The U.S. Embassy in Honduras and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce the 2023 open call for proposals for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Grants Program Funding Opportunity.

The purpose of this program is to support projects that aim to protect and preserve the cultural patrimony of Honduras. Under the AFCP 2023 Grants Program, funding for projects range from US$10,000 to US$500,000 per project. Projects need to be carried out from 12 up to 60 months.

The application process will proceed in two rounds. During the first round, the embassy will collect project ideas in the form of concept notes. During the second round, those that submitted promising concept notes will be asked to submit complete project applications.

The deadline for submitting concept notes in English to the Public Affairs Section at tggafcp@state.gov is January 8, 2023.

Background:

Established by Congress in 2001, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation aims to assist countries such as Honduras in preserving museum collections, ancient and historic sites, and traditional forms of expression. Since its inception, the program has supported more than 1,000 projects worldwide.

To date, Honduras has been the recipient of twelve grants covering a broad range of vital cultural preservation projects throughout the country:

Conservation of the 6th-Century Rosalila Temple at the Maya Site of Copan
Conservation of the 18th-Century Main Altarpiece at Comayagua Cathedral
Conservation of the Mid-17th Century Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament at Comayagua Cathedral
Conservation of the 18th-century Altarpiece of the Virgin of the Rosary at Comayagua Cathedral
Conservation of 18th-Century Ethnographic Objects in the Collection of the Comayagua Cathedral
Preservation of Cultural Patrimony in Comayagua and Santa Rosa de Copan
Development of Cerro Palenque: The North Coast-Santa Barbara Cultural Circuit
Preservation of the Archaeological Site of Curruste
Protection and Development of the Rock Art Cultural Itinerary of Honduras
The Voice and Image of the Indigenous and Garifuna People of Honduras
Educating Tawahka Teachers
The Garifuna: Rescuing Cultural Roots through Language Protection

Funding Opportunities:

The AFCP 2023 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:

Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts)
Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site)
Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site)
Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition)
Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state)
Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition)
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)
Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site)

Eligibility:

Eligible project applicants are reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that are registered and active in SAM.gov and able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage.  This may include non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based organizations subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code.  Past AFCP award recipients may submit applications for continuation funds under this opportunity.  The AFCP will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards.

SAM Registration:

An implementing partner must be registered in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM) prior to receiving U.S, federal assistance unless they meet one of the exemptions specified in the Federal Assistance Directive. SAM is the official, free online registration database for the U.S. government. SAM.gov collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of federal agency acquisition and grant award mission.

The SAM registration process, which requires either a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code (for U.S. organizations) or a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code (for non-U.S. organizations), can take weeks or months, especially for non-U.S. applicants. Non-U.S. based applicants may request a NCAGE code at:

https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx

SAM will assign a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) automatically to any entity registering or renewing its record in the system. Registration in SAM is free: https://sam.gov/.

Disclaimer:

Issuance of this funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the AFCP program or the U.S. government. The Department of State reserves the right to waive program formalities and to reduce, revise, or increase project scopes and budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds.

Submission Requirements:

To apply, eligible project applicants must submit a concept note to the Public Affairs Section by January 8, 2023. Applications must comply with the concept note guidelines which can be found here. Please consult the guidelines and the additional AFCP resources while preparing the concept note for submission. Each concept note must be in English and should be emailed to tggafcp@state.gov with the subject line: “AFCP 2023 GRANTS Program: Project Name – Applicant Name” by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, January 8, 2023.

For additional information about the fund, please contact the Public Affairs Section at tggafcp@state.gov or visit the AFCP website http://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/ambassadors-fund-cultural-preservation. Further guidance on AFCP 2023 can be found at the More Information box.