Deadline: 27-Jun-21
The U.S. Embassy Cotonou Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in applying for funding for program proposals that strengthen cultural ties between the United States and Benin through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation.
Priority Program Objectives and Audiences
Project proposals submitted through this APS should address one of the following Priority Program Objectives:
- Shared Democratic Value (Up to three awards anticipated, maximum $20,000 each): Activities that promote better understanding of the value and function of democratic tools to improve people’s lives, drawing on examples from Benin and the United States, in order to build support for and encourage greater participation in democratic governance.
- Target audiences: motivated community leaders who lack formal civics education due to linguistic, literacy, or schooling barriers; primary and secondary school students; religious and community leaders in small towns and rural areas; and/or youth and young adults in northeastern Benin.
- Investigative Journalism. (One to two awards anticipated, maximum $20,000 each) :Activities to strengthen and encourage the use of recognized fact-checking platforms, and/or competitive recognition of journalists producing highquality reporting on topics of shared U.S.-Beninese interest (e.g. effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs, diversity visa scams, wildlife and human trafficking), in order to strengthen free press and journalism as an institution in Benin.
- Target audience: journalists
- U.S.-Benin Partnership (One to three awards anticipated, maximum $15,000 each) Activities featuring popular American and/or Beninese artists, musicians, cultural figures, and other influencers in order to promote a deeper understanding of the United States’ long support for improving health and prosperity in Benin, as well as living habits that lead to healthier and more prosperous lives (e.g. antimalarial campaigns, COVID-19 prevention, promoting U.S.-Benin trade, etc.).
- Target audiences : youth and young adults who use social media or listen to radio as their primary source of information; and/or educated urban adults unaware of U.S. initiatives to support Benin’s development..
- Skills for Success (One to three awards anticipated, $15,000 each) Activities to strengthen Benin’s English Club network and promote learning American English, or workshops in French or English to build soft skills (such as resume writing, digital communications, basic financial literacy, public speaking, entrepreneurial skills) using American and Beninese examples, in order to encourage successful participation in the formal economy.
- Target audiences: underemployed and unemployed youth who will soon complete or have completed formal education; female microentrepreneurs; and/or educators and community leaders working with at-risk youth populations, especially in northeastern Benin.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: 6 to 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: varies (dependent on amounts)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $20,000
- Total available funding: $128,000 (Anticipated Subject to Availability of Funds)
- Type of Funding: Fiscal Year 2021 Public Diplomacy Funding
- Anticipated program start date: Varies, April-September 2021
Eligibility Criteria
- The Public Diplomacy Section encourages applications from U.S. and Beninese:
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations with programming experience;
- Individuals;
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions;
- Governmental institutions. For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://bj.usembassy.gov/education-culture/apply-grant-us-embassy-cotonou/