Cultural Programs
Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation
United States Department of State
Cultural Heritage Center
Call for Proposals –
The 2010 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation
Proposals for projects in Mongolia must be received by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Ulaanbaatar no later than 17:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (Mongolian time). Proposals must be submitted in English to pao@usembassy.mn
The 2010 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation
The American Embassy in Ulaanbaatar has provided grants supporting cultural preservation projects in Mongolia every year since 2003. The Embassy is proud to announce the call for proposals for projects in 2010.
The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation is the only US government program that provides direct small grant support to heritage preservation in less developed countries. The US Congress has noted, "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."
The Embassy's Public Affairs Section oversees the receipt of proposals and implementation of the project. Grants have typically ranged from US$10,000 to US$30,000 and higher.
Proposals for projects in Mongolia must be received by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Ulaanbaatar no later than 17:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (Mongolian time). Organizations wishing to suggest projects for consideration may contact the Public Affairs Section at the American Embassy at: 312-376 or pao@usembassy.mn
Program Guidelines
Proposals may include projects directed at the preservation of:
1) AN OBJECT OR COLLECTION OF OBJECTS from a site, a museum or similar institution
This might include (but is not limited to):
-- Historic buildings and sites, sacred places, monuments and archaeological sites
-- Museum, site, or similar institution and includes archaeological sites and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, photographic and film collections
-- Traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages, dance, drama and crafts
2) A CULTURAL SITE OR SITES
This might include (but is not limited to):
-- Historic buildings and sites, sacred places, monuments and archaeological sites
3) FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION
This might include (but is not limited to):
-- Traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages, dance, drama and crafts
4. AFCP gives top priority to project activities in keeping with international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage. These activities may involve:
A. A CULTURAL 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.
B. CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS, 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.
C. FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION, 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.
EXCLUSIONS: AFCP does NOT support the following:
A)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;
B) Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections,habitats of threatened species of animals and plants,
fossils, etc.);
C) Preservation of hominid or human remains;
D) Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, etc.);
E) Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.);
F) Archaeological excavations or surveys for research purposes;
G) Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project;
H) Acquisition or creation of new collections for new or existing museums;
I) Construction of new buildings;
J) Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes; K. Creation of replicas or re-creation of cultural objects or
sites that no longer exist;
L) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another;
M) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason;
N) Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger, clearly defined conservation effort;
O) Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies;
P) Cash reserves, endowments or revolving funds; funds must be expended within the grant period and may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund or otherwise spent over many years;
Q) Costs of fund-raising campaigns;
R) 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;
S) Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous fees;
T) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award;
U) International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project;
V) Individual projects costing less than $10,000, or
W) Awards to individuals or commercial entities
As a general rule, AFCP does not support independent U.S. projects abroad.
Application Guidelines
Proposals for projects in Mongolia must be received by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Ulaanbaatar no later than 17:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (Mongolian time). Proposals must be submitted in English to pao@usembassy.mn.
Proposals must include the following information:
1. Project Title
Provide a short descriptive title – up to 10 words.
2. Project Purpose and summary
Describe the project. What kind of heritage resource (for example: site, building, museum objects, ancient manuscripts, traditional music) will the project address? What kind of activity (for example: inventory, documentation, restoration) is proposed? What is the project schedule (start and end dates)?
3. Detailed Project Description – Describe the work to be undertaken, including why it is necessary, what has been attempted, methods and materials to be used, the larger context of the proposed work, bibliography, etc.
4. Timeframe. When the project will be started and how long it will continue.
5. Statement of Significance – Describe the cultural / artistic / historical significance of the resource on which the project will focus.
6. Statement of Urgency – Explain why it is urgent to preserve this cultural object, collection, or heritage site. Is the resource facing an urgent threat, such as possible physical collapse, possible loss of cultural memory, etc.?
7. Rationale for U.S. support – Rationale why the project should get U.S. support or where the U.S. interest will be?
8. Detailed project budget
Provide a detailed budget indicating expenditure of funds, and include a brief narrative statement explaining each proposed budget item. Specify other source(s) of funding if any (in-kind contribution) from government, international organizations, NGOs, or the private sector. The budget worksheet may include but is not limited to:
• Salary/Wages/Consultant Fees (specify tasks for any consultants)
• Travel - Specify who, where, how long, and why
• Materials - Estimate the amount and cost of materials needed for the project
• Equipment - Justify the need to buy equipment in the budget narrative, and the cost of each item of equipment
• Administrative Costs (phone, fax, postage, freight, photocopying, printing, etc. List all details.)
9. Recipient information
Provide information about the organization that would do the work and the people involved (contact person, project director, address, phone, cellular phone, fax, email, and website). The grantee must be a reputable organization or institution; the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs will not approve grant agreements with individuals.
10. Attachments
Prepare supplemental documents to be submitted with the proposal:
• Résumé of the project director and professional staff involved in the project
• Official permission to undertake the project. A letter from the local/national authority responsible for the site or resource indicating that the prospective grantee has the support of that authority, and permission to undertake the project.
• At least three photographs of the resource
11. About the recipients
Recipients (grantees) must be non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions. We strongly encourage proposals that include local non-U.S. government cost-sharing (including in-kind) from sources such as governments, international organizations, and the private sector.
REVIEW AND SELECTION:
The Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs will administer the review and selection process with the cooperation of the office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and each of the Department's geographic bureaus.
DEADLINE:
Proposals must be received by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Ulaanbaatar no later than 17:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (Mongolian time). Proposals must be submitted in English to pao@usembassy.mn
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Information on previous awards is available at the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation program website:
http://exchanges.state.gov/afcp/