U.S. Embassy Moscow Public Affairs Section FY 2020 Annual Program Statement (APS) | DOSRUS20GR001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOSRUS20GR001

The U.S. Embassy Moscow Public Affairs Section (PAS), part of the U.S. Department of State, offered this FY 2020 Annual Program Statement (APS) as a public diplomacy grant opportunity to support projects that build practical, people-to-people cooperation between the United States and Russia. The central idea is straightforward: proposed programs should strengthen bilateral ties through visible, concrete collaboration, and every proposal must include a clear element connected to American history, culture, or shared values. PAS is looking for projects that do more than host a one-off event; the most competitive applications are designed to keep U.S.-Russia connections active after the grant ends by including meaningful participation from American experts, organizations, or institutions.

Funding was offered under a discretionary grant mechanism in the humanities/cultural affairs space (CFDA 19.040). Applicants could submit proposals on a rolling basis, with a firm deadline of June 15, 2020. That timing was set so awards could be processed and completed within the U.S. government fiscal year ending September 30, 2020. The opportunity anticipated making around 35 awards. Two funding ranges were available through the same application package: a small grants track from $500 to $24,000, and a large grants track up to $75,000, with the note that large awards were very limited and therefore more competitive. Applicants were expected to use the specific application form and budget template provided by PAS on its website and to follow the posted instructions and FAQs closely.

PAS highlighted several priority program areas that proposals were expected to align with. These included cooperative projects in space exploration, science, and technology that visibly demonstrate joint U.S.-Russian engagement; collaborative artistic and cultural programs that culminate in shared deliverables or performances; and initiatives that elevate grassroots expression and storytelling, including fiction and nonfiction work through writing, art, and new media. The APS also encouraged city-to-city partnership projects that link local communities and institutions, as well as programs that communicate American business values such as innovation and entrepreneurship, along with the importance of fair labor standards and judicial practices for economic stability. Additional priorities included programs supporting women and minority rights and efforts that build practical skills and tools for people with disabilities. Finally, PAS emphasized university-to-university partnerships that bring Russian and American students together around shared problems, with an emphasis on project-based learning and sustained student-to-student interaction rather than short-term exchanges.

Eligibility was broad and included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without U.S. 501(c)(3) status (as long as they were not higher education institutions in those categories), and individuals. Overall, the grant opportunity was structured to fund relatively modest, high-impact public diplomacy projects that combine cultural or educational substance with lasting institutional or professional connections, while clearly advancing one of PAS Moscow's stated thematic priorities.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Russia in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Moscow Public Affairs Section FY 2020 Annual Program Statement (APS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 02, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for DOSRUS20GR001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: