2010 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)

Megalithic Observatory Kokino supported with AFCP grant in 2006 (LP)

Call for Proposals for the 2010 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)

The U.S. Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia is currently accepting proposals for the 2010 Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, see: http://www.exchanges.state.gov/afcp/index.html.

AFCP supports preservation projects in the following three categories: 

Cultural sites -  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 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 of objects from a museum, site, archive, or similar institution: 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.

Forms of traditional cultural expression - documenting and audiovisual recording of traditional music, dance forms, or storytelling as part of a traditional expression: 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.

The average amount of the grant is $41,400.  In 2009, grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $106,300. US Embassy Skopje encourages cost sharing, contributions in kind, and other forms of cost participation.

Grantees must be: a non-governmental organization, museum, Ministry of Culture, or similar institution.

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.

Project proposals must include or address the following:

(A) Project title;
(B) Purpose and summary;
(C) Location;
(D) Description of the project;
(E) Timeframe (sequence and duration of activities);
(F) Significance of the resource;
(G) Urgency;
(H) Rationale for U.S. support;
(I) Detailed project budget;
(J) Grantee information;
(K) Resumes of the project director and professional staff;
(L) Official permission, such as from a national or local authority, to undertake the project;
(M) Other funding sources, cost-sharing, or in-kind support, if any.
(N) Include photographs (JPEGs), audiovisual files, plans, etc. of the current condition of the site, object or form of expression to be preserved.

Proposal Format, to be completed in a Word document, in English.
All attached photographs must be in JPG format.

Deadline for submitting proposals:  December 10, 2009. 

Please send all proposals electronically to: BrashnarskaL@state.gov     
Short-listed applicants will be contacted individually.