Biroul
de Diplomatie Publica al Ambasadei SUA va aduce la cunostinta ca accepta propuneri de proiecte pentru
Fondul Ambasadorial pentru Conservarea Obiectivelor Culturale
(AFCP) Editia 2025.
Prima
etapa de inscriere pentru AFCP 2025 consta in crearea si trimiterea
unei asa-numite note de concept in format Word (formular obtinut la
cerere pe adresa de e-mail
alexandrescui@state.gov)
Toate amanuntele necesare transmiterii notei de concept se regasesc in documentul anexat acestui e-mail.
Acest
program, care este extrem de competitiv, sprijina conservarea, an de
an, a urmatoarelor obiective: situri culturale – cum ar fi 1. cladiri
istorice si situri arheologice, 2. obiecte si colectii culturale
ale unui muzeu, sit, sau institutii similare: obiecte arheologice si
etnografice, picture, sculpturi, manuscrise, ca si alte necesitati de
conservare si 3. forme culturale traditionale de expresie – cum ar fi
muzica traditionala, mestesuguri etc.
Termenul limita de trimitere a notelor de concept este 14 ianuarie 2025 inclusiv.
Orice
institutie/organizatie/ONG/entitate culturala din Romania care are un
astfel de proiect este incurajata si invitata sa participe la selectia
pentru acest program, care acorda finantari cuprinse intre
10.000 si 500.000 USD per proiect.
Acordati
mare atentie inregistrarii in SAM si obtinerii numarului UEI, care
constituie o prima etapa in procesul de participare la selectie si o
conditie obligatorie. Detalii despre inregistrarile SAM/UEI
sunt cuprinse in documentul anexat acestui e-mail.
Institutiile
care se inscriu in aceasta competitie au obligativitatea de a parcurge
cu mare atentie informatiile despre program si de a respecta cu
strictete conditiile si regulile din acesta.
"U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs
Cultural Heritage Center
U.S. Ambassadors Fund
for Cultural Preservation Grants Program 2025
Deadline for Round One
Applications: JANUARY 14,2025
1. Summary: The U.S.
Embassy to Romania is pleased to announce the start of the 2025 grants cycle
for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
The application process
involves two rounds:
In Round 1, the Embassy
will collect project ideas from eligible institutions in the form of concept
notes, due January 14, 2025.
In Round 2, the Embassy
will invite the selected participant entity/entities to submit full project
applications, due April 15, 2025. Full implementation of the AFCP 2025 Grants
Program is pending the availability of Fiscal Year 2025 funds.
All applicants must also
have an active and valid registration on www.SAM.gov (System for Award
Management), the official U.S. Government system for entities interested in
conducting business with the U.S. Government.
To apply for grants
through AFCP, all applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). As of
April 2022, each entity registering or renewing in SAM.gov is automatically
assigned a UEI through that system. SAM registration must be renewed annually.
Application form
template should be requested at the following e-mail address: alexandrescui@state.gov
Concept notes should be
sent in high level proficiency English at the following e-mail address: alexandrescui@state.gov
If applicants will not receive confirmation
e-mails within 24 hours during work week, they should call the following phone
number 0721 288 797, between 10 – 15 hrs.
All inquiries related to
the AFCP Grants Program must be sent in writing at the following e-mail
address: alexandrescui@state.gov
We do not provide any
pre-consultation for application related questions that are already addressed
in this document.
IMPORTANT!! All
documents must be sent as attachments to the email. Please DO NOT send .rar,
zip, google docs, we transfer, or similar.
Selected applicants for
Round 2 must obtain a formal agreement/approval with a national/regional/local
cultural authority to conduct cultural heritage preservation activities.
Selected and
non-selected organizations will be informed via e-mail about the results of
both rounds of this competition. Annual program results are typically announced
in July.
2. AFCP Program
Background: The State Department established the AFCP in 2001 at the request of
Congress. At the time, the Senate noted that preserving cultural heritage
offers an opportunity to
showcase a different
aspect of America—one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military.
AFCP projects can contribute to the development of civil society, promote
cultural
diversity and good
governance, create economic opportunity, and help foster political stability
around the world.
3. Competition Format:
In Round 1, embassies will accept concept notes; those invited to Round 2 will
submit a full application, including technical details of the project.
Depending on available funds, awards will range from $25,000 to $500,000.
4. The eligible
countries for the AFCP program in FY 2025 are:
a) Sub-Saharan Africa
(AF): Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Congo
(Republic), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini,
Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger,
Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
Note: Embassy
Antananarivo may apply for Comoros; Dakar for Guinea-Bissau; Libreville for Sao
Tome & Principe; Port Louis for Seychelles.
b) East Asia & the
Pacific (EAP): Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati,
Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga,
Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam. Note: Embassy Port Moresby may apply for Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu; Suva for Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
c) Europe & Eurasia
(EUR): Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania,
Russia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine.
d) Middle East &
North Africa (NEA): Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,
Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen.
e) South & Central
Asia (SCA): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Note: Embassy New Delhi may apply for Bhutan.
f) Western Hemisphere
(WHA): Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the
Grenadines, Suriname, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.
5. Funding Areas: The
AFCP Grants Program supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic
buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression,
such as indigenous languages and crafts. Appropriate project activities may
include:
a) Anastylosis:
Reassembling a site using its original parts.
b) Conservation:
Addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site.
c)Consolidation:
Connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site.
d) Documentation:
Recording the condition and important features of an object, site, or tradition
in analog or digital format, but only as a part of a larger
conservation/preservation project
e) Inventory: Listing objects,
sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying
characteristics, but only as a part of a larger conservation/preservation
project.
f) Preventive
Conservation: Addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object,
collection, or tradition.
g) Restoration:
Replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or
site, usually appropriate for fine arts, decorative arts, and historic
buildings.
h) Stabilization:
Reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site.
6. Funding Priorities:
In FY 2025, the
Department of State will prioritize projects that are designed as part of a
greater bilateral exchange programming arc promoting specific standards of
democracy goals such as: rule of law, human rights, minority inclusion, women
empowerment, civics education and participation, community strengthening and empowerment,
contributing to a more stable economy, contributing to regional stability,
youth leadership and empowerment, entrepreneurship promotion, as well as
projects that support risk reduction and resilience for cultural heritage in
disaster-prone or economically disadvantaged areas and that also support post-disaster
cultural heritage recovery.
7. Sites and Objects
Having a Religious Connection: The Establishment Clause of the U.S.
Constitution permits the government to include religious objects and sites
within an aid program under certain conditions. For example, an item with a religious
connection (including a place of worship) may be the subject of a cultural preservation
grant if the item derives its primary significance from and is nominated solely
based on architectural, artistic, historical, or other cultural (not religious)
criteria.
8. Award Announcement:
Embassy will announce the results of the AFCP 2024 Grants Program via e-mail
when application review and selection are complete and the Department’s Fiscal
Year 2025 funding levels are established. Annual program results are typically announced
in July.
9. Disclaimer:
Notification of this funding opportunity does not constitute an award
commitment on the part of the AFCP program or the U.S. government. The Center
reserves the right to waive program formalities and to reduce, revise, or
increase project scopes and budgets in accordance with the needs of the program
and the availability of funds.
10. Eligible Project
Implementers: Eligible project implementers are defined as reputable and
accountable non-commercial entities that demonstrate they have the capacity to
manage projects to
preserve cultural
heritage. Eligible implementers may include non-governmental organizations,
museums, educational institutions, ministries of culture, or similar
institutions and organizations.
The AFCP will not award
grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have
not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards.
Potential implementing
partners must be registered and active in the U.S. government’s System for
Award Management (SAM) to receive U.S. federal assistance. The registration
process can take several weeks to complete, so it is important to avoid any
delay.
11. Application and
submission information:
Content and Form of
Application Submission: Please follow all instructions below carefully.
Applications that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to
comply with the stated requirements will be deemed ineligible.
Round 1 Concept Note
Requirements (Deadline: January 14, 2025):
From the Implementer:
a) Project Basics:
Include the implementer's name, a working title of the project, anticipated
project length (between 12-60 months), project, location, and a project cost
estimate (amount requested from AFCP, in U.S. dollars).
b) Project Summary
Description: Provide a summary (3,000 characters maximum) that outlines the project
activities, deliverables (outputs), and intended results (outcomes).
c) Visual Documentation:
Submit five (5) high-quality digital images (JPEGs or PNGs) that convey the
nature and condition of the site, collection, and show the urgency or need for
the project (e.g., collapsed walls, water damage).
d) Rationale for AFCP
Support: Explain why the U.S. government should fund the project (urgency,
priority, importance, relevance at city/county/national level)
12. Round 2 Full
Application Requirements (Deadline: April 15, 2025): The CHC will invite
embassies selected in Round 1 to submit full applications by no later than
April 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The applications must fully meet the program
objectives, funding areas
and priorities, and
eligibility requirements.
Additionally, to be
considered complete, they must include:
From the Implementer:
a) Application for
Federal Assistance (SF-424): Include Budget Information for Non-Construction
Programs (SF-424A), Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B), and, if
applicable, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL).
b) Updated Project
Description: Expand on the project summary provided in the Round 1 concept
note. Clearly describe the goals of the project. Explain the outputs and
outcomes the project will produce to achieve each goal, and the activities that
will generate these outputs and outcomes. Do this for both primary goals (such
as restoring a part of a monument) and secondary goals (such as
improving economic
opportunities). Successful AFCP Round 2 applications describe a clear, logical
pathway from activities to goals, including the necessary steps in between.
Unsuccessful applications state broad goals but omit details on how they will
be achieved. In addition to the description, applicants may include a list,
table, or Gantt chart of activities in chronological order, along with major
outputs and outcomes and target dates for achieving them.
c) Key Personnel: Names,
titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the
project.
d) Statement of
Importance: Highlight the historical, architectural, artistic, or cultural
(non-religious) values of the cultural heritage.
e) Maintenance Plan:
Outline the steps or measures that the applicant will take to maintain the
site, object, or collection in good condition after the AFCP-supported project
is complete; or, in the case of forms of traditional cultural expression,
preserve and disseminate the documentation, knowledge, or skills gained from
the project.
f) Implementer Public
Outreach Plan: Implementer has to describe how it will build awareness and
engage communities and stakeholders. Awareness-building activities typically
include social media posts, ribbon-cutting events, and news stories. Community and
stakeholder engagement activities may include community-led or
community-produced workshops, short videos, documentary films, oral histories,
storytelling or interpretive exhibits, and educational or enrichment events
tailored for specific audiences, such as young people. Successful Round 2
applications feature strong and innovative public outreach activities.
g) Data and Information
Access Plan: Outline how the implementing partner will share, as appropriate,
raw data or processed information, such as publications, generated from the
project with the public and the State Department.
h) Detailed Project
Budget (embassy will provide an xls template): Provide a detailed project
budget that lists all costs in separate categories (Personnel, Fringe Benefits,
Travel [including Per Diem], Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other Direct
Costs, Indirect Costs) and indicates funds from other sources.
i) Budget Narrative:
Explain how the costs were estimated (quantity x unit cost, annual salary x
percentage of time spent on project, etc.) and any large budget line items.
j) Resumes or CVs:
Provide resumes or CVs of the proposed project director and other key personnel
in English, in Word.
k) Support Letters: If
applicable, letters of support from project partners describing the roles and
responsibilities of each partner.
l) Proof of Official
Permission: Official permission letters, if required for project activities.
m) Relevant Supporting
Documentation in English or with English translation, in a comprehensible
version: Provide relevant supporting documentation, such as historic structure
reports, restoration plans and studies, conservation needs assessments and recommendations,
architectural and engineering records, etc., compiled in preparation for the
proposed project.
n) Additional Visual
Documentation: As appropriate, provide additional high-quality digital images
(JPEGs or PNGs) that convey the nature and condition of the heritage and show
the urgency or need for the proposed project (e.g., collapsing walls, extensive
water damage).
o) Strategic Outreach
Plan: Implementer has to describe how it plans to highlight and amplify
AFCP-supported activities. Department of State welcomes innovative ideas on how
to use mobile and online technologies to promote cultural heritage preservation
and to share compelling project-related content with both targeted and broad
audiences.
q) Connection to Other
State Department Programs: If applicable, explain how the proposed project or
project team is connected to other State Department/embassy educational,
cultural, or exchange programs.
13. Cost Sharing and
Other Forms of Cost Participation: There is no minimum or maximum percentage of
cost participation required. When an implementing partner offers cost sharing,
it is understood and agreed that the partner must provide the amount of cost sharing
as stipulated in the budget of the application and later included in an
approved agreement. The implementing partner will be responsible for tracking
and reporting on any cost share or outside funding, which is subject to audit.
Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.
14. Ineligible
Activities and Unallowable Costs: AFCP does not support the following
activities or costs, and it will consider applications requesting AFCP support
for any of these activities or costs ineligible:
a) Privately or
Commercially Owned Property: Preservation or purchase of privately or commercially
owned cultural objects, collections, or real property, including those whose
transfer from private or commercial to public ownership is envisioned, planned,
or in process but not complete at the time of application. Even though many
cultures have long traditions of family ownership of cultural heritage, that
heritage is still privately owned and thus not eligible to receive support from
the AFCP program. This prohibition applies even to privately owned heritage
that is accessible or made available to the public.
b) Natural Heritage:
Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological
formations, paleontological collections, habitats of threatened species of
animals and plants, fossils, etc.) unless the natural heritage has a cultural
heritage connection or dimension.
c) Human Remains:
Preservation of hominid or human remains.
d) News Media:
Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, radio and TV programs,
etc.).
e) Published Materials:
Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals,
etc.).
f) Mandated Educational
Materials: Development of curricula or educational materials for required
classroom use.
g) Archaeological
Research: Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research
purposes.
h) Historical Research:
Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and
integral to the success of the proposed project.
i) New Exhibits or
Collections: Acquisition or creation of new exhibits, objects, or collections
for new or existing museums.
j) New Construction:
Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over
archaeological sites, for example).
k) (New) Works of Art:
Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic
development purposes.
l) New or Modern
Adaptations: Creation of new or modern adaptation of existing traditional
dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances.
m) Conjectural
Reconstructions: Creation of conjectural reconstructions of cultural objects or
sites that no longer exist.
n) Relocation:
Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another unless under
imminent threat of irreversible damage or destruction.
o) Removal: Removal of
cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason.
p) Digitization:
Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a clearly
defined conservation, documentation.
q) Conservation Plans or
Studies: Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of
a larger project to implement the results of those studies.
r) Cash Reserves or
Endowments: Cash reserves, endowments, or revolving funds (funds must be
expended within the award period [up to five years] and may not be used to
create an endowment or revolving fund).
s) Fund-Raising
Campaigns: Costs of fund-raising campaigns.
t) Contingency Costs:
Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs.
u) Pre-Award Costs:
Costs of work performed prior to the announcement of the award
v) International Travel:
International travel outside the project country, except in cases where travel
is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project or to
provide project leaders with learning and exchange opportunities with cultural
heritage experts.
w) Project Cost Limits:
Individual projects which cost less than US $25,000 or more than $500,000.
x) Independent U.S.
Projects: Independent U.S. projects overseas.
y) Projects that do not
have a formal agreement/approval with a national/regional/local cultural
authority to conduct cultural heritage preservation activities.
15. Application Review
Process: The CHC will start its formal review of concept notes in early 2025.
It will review and select Round 1 concept notes and Round 2 full project
applications (Round 2) program goals, funding areas and priorities, and other
application requirements. The Department of State may deem concept notes and
full applications ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the AFCP 2025
Grants Program objectives, requirements, and other criteria stated here.
a) Concept Note Review
and Selection (Round 1): In consultation with the regional bureaus, ECA and the
CHC will determine which project ideas advance to the Round 2 application stage
based on embassy and implementer
responses to the Round 1 Concept Note requirements.
b) Full Application
Review and Selection (Round 2): The Department of State will review and rate
the full project applications to confirm the technical feasibility of the
projects, ensure that the outlined activities and budget lines support the
stated goals, and identify any remaining shortcomings, questions, or concerns
Full Application Scoring
System (Round 2): Full applications will be rated using the following
point-based system:
Activities Description
and Timeframe (20 points max)
Importance (10 points
max)
Project Maintenance Plan
(10 points max)
Implementer Public
Outreach Plan (25 points max)
Data and Information
Access Plan (5 points max)
Budget and Budget
Narrative (20 points max)
Supporting Materials
(resumes, assessments, reports, images, etc.) (10 points max)
Innovative integration,
collaboration, or coordination with other
Department of State and
embassy programs (5 bonus points max)
17. Award Announcement:
Embassy will announce the results of the AFCP 2025 Grants Program via e-mail
when application review and selection are complete and the State Department’s
FY 2025 funding levels are established. This announcement is not authorization
to begin performance. The period of performance begins once a countersigned
DS-1909form is signed by the implementer and received by the Embassy
or Consulate.
18. Award Information:
a) Instrument Type:
Grant, Cooperative Agreement, Fixed Amount Award
b) Program
Authorization: Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended
(P.L. 87-256, § 102(b)(5))
d) Award Floor: $25,000
per project
e) Award Ceiling:
$500,000 per project
19. Award Administration
Information:
SAM Registration: An
AFCP award recipient must be registered in the U.S. government’s System for
Award Management (SAM) prior to receiving U.S. federal assistance. The SAM will
assign a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) automatically to any entity registering
or renewing its record in the system. Registration in SAM is free: https://sam.gov/."
