Deadline: 10 December 2018
U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State have announced the 2019 call for proposals for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
Since its inception in 2001, AFCP has helped preserve cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in Thailand and around the world. Cultural heritage endures as a reminder of the contributions and historical experiences of humanity. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, the U.S. shows its respect for other cultures.
AFCP-supported projects include the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages.
Funding Information
The minimum funding available for individual projects is US$10,000 per project and the maximum amount is US$200,000 per project.
Funding Areas
The AFCP program supports projects in three areas and adheres to international standards and guidelines for the preservation of cultural heritage. These activities may include:
- CULTURAL SITES: conservation of an ancient or historic building, preservation of an archaeological site, or documentation of cultural sites in a region for preservation purposes.
- CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS: conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects from a museum, site, or similar institution—that include, but are not limited to, archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and general museum conservation needs; needs assessment of a collection with respect to its condition and strategies for improving its state of conservation; inventory of a collection for conservation and protection purposes; the creation of safe environments for storage or display of collections; or specialized training in the care and preservation of collections.
- FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION: documentation and audiovisual recording of traditional music, indigenous languages and dance forms for broad dissemination as the means of teaching and further preserving them, or support for training in the preservation of traditional applied arts or crafts in danger of extinction.
Specific to the AFCP 2019 annual competition, proposals for projects that directly support one or more of the following will receive additional consideration:
- U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property agreements;
- U.S. Embassy Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals;
- Disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas;
- Post-disaster cultural heritage recovery; and
- Preservation of inscribed World Heritage sites.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible project applicants are reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations that are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
- There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost participation required for this competition. When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal and later included in an approved agreement.
- The applicant will be responsible for tracking and reporting on any cost share or outside funding. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.
How to Apply
Each project proposal must be in English and should be emailed at the address given on the website, with the subject line “AFCP proposal: Project name”.
Eligible Country: Thailand
For more information, please visit U.S. Embassy in Thailand.