Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh
Announcement Type: Grant Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: CB600-19-PAS-001
Funding Opportunity Title: Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 19.025 — Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation
Application Deadline: Project abstracts, see application guidelines below, shall be submitted by December 1, 2018. Only select project abstract(s), approved by Washington, will be notified in January and invited to submit a full proposal sometime in early February. Information required for a full proposal is included in the last part of this announcement.
Total Funding: Ranging from $200,000 to $800,000
Anticipated Award Date: September 2019
Anticipated Project Completion Date: Within 5 years
Eligible Applicants: AFCP defines eligible project applicants as 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 subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, that are registered and active in SAM.gov and able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce the fiscal year 2019 call for proposals for the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program. The Fund is aimed at preserving cultural sites or objects that have historical or cultural significance for Cambodia. Floor on Amount of Individual Awards: US $200,000 per project. IN fiscal year 2018, awards made through this program ranged from US $200,000 to US $600,000.
GOALS OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
The Fund was established to help countries preserve their cultural heritage. For Cambodia, it is aimed at preserving major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that have historical or cultural significance and are accessible to the public and protected by law in Cambodia. The projects selected to receive funding through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) will advance U.S. diplomatic goals and demonstrate the depth of U.S. respect for the cultural heritage of Cambodia.
Proposal shall advance U.S. foreign policy objectives and demonstrate American leadership in the preservation and protection of cultural heritage around the world
FUNDING AREAS – SPECIFIC TO THE AFCP 2019 ANNUAL COMPETITION
The AFCP Large Grant Program supports the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in the host country. Appropriate project activities may include:
- Preventive conservation (addressing conditions that damage or threaten the site)
- Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance [settling, collapse, etc.] of a site)
- Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to a collection or sites)
- Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of a site)
- Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts)
- Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of a site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings)
FUNDING PRIORITIES – SPECIFIC TO THE AFCP 2018 ANNUAL COMPETITION
Applications for projects that directly support one or more of the following will receive additional consideration in FY 2019:
- S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property agreements
- Disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in seismically active and other disaster-prone areas
- Post-disaster cultural heritage recovery
- Preservation of inscribed World Heritage sites
ELIGIBLE PROJECT APPLICANTS
The Embassy defines eligible project applicants as 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 subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, that are registered and active in SAM.gov and able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
INELIGIBLE PROJECT APPLICANTS
AFCP does not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients which have not fulfilled the objectives or the reporting requirements of previous AFCP awards.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The application process for the AFCP Large Grants Program takes place in two rounds: project abstract (Round 1) and full proposal (Round 2).
The deadline for submitting a project abstract (Round 1) (in English) is December 1, 2018.
Proposals shall be submitted in both paper and soft copy to:
Public Affairs Section (PAS), U.S. Embassy, No. 1, Street 96, Phnom Penh
Re: Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation 2019_Large Grants Program;
Email: PASPhnomPenh@state.gov
Only select project abstract(s), approved by Washington, will be notified and invited to submit a full proposal (Round 2) sometime in January 2019. Information required in Round 2 is referenced in the last part of this announcement.
APPLICATION
The project abstract must include the following:
- Full and complete Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424), including Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A), Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B), and if applicable, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL);
- Project basics, including title, project dates, location, and site;
- Project applicant information, including contact information, DUNS Number, and SAM registration status;
***DUNS NUMBER AND SAM REGISTRATION
Applicants requesting $25,000 or more in federal assistance must have a Dun & Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code, and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting applications. NOTE: This process can take weeks/months, especially for non-U.S. applicants. Applicants may acquire DUNs numbers at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by request a number online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. None U.S. based applicants may request a NCAGE code at https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx. SAM is the official free online registration database for the U.S. SAM.gov collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of federal agency acquisition and grant award mission. Registration in SAM is free.
- Special designations (national monument, World Heritage Site, etc.);
- Law/s protecting the site or collection (citations only);
- Project purpose that summarizes the project objectives and desired result;
- Statement of importance highlighting the historic, architectural, artistic, or cultural (non-religious) values of the site or collection.
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 nominated solely on the basis of architectural, artistic, historical, or other cultural (not religious) criteria.
INELIGIBILE ACTIVITIES AND UNALLOWABLE COSTS
AFCP does NOT support the following activities or costs, and applications involving any of the activities or costs below will be deemed ineligible:
- 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);
- Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes;
- Creation of new or the modern adaptation of existing traditional dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances;
- Creation of replicas or conjectural reconstructions of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist;
- Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another;
- Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason;
- Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger, clearly defined conservation or documentation effort;
- Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies;
- 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);
- Costs of fund-raising campaigns;
- Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees;
- Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award unless allowable per 2 CFR 200.458 and approved by the grants officer;
- International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project;
- Travel or study outside the host country for professional development;
- Individual projects costing less than $200,000
- Independent U.S. projects overseas.
COST SHARING AND OTHER FORMS OF COST PARTICIPATION
There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost participation required for this competition. When an applicant offers cost sharing, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its application and later included in an approved agreement. The applicant will be responsible for tracking and reporting on any cost share or outside funding, which is subject to audit per 2 CFR 200. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.
The following documents may be helpful as you develop your proposal.
- SF-424(PDF: 265 KB)
- SF-424 Instruction(PDF: 33 KB)
- SF-424A(PDF: 314 KB)
- SF-424A Instruction (PDF: 420 KB)
- SF-424B(PDF: 81 KB)
- SF-LLL(PDF: 46 KB)
- Required Budget Worksheet(XLSX: 19 KB)
- AFCP FAQ(PDF: 1.2 MB)
- AFCP Useful Glossary of Terms(PDF: 202 KB)
- AFCP Image Guidelines(PDF: 208 KB)
- AFCP Helpful Resources(PDF: 150 KB)
- Suggested Format(PDF: 299 KB)
- Required Information for Full Proposal (Round 2)(PDF: 82 KB)
