AMBASSADORS FUND FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION-PROJECT GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) is an annual competition which supports projects in the following categories:

A. Cultural sites;
B. Objects and collections of objects from a museum, site, archive, or similar institution;
C. Forms of traditional cultural expression.

Grants may range between US$ 10,000 – 106,300.  A clearly itemized and concise budget plan must accompany each proposal.

The CULTURAL SITES category (A) includes (but is not limited to) historic 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.

Proposals in the OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS OF OBJECTS category (B) may involve, for example, conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects; conservation assessment of a collection, its storage environment, and threats to its safekeeping; 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.
 
Proposals in the FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION category (C) may involve documenting and audiovisual recording of traditional music, dance forms, or storytelling as part of a traditional expression and making the information and recordings available; or support for training in the preservation of traditional arts or crafts that are threatened by extinction.
 
In preparing proposals the following would be useful to note:

•      Digital images clearly showing the conditions of cultural sites and objects can save you a lot of time at the computer. Detailed photographs of physical deterioration or environmental conditions, for example, can convey the urgency of a project in ways words alone can't. Let pictures do some of the heavy communications work by making them an integral part of your proposals.

•      The length of a proposal is not an issue; focus on the quality of the content. Proposals that succinctly, directly and thoroughly communicate the Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of a project stand out in the minds of reviewers. 

 Project proposals must include or address the following:

a) Purpose and summary;
b) Description;
c) Timeframe;
d) Statement of significance;
e) Statement of urgency;
f) Rationale for U.S. support;
g) Detailed project budget;
h) Recipient information;
i) Resumes of the project director and professional staff;
j) Official permission to undertake the project;
k) Front office clearance;
l) Other funding sources, if any; and,
m) At least three digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files of the site, object, or form of expression to be addressed in the proposed project

Applications in MS Word format can be sought from the US Embassy by contacting usembsuva@gmail.com citing the subject “AMBASSADORS FUND FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION”. 

Complete project proposals are due THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009.