This call for proposals is now CLOSED.
The U.S. Embassy is accepting project proposals to preserve cultural sites or objects and museum collections of historical or cultural significance to the cultural heritage of Montenegro ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 for the 2020 AFCP Small Grants Program until December 10, 2019.
Disclaimer: Issuance of this NOTICE OF Funding Opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the AFCP program or the U.S. government.
This competitive global fund was established to help countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. The projects selected to receive funding under this program will advance U.S. diplomatic goals and demonstrate the depth of U.S. respect for the cultural heritage of Montenegro. The Fund is aimed at preserving cultural sites or objects that have a historical or cultural significance to the cultural heritage of Montenegro.
AWARD INFORMATION:
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Floor on Amount of Individual Awards: $10,000 per project
Ceiling on Amount of Individual Awards: $200,000 per project
Project performance period: 1-5 years
All proposals must comply with the regulations and guidelines below. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES – SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM:
1.ELEGIBLE APPLICANTS:
Montenegro based non-commercial entities that are registered in SAM.gov (see Section 9. below on how to register 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, Ministry 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.
2.NON-ELEGIBLE APPLICANTS:
The AFCP will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous AFCP awards.
3.APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
- Completed project proposals must be submitted in English electronically to PodgoricaGrants@State.Govby December 10, 2019.
- Use the Application form and Budget template to present your project and budget proposal. Supporting documentation can be sent in jpeg and pdf. format.
- Registration in SAM.gov is mandatory if you are to receive an U.S. grant. Submit the proof your organization is registered in SAM.gov, or in the process of completing the registration in SAM.gov. In the absence of this proof the entire application will be dismissed. See below section 9. Required registrations for guidelines on how to register in SAM.gov.
- Submit a detailed project budget presented in the Budget template, demarcated in one-year budget periods (2020, 2021, 2022, 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 (if any); and gives a justification for any anticipated international travel costs (if any). See the Budget Categories Description for guidance on how to divide costs per categories.
- Budget narrative explaining line by line how costs are estimated (quantity x unit cost, annual salary x percentage of time spent on project, etc.)
- Make sure your project and budget proposal don’t contain any of the costs and activities stated in the section Ineligible activities and unallowable costs.
- Attachments and supporting documents including, at a 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.
- Your project proposal must address one or more of the eligible activities (funding areas) stated below:
4.FUNDING AREAS:
- 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.
- CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS: conservation needs assessments and treatment, inventory of a collection for conservation purposes, the creation of safe environments for storage or display of collections, or specialized training in the care of preservation of collections.
- 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.
5.FUNDING PRIORITIES:
Applications for projects that directly support one or more of the following will receive additional consideration in 2020:
- Support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property protection agreements;
- Support disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in seismically active and other disaster-prone areas
- Support post-disaster cultural heritage recovery
- Preserve World Heritage sites
6.SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING SITES AND OBJECTS THAT HAVE A RELIGIOUS CONNOTATION:
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 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.
7.INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES AND UNALLOWABLE COSTS:
AFCP will NOT support the following activities or costs, and applications involving any of the activities or costs below will be deemed ineligible:
- 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, objects, or collections for new or existing museums
- Construction of new buildings, building additions, 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 conjectural 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 or documentation 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 may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund)
- Costs of fund-raising campaigns
- Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or 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 outside the country for professional development
- Individual projects costing less than $10,000 or more than $200,000
- Independent U.S. projects overseas
- COST SHARING AND OTHER FORMS OF COST PARTICIPATION:
Cost sharing is not required. When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal and later included in an approved agreement. The applicant will be responsible for tracking and reporting on any cost share or outside funding. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.
- REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS
Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included.
In order to be qualified for grants, selected organizations must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:
- Unique entity identifier from Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS number)
- NCAGE code
- gov registration
Step 1: Apply for a DUNS number and a NCAGE number (these can be completed simultaneously)
DUNS application: Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet. If your organization does not have one already, you may obtain one by calling 1-866-705-5711 or visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform
NCAGE application:
https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/scage/CageList.aspx
Instructions for the NCAGE application process:
https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf
Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE Code, proceed to register in SAM.gov by logging onto: https://www.sam.gov.
!Important notes:
- Make sure the data you enter in all three systems is identical, otherwise you won’t be able to complete the registration on step 3: SAM.gov. We recommend taking screenshots of the data you’ve entered during every registration stage.
- When registering, leave general organization’s email address, rather than personal e-mail. gov registration must be renewed annually, and this way the registration will be tied to your organization – not an individual.
- Have in mind that each registration can take time, so start the registration process immediately.
- TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) and other financial data are required for Americans and American organizations only.
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Application for 2020 AFCP Small Grants (DOC, 42 KB)
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Budget_Category_Descriptions (DOC, 19KB)
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AFCP2020-Budget (xlsx, 24 KB)
