The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the Embassy of the United States of America in South Africa invites interested non-profit organizations, public international organizations, and private, public, or state institutions of higher education in South Africa and the United States to submit abstracts for Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation projects in accordance with the specifications outlined below. Please review all information in this announcement prior to submitting applications or questions.

The Department of State established the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural preservation (AFCP) at the request of the Congress in Conference Report 106-1005 accompanying H.R. 4942 (October 26, 2000). The projects recommended for funding under this program shall advance U.S. foreign policy goals and demonstrate American leadership in the preservation and protection of cultural heritage in support of prosperity and stability around the world. Click here for additional information.

There are no applicant administrative nor service provider fees associated with submitting applications under this announcement.

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Competition Format

This opportunity consists of two application rounds: Round 1 (Project Abstract) and Round 2 (Full Application). During Round 1, applicants shall submit project abstracts to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria. If, after the technical review, rating, and ranking of abstracts, the Embassy invites an applicant to advance to Round 2, the applicants will be invited to submit a full project application to the Embassy. Past AFCP award recipients may submit applications for continuation funds under this opportunity.

Funding Areas

The AFCP Small Grants Competition supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression. Appropriate project activities may include:

• In the case of 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
• In the case of 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
• In the case of 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 nominated solely on the basis of architectural, artistic, historical, or other cultural (not religious) criteria.

Applications for projects that directly support one or more of the following will receive additional consideration in FY 2019:

• U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property agreements
• U.S. Embassy Integrated Country Strategy goals
• Disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas
• Post-disaster cultural heritage recovery
• Preservation of inscribed World Heritage sites

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