Deadline: January 10, 2015
- The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta is now accepting project proposals for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2015 competition. Proposals must include all items as noted in paragraph 7. Incomplete proposals will not be considered. All proposals must be submitted by e-mail to RahardjoCB@state.gov andmailto:LynnDC@state.gov. The deadline for submitting proposals isJanuary 10, 2015.
- BACKGROUND
Since FY 2001, Congress has directed the Department of State to support and implement the AFCP program. Congress noted that “Cultural preservation offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, we show our respect for other cultures.” In FY 2014, awards ranged from US $10,000 to US $200,000. - INELIGIBLE PROJECT APPLICANTS
AFCP: AFCP does not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or to embassies or past award recipients which have not fulfilled the reporting requirements of previous AFCP awards. - PRIORITY AREAS
In keeping with international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage, AFCP supports projects to preserve cultural heritage in the following three categories:- CULTURAL SITES includes (but is not limited to) historic buildings and sites, sacred places, monuments, and archaeological sites, restoration of a 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, site, or similar institution and includes archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, photographic and film collections, and general museum conservation activities; and, 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 includes traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages, dance, drama, and crafts; documentation and audiovisual recording of traditional music and dance forms for preservation and eventual dissemination, or support for training in the preservation of traditional arts or crafts that are threatened by 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. - COST SHARING:
The AFCP encourages cost sharing, contributions in kind, and other forms of cost participation. - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:
Project proposals must include or address the following:- Full and complete Application, including Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs, and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;
- Project Basics, including title, project dates, AFCP focus area, and other top-level information;
- Project Applicant information, including contact information, DUNS Number, and SAM registration (see Section 8 below);
- Project Location;
- Proof of Official Permission to undertake the project and the endorsement and support of the appropriate national authority;
- Project Purpose that briefly explains the project objectives and desired results;
- Project Activities Description that explains how the applicant intends to achieve the project objectives and results, presents proposed tasks in a logical order, and describes how those tasks directly contribute towards achieving the project objectives and results;
- Project Time Frame or Schedule that identifies the major project phases and milestones, with performance target dates for achieving them (NOTE: Applicants may propose project performance periods of up to 60 months [five years] with five budget periods of one year each; projects must begin before September 30, 2015, and conclude no later than September 30, 2019);
- Project Participant Information, specifically an estimated number of non-US and US participants and estimated number of primary and secondary participants, as well as resumes of the proposed project director and other primary project participants, which demonstrate that the applying entity (ministry of culture, NGO, etc.) has assembled the requisite experience and the capacity to carry out projects to preserve cultural heritage;
- Statement of Importance highlighting the historic, architectural, artistic, or cultural (non-religious) values of the cultural site, object, collection, or form of traditional expression;
- Statement of Urgency indicating the severity of the situation and explaining why the project must take place now;
- Statement of Sustainability outlining the steps or measures that will be taken to maintain the site, object, or collection in good condition after the AFCP-supported project is complete; or, in the case of forms of traditional cultural expression, to preserve and disseminate the documentation, knowledge, or skills either resulting or gained from the project;
- Detailed project budget, demarcated in one-year budget periods (2015, 2016, 2017 etc.), that lists all costs in separate categories (Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel [including Per Diem], Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other Direct Costs, Cost Sharing); indicates funds from other sources; and gives a justification for any anticipated international travel costs;
- Attachments and supporting documents including, at minimum and REQUIRED, five (5) high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the site, object, or form of expression and, in the case of a site or object, show the urgency or need for the proposed project (collapsing wall, water damage, worn fabric, broken handle, etc.), any historic structure reports, conservation needs assessments, and other planning documents compiled in preparation for the proposed project;
Recipients must be reputable and accountable non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions that are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.
- DUNS NUMBER AND SAM REGISTRATION
Applicants requesting $25,000 or more in federal assistance must have a Dun & Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting applications. Applicants may acquire DUNs numbers at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNs number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by requesting a number online athttp://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.SAM is the official, free on-line registration database for the U.S. Government. SAM.gov replaced the Central Contractor Registration (CCR), the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in July 2012. SAM.gov collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of federal agency acquisition and grant award mission. Registration in SAM is free: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.
- RESTRICTIONS
AFCP does not support the following:- 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 proposal submission;
- 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 or collections for new or existing museums;
- Construction of new buildings 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 re-creation 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 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 not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund);
- Costs of fund-raising campaigns;
- Indirect costs or operating expenses, i.e. expenses incurred during the day-to-day operational activities of an organization, such as office rent, utilities, license fees, and other costs for administrative time, services, or materials not directly related to performing project work;
- Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous fees;
- Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award;
- International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project;
- Travel or study for professional development;
- Individual projects costing less than $10,000, or
- Independent U.S. projects overseas.
- Please address questions to Ms. Chodidah Budi Rahardjo (Toto) atRahardjoCB@state.gov or phone 021-3435-9534.
