. Completed applications should be submitted either via electronically or a hard copy at the address given on the website.
For more information, visit https://sl.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grant-opportunities/public-diplomacy-grants/annual-program-statement/