2023 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Call for Concepts
The U.S. Mission Uganda Public Affairs Section is pleased to announce the start of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2023 Grants Program. The United States Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) seeks to preserve cultural heritage in eligible countries, including Uganda, supported by the Cultural Heritage Center (“the Center”) in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State. The U.S. Mission is now accepting concepts of not more than 3 pages for the first round of the 2023 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation competition. Successful concepts should identify projects that assist the people of Uganda in preserving their cultural heritage. Awards will range from $10,000 to $500,000. The Center anticipates funding 20 to 30 projects worldwide in this year’s competition.
For more information on AFCP projects in Uganda and the worldwide program:
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 from 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 in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition)
- e) Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state)
- 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 only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings)
- h) Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site)
COMPLETED CONCEPT STATEMENTS SHOULD BE SENT TO:
The Cultural Affairs Officer
E-Mail: kampalaGrants@state.gov
Subject: 2023 AFCP
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS November 30, 2022
Concept Statements should include;
- a) Project Basics, including working title, anticipated project length, location/site, and project cost estimate (amount requested from AFCP; in U.S. dollars).
- b) Project Implementer.
- c) Project Scope of work summarizing the preservation goals and any broader host country or community goals (i.e., what they hope to gain from the project beyond the preserved heritage and how they plan to get there; 3,000 characters maximum).
- d) Five (5) high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the site, collection, or tradition and show the urgency or need for the proposed project (collapsing walls, water damage, etc.)
- e) Rationale for AFCP Support, explaining why it’s in the interests of the U.S. government to fund the project in Uganda, specifically:
- How the project relates to specific Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals, existing bilateral agreements, or other U.S. foreign policy objectives (1,000 characters maximum). Visit this site for the U.S. Mission Uganda Integrated Country Strategy https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ICS_AF_Uganda_Public.pdf
- The projected public diplomacy benefits for the United States relationship with Uganda and impacts of the project on Ugandan audiences (1,000 characters maximum).
For further information regarding the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation or for information on previously funded projects, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/heritage/afcp.html
Application Process:
The U.S. Mission will review proposed concepts by XXX and make recommendations to improve or modify interesting concepts by January 20. Selected projects will be sent to the AFCP Office for the worldwide competition. Final decisions for funding will be made in Washington.
Ineligible Activities and Unallowable Costs: AFCP does not support the following activities or costs, and the Center will deem applications requesting AFCP support for any of these activities or costs ineligible:
- a) 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.
- b) 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) Preservation of hominid or human remains.
- d) Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, radio and TV programs, etc.).
- e) Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.).
- f) Development of curricula or educational materials for classroom use.
- g) Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research purposes.
- h) Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project.
- i) Acquisition or creation of new exhibits, objects, or collections for new or existing museums.
- j) Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example).
- k) Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes.
- l) Creation of new or the modern adaptation of existing traditional dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances.
- m) Creation of replicas or conjectural reconstructions of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist.
- n) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another.
- o) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason.
- p) Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger, clearly defined conservation, documentation, or public diplomacy effort.
- q) Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies.
- r) 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) Costs of fund-raising campaigns.
- t) Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees.
- u) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award unless allowable per 2 CFR 200.458 and approved by the Grants Officer.
- v) International travel, 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) Individual projects costing less than US $10,000 or more than $500,000.
- x) Independent U.S. projects overseas.
