Funding Wizard

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil announce an open competition for organizations to submit ROUND 1 project proposals for funding through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to carry out an individual project to preserve cultural heritage in Brazil. The deadline for submitting ROUND 1 proposal to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil is Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 23:59 ( Brasilia time). Submissions received after this date and time will NOT be considered. Full implementation of the program is pending the availability of FY 2023 funds. Interested institutions are urged to consult with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy or Consulates as soon as possible for details and guidance on the AFCP 2023 competition. Through the AFCP Program, the Department of State supports projects to preserve cultural heritage in the following three areas: CULTURAL SITES: This might include (but is not limited to) historical buildings and sites, sacred places, monuments, and archaeological sites. Proposals in this category may involve, for example, restoration of an historic building, an archaeological survey as a component of a preservation plan, preservation management planning for a site, or documentation of sites in a region for preservation purposes. CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS: from a museum, cultural site, or similar institution. This includes archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, photographic and film collections, and general museum conservation activities. Proposals in this category may involve, for example, conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects; needs assessment of a collection with respect to its condition and strategies for improving its state of conservation; inventory of a collection for conservation 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: This includes traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages, dance, drama, and crafts. Proposal in this category may involve documenting and audiovisual recording of traditional music and dance forms as part of a tradition expression and making the information and recordings available, or support for training in preservation or traditional arts or crafts that are threatened by extinction. AFCP Program Objectives: AFCP was established to help countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. The aim is to preserve cultural sites or objects that have an historical or cultural significance to the cultural heritage of Brazil. AFCP gives top priority to project activities in keeping with international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage. An appropriate preservation activity is one that protects the values of the site, object or collection, or form of traditional cultural expression, as they are understood by stakeholders. Stakeholders may include national, regional, or local cultural authorities, the local community, and others with vested interests in the site and the outcome of a project. Competition Format: The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil will select proposals through a two-part process. Applicants must first submit a concept note, which is a concise, 3-page concept note designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application. The purpose of the Concept Note process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit program ideas for U.S. Mission Brazil, to evaluate prior to requiring the development of full proposal applications. Upon review of eligible SOIs, U.S. Mission Brazil, in consultation with the Cultural Heritage Center of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of Performance Period: 12 to 60 months Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-3 awards Award Amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $500,000 Type of Funding: Diplomatic: Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, Pub. L. No. 87-256, § 102(b)(5) Anticipated Project Start Date: Varies by project Funding Instrument Types: Grant, Cooperative Agreement (as appropriate) Project Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed in 60 months or less. The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

The U.S. Embassy Brasília, Brazil announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to teach 30 representatives of Quilombola communities from different parts of Brazil on the creation, production, monetization, and dissemination of podcasts to spread their voices to communications platforms in other parts of Brazil and the world. Program Objective : Experts already consider the podcast one of the most powerful media tools available. A podcast is a collection or series of digital audio files made available for downloading or streaming. Podcasts are typically hosted by an individual or individuals who lead a conversation, share stories, or report the news. Podcasts are already one of the largest and fastest growing tools used by Brazilians to keep themselves informed. Beginning with the bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil, celebrated on September 7, 2022, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil is supporting the development of a new series that gives voice to the Quilombolas in the country, giving them the opportunity to tell their stories, collective memory, and cultural heritage with the project "These Brazilian Lives". In Brazil, according to the Palmares Cultural Foundation, there are 3,447 Quilombola communities distributed throughout all regions of the country. The Quilombolas are a racial-ethnic group formed by descendants of runaway slaves during slavery and other groups that lived in the Quilombos. The Quilombolas have their own identity, which forms the basis of their historically built social and cultural organizations. In many ways, these communities are distinct from the rest of Brazilian society. For years the Quilombolas suffered from discrimination and the non-recognition of their right to ownership of their land. Today, the ethnic identity of these communities is legally recognized and protected, although many are still under-represented. The podcast training is a skill-building opportunity and aims to teach 30 representatives of Quilombola communities from different parts of Brazil on the creation, production, monetization, and dissemination of podcasts to spread their voices to other parts of Brazil and the world. The scarcity of information about their communities in Brazil and elsewhere can be alleviated by encouraging the creation of high-quality storytelling podcasts, giving voice to often ignored communities and advancing equity. The project is aligned with Biden-Harris administration priorities, in particular the advancement of racial equity and support of underserved communities, outlined by the Executive Order 13985 signed on January 20, 2021. The program will be conducted mostly online and with a duration of at least 3 months, by an educational or journalism training group. The training will focus on (1) the theory, practice and exchange of experiences that includes Brazilian and U.S. podcast producers, and (2) a 3-day in-person event, during which the participants will be able to finalize, edit and present their first podcasts, which would be incorporated into a nationwide database made available to media outlets and individual users across the country. This funding opportunity will allow the implementing organization to help U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil: Develop and implement comprehensive, online training so that participants can have the required skills and background knowledge to start and maintain their own podcast series; Select the best online platform to deliver the training; Build technical capacity for participants to create diverse podcasts and programs that are informative, financially viable, and sustainable; Identify better ways to promote the podcasts; Design graphics and necessary material for promotional purposes; Screen and pre-select candidates; Contact and arrange for Brazilian and U.S. podcast producers/presenters to give workshops and exchange experiences during the training; Contract simultaneous interpretation services, as needed, and technical support for the online training; Design, organize and implement the in-person event in Brasilia. The location of the event can be identified and proposed by the implementing partner; Coordinate and purchase participants' in-country travel, make hotel and venue arrangements, select and hire catering service, include travel insurance during the in-person event; Include a COVID-19 mitigation plan and specific measures; Enable interaction among Quilombola communities from different regions of the country; Provide advice/support for the participants as they work to implement the podcasts developed during the program; Develop criteria to select the best 5 podcasts to win high quality mobile phones and studio quality microphone to encourage continuity of the podcasts.

Mission Brazil seeks for institutional assistance to support the development and implementation of the Brazil portion of 2023 Youth Ambassadors program for up to 50 selected students and 2 adult escorts. The Youth Ambassadors exchange program offers outstanding, yet underprivileged, high school students from the public education system a short-term full immersion in U.S. culture and society, as well as skill-building opportunities for the 21st Century work environment. Awarded students get to visit the capital of the United States, attend meetings with public and private institutions, visit schools and social projects, participate in training sessions to help improve communication skills, leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as to develop a creative action plan to help address a key issue in their respective communities. Since its inception in 2003, Mission Brazil’s Youth Ambassadors program (YAP) has evolved from a small exchange program for a dozen high school students to Brazil’s internationally recognized – and hemisphere-wide replicated – flagship youth engagement initiative. The YAP brand is easily recognizable throughout the country and reaches audiences from the dense urban centers of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to the most remote parts of rural Brazil. Beyond the exchange itself, this program has become the catalyst for the Mission to build on strategic and lasting partnerships with the government of Brazil by pursuing complementary policy goals in the areas of education, English language teaching, strengthening civil society, as well as by keeping the U.S. as the top destination for Brazilians interested in studying abroad. As a result of its positive impact, since 2010, State Department started funding the program throughout Latin America. Therefore, this funding opportunity will allow the implementing organization to help Mission Brazil: screen and pre-select Brazilian candidates, coordinate and purchase participants' in-country travel, book and purchase round-trip international tickets traveling in the same flights for the participants going to the U.S. and back, include travel insurance during pre-departure orientation in Brazil, as well as for the day of the group’s return to Brazil and their return flights back home, include travel allowance (in dollars) for minor incidental expenses during the program, include a COVID-19 mitigation plan and specific measures, develop and implement a comprehensive pre-departure orientation for participants so that they can feel confident and ready for their first exchange experience in the U.S. Provide advice/support for the participants as they try to implement the action plans developed during the exchange program in the U.S. Participants and Audiences: This funding opportunity aims at supporting the full and positive participation of up to 50 Brazilian public high school students selected for this 2023 Youth Ambassadors program, as well as 2 adult escorts selected from the pool of Partner Institutions spread all over the country.