U.S. Embassy Maputo is accepting applications for the 2018 U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Small Grants Competition. AFCP supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 developing countries around the world, including Mozambique. The Small Grants Competition considers projects from $10,000 up to $200,000. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2018.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
Eligible project applicants include reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based organizations. Individuals and for-profit businesses are not eligible to apply.
WHAT PROJECTS QUALIFY?
Eligible activities 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
- Special Note Regarding Sites and Objects That Have 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 and is proposed solely on the basis of architectural, artistic, historical or other cultural (not religious) criteria.
WHAT PROJECTS DO NOT QUALIFY?
- 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
- Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections,
- Habitats of threatened species of animals and plants, fossils, etc.)
- Preservation of hominid or human remains
- Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, radio and TV programs, etc.)
- Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.)
- Development of curricula or educational materials for classroom use
- Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research purposes
- Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project
- Acquisition or creation of new exhibits, objects, or collections for new or existing museums
- Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example)
HOW TO APPLY?
Send a complete proposal packet to MaputoPDProposals@state.gov, or drop off your complete application at the American Cultural Center (Av. Mao Tse Tung 542, Maputo). The U.S. Embassy must receive your completed proposal by January 15, 2018.
Proposals must include:
- Project basics, including title, project dates, and type of preservation project
- Project applicant information, including phone and email contact information
- Project location
- Project purpose that summarizes the project objectives and desired results
- Project activities description that presents the project tasks in chronological order
- Project time frame or schedule that lists the major project phases and milestones with target dates for achieving them (NOTE: Applicants may propose project periods of up to 60 months [five years]; projects must begin before September 30, 2018, and conclude no later than September 30, 2023)
- Project participant information, specifically an estimated number of non-US and US participants and estimated number of primary and secondary participants, as well as resumes of the proposed project director and other primary project participants
- Statement of importance highlighting the historic, architectural, artistic, or cultural (non-religious) values of the cultural site, collection, or form of traditional expression
- Statement of urgency indicating the severity of the situation and explaining why the project must take place now
- Statement of sustainability outlining the steps or measures that will be taken 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, to preserve and disseminate the documentation, knowledge, or skills gained from the project
- Detailed project budget, demarcated in one-year budget periods (2018, 2019, 2020, etc.), that lists all costs in separate categories (Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel [including Per Diem], Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other Direct Costs, Indirect Costs, Cost Sharing); indicates funds from other sources; and gives a justification for any anticipated international travel costs
- · Budget narrative explaining line by line how costs are estimated (quantity x unit cost, annual salary x percentage of time spent on project, etc.) and unique budget line items
- Attachments and supporting documents including, at a minimum and REQUIRED, five (5) high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the site, object, or form of expression and, in the case of a site or object, show the urgency or need for the proposed project (collapsing wall, water damage, worn fabric, broken handle, etc.), any historic structure reports, conservation needs assessments, and other planning documents compiled in preparation for the proposed project
Projects selected for further consideration will be informed by January 31, 2018. Embassy staff will work with selected applicants to obtain additional information required for final submission to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Center in Washington DC. The Center will make the final selection of proposals for funding. For questions, please contact us at MaputoPDProposals@state.gov.
