U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Grants Program | FY24 BSB 410602

Opportunity Information: Apply for FY24 BSB 410602

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Grants Program is a U.S. Department of State funding opportunity run through the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil to support a single, clearly defined project that preserves cultural heritage in Brazil. For the FY 2024 cycle, the Embassy opened ROUND 1 of the competition and required applicants to submit an initial concept note by Tuesday, December 26, 2023 at 23:59 Brasilia time, with late submissions not accepted. While the competition is announced and proposals are reviewed, final program implementation depends on the availability of FY 2024 funds. Prospective applicants are encouraged to engage early with the Embassy or Consulates Public Affairs Section to confirm fit, expectations, and technical guidance for the AFCP 2024 competition.

AFCP supports preservation work across three main categories. The first is cultural sites, which can include historic buildings, sacred places, monuments, and archaeological sites. Typical activities might involve restoration or stabilization of a historic structure, development of preservation or site management plans, documentation of threatened sites, or archaeological survey work when it directly supports a larger preservation plan. The second category is cultural objects and collections held by museums, cultural sites, or similar institutions, covering items such as archaeological and ethnographic materials, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and photographic or film archives. Projects here can include conservation treatment, collection condition assessments paired with practical strategies to improve conservation, inventories designed for conservation planning, improvements to storage and display environments to reduce damage risk, or specialized training for staff responsible for collection care. The third category is forms of traditional cultural expression, which includes living heritage such as music, ritual, knowledge systems, languages, dance, theater, and crafts. Examples of eligible work in this area include documentation and audiovisual recording of threatened traditions paired with meaningful access to the resulting materials, or training and transmission efforts that help keep at-risk traditional arts and crafts from disappearing.

The underlying purpose of AFCP is both practical and diplomatic: it aims to help preserve significant cultural heritage while demonstrating respect for the culture of the host country. Projects are expected to follow internationally recognized preservation standards and to focus on activities that protect what stakeholders value about a site, object, collection, or tradition. Stakeholders can include relevant cultural authorities at the national, regional, or local level, as well as local communities and other groups with legitimate interests in the heritage resource and the project outcomes. In other words, strong proposals should show not only technical competence, but also clarity about significance, community relevance, and how the work aligns with accepted preservation best practices.

For the 2024 cycle specifically, U.S. Mission Brazil stated three preference areas that will receive added attention during review. These are projects that preserve culture affected by the climate crisis, projects centered on Afro-descendent culture in Brazil, and projects focused on the culture of indigenous peoples in Brazil. Applicants whose proposals naturally align with one or more of these themes may be more competitive, particularly if they explain the threat or urgency (for example, climate-driven deterioration, disaster risk, or environmental impacts) and show how the proposed activities will produce durable preservation outcomes.

The competition uses a two-step application process. Applicants begin with a short concept note of up to three pages that is meant to communicate the core idea, goals, and approach clearly before anyone invests time in a full proposal. The Embassy and Consulates review these concept notes first, and only selected applicants are invited to move forward to develop and submit a comprehensive full proposal application. This structure is designed to narrow the pool early and ensure that full proposals are requested only for concepts that are a strong match for AFCP priorities and requirements.

Eligibility is fairly broad and includes both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based institutions. Eligible applicants include foreign institutions of higher education, foreign organizations, foreign public entities where permitted, U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and U.S. institutions of higher education. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary award under Funding Opportunity Number FY24 BSB 410602, with CFDA number 19.025. The posted award ceiling is up to $500,000, and the announcement anticipates one award, meaning the program is structured to fund one major preservation project rather than many smaller ones.

• The U.S. Mission to Brazil in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.025.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-12-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for FY24 BSB 410602

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: