Deadline: 30-May-21
The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy South Africa of the U.S. Department of State has announce an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out programs in Advance Women in Business, Mitigate Climate Change, Improve Media Literacy, Celebrate Black History Month, Counter Gender-Based Violence, and Expand University Partnerships.
All program proposals must strengthen ties and build relationships between the United States and South Africa and must have a strong, central, American element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s (separate and beyond any involvement with the U.S. Mission or its American Corners or USG exchange program alumni), and have as a primary goal the promotion of increased understanding of U.S. values, perspectives, and policies and relationship building between Americans and South Africans.
Objectives
- Advancing Women in the Workforce to Achieve Economic Growth: Women have made significant progress in the political and educational spheres in South Africa, but they recognize that upward mobility in the economic sphere and the inclusion of women in middle and senior management remains a challenge.
- Mitigating Climate Change: The PDS seeks proposals that will leverage mutual concerns and interests between the United States and South Africa with regard to climate change. Project proposals in this category should identify a specific theme, such as youth engagement, entrepreneurship, or education, that will yield measurable results within the life of the award.
- Improving Media Literacy and Journalism Training: The PDS seeks proposals to strengthen fact-checking skills and responsible media consumption in South Africa while targeting high school or university educators and students.
- Celebrating Black History Month and Promoting Social Justice: The PDS solicits proposals as part of the broader U.S. Mission South Africa effort to commemorate Black History Month in February 2022. Preference will be given to proposals that open conversations on the shared painful histories of the United States and South Africa, and include opportunities for moderated discussion.
- Countering Gender-Based Violence to Improve Security: The PDS seeks proposals that address policy, advocacy, and/or social structures that affect Gender-Based Violence in South Africa using lessons learned from the United States. Program proposals should ensure that any action funded by the U.S. government complements the Presidentially-approved National Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Strategic Plan.
- Expanding the University Partnership Initiative: The PDS seeks proposals for programs focused on strengthening existing ties and fostering new collaboration between U.S. and South African universities under the University Partnership Initiative (UPI).
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $600,000
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $100,000
- Length of performance period: 12 to 24 months
- Number of awards anticipated: six awards (depends on amounts awarded)
- Anticipated program start date: On or before September 30, 2021
Priority Region: Project activities must take place in South Africa, and be directed at South African audiences/participants. The PDS welcomes proposals that reach multiple provinces, or engage in areas outside of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following United States and South African organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations;
- Public and private non-profit educational institutions.
- Individuals Government institutions.
- Please note that applications from for-profit organizations will not be considered by the Grants Review Committee.
- The United States Department of State strives to ensure that its efforts reflect the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. The U.S. Embassy seeks and encourages the involvement of people from traditionally underrepresented audiences in all its grants, programs and other activities and in its workforce and workplace. Opportunities are open to people regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. The PDS is committed to fairness, equity and inclusion. Proposals should demonstrate substantive support of diversity and describe how diversity will be integrated into all aspects of the program. Applicants should demonstrate readiness to accommodate participants with physical disabilities.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333145