Deadline: 22 May 2020
The U.S. Mission Pakistan Consulate General Lahore Public Affairs Section is seeking proposals that will provide a two-week or more exchange visit opportunity to at least five female ulemas from Punjab, Pakistan to visit different faith centers, including mosques, churches, temples, and other places of common worship. Visiting female ulemas will interact with these diverse faith leaders to observe best practices in promoting inter-faith harmony, peace, and good relationships among religions in U.S. society. The program will demonstrate the role of those religious leaders and centers in influencing community-based peace and tolerance.
Project Goal
They seek proposals that will provide an opportunity to selected female ulemas from Punjab for an exchange visit to the United States which will further their understanding of the role of religious centers in U.S. communities as well as consider their own role as a religious and community leader of a religious institution, emphasizing the key role their leadership plays in their community. Selected participants will visit a range of centers and/or places of worship in different cities of the United States to observe the responsibility of those institutions and their leaders toward their community. The goal of this program is to promote the understanding of how inter-faith harmony, peace, and tolerance in society can bring positive changes in the religious education schools of Punjab and the broader community.
Project Objectives
The award recipient should select at least five female ulemas for an exchange visit to the United States for a two-week minimum duration. The awardee should select places in the United States with large faith centers, mosques, temples, synagogues, churches, etc. that are actively engaged with the community. The awardee is expected to organize meetings for the delegation with the leaders of places being visited. These leaders should describe their role, both organizationally and spiritually, and state how they interact with the community. Topics could include faith center initiatives, exploring how these initiatives promote peace, tolerance, and harmony among the society. They should also discuss some of their most successful experiences and how they include youth in their programs. The U.S.-based leaders should be able to describe how they measured the effect of these initiatives, and their framework for determining the “success” of a project. The ideal program would include relevant skills learning. The exchange visit should take place in three different states of the United States with 3-4 days at each location. Each of these activities should result in accomplishing three project objectives:
- Increase participant’s understanding of the role of religious centers in the U.S. and apply lessons learned to their own community.
- Increase participant’s understanding of the role they play in their communities.
- Increase participant’s capacity to engage with their communities.
The grantee is responsible to coordinate (and can include budget line items for) all arrangements, including lodging, international and domestic transportation (withing the U.S. and Pakistan), all participant visa fees, any necessary travel insurance, meals and incidental expenses, and other costs as appropriate. The grantee will be responsible to develop the program (which should include follow-up activities), program materials, social media and technical support. The grantee will also be responsible for following up after the exchange visit and reporting to U.S. Consulate General Lahore on the visit’s impact and outcomes.
Funding Information
- The award floor is forty thousand dollars $40,000; the award ceiling is fifty thousand dollars $50,000.
- All award activities should be completed within 12 months from the award start date.
Participants and Audiences
Female ulemas from Punjab, Pakistan who belong to any sect. Selected participants should preferably be in a leadership role or be a very prominent scholar with a large following. Selected participants preferably have no previous exposure to the United States. English language fluency is preferred but should not be the deciding factor in selection.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility is open to international non-profit organizations. Organizations may sub-award or sub-contract with other entities, but only one non-profit organization can be the prime recipient of the award. Pakistan government entities are not eligible to apply. For-profit entities are not eligible to be the prime recipient of an award under this NOFO. When sub-awarding or sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
- The applicants must submit proof of their non-profit status with their proposal submission (e.g. proof of 501(c) (3) status, Pakistan NGO license). Applications that do not include proof of non-profit status will not be considered for an award. Individuals are not eligible for an award under this NOFO. U.S.-based or registered organizations should provide proof of registration to operate in Pakistan or have a documented agreement with a partner organization registered to operate in Pakistan.
Please ensure:
- The application satisfies all requirements listed in this funding opportunity.
- 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.
- All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.
- All applicant authorized signatures are provided where indicated on the various, required forms.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=326099