The Embassy of the United States is now accepting project proposals
for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2009
competition.
The deadline for submitting proposals is December 01, 2008. The
program is being administered by the Cultural Heritage Center of the
Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State.
Since FY 2001, Congress has directed the Department of State to support
and implement the AFCP. Congress has noted that “Cultural preservation
offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other
countries. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural
heritage, we show our respect for other cultures.” U.S. Ambassadors in
eligible developing countries may submit proposals for projects that
help countries preserve their cultural heritage.
1. PROJECT CATEGORIES: AFCP supports preservation projects in
the following three categories:
(A) CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS from a museum, site, or
similar institution;
(B) CULTURAL SITES;
(C) FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION.
The CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS category (A) includes
archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture,
manuscripts, photographic and film collections, and general museum
conservation activities. Proposals in this
category may involve, for example, 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.
The CULTURAL SITES category (B) 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.
The FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION category (C)
includes traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages,
dance, drama, and crafts. Proposals in this category may
involve documenting and audiovisual recording of traditional
music and dance forms 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.
PHASED AND PILOT PROJECTS: The Cultural Heritage Center
invites submissions of proposals for phased and pilot cultural
preservation projects whose methods and outcomes will advance long-term
cultural preservation
objectives, lay the groundwork for subsequent AFCP-supported
activities, or encourage the continued or expanded application of proven
methods at the project site or elsewhere.
2. EXCLUSIONS: AFCP does not support the following:
(A) Preservation or purchase of privately or commercially
owned cultural objects, collections, or real property
(B) Conservation of natural heritage (physical, biological,
and geological formations, paleontological collections,
habitats of threatened species of animals and plants,
fossils, etc.)
(C) Preservation of news media (newspaper, newsreels, etc.)
(D) Archaeological excavations or surveys for research
purposes
(E) Historical research, except in cases where historical
research is justifiable and integral to the success of the
proposed project
(F) Construction of new buildings
(G) Commissions of new works of art or performances for
commemorative or economic development purposes
(H) Acquisition or creation of new collections for new or
existing museums
(I) Creation of replicas or re-creation of cultural objects
or sites that no longer exist
(J) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location
to another
(K) Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless
part of a larger, clearly defined conservation effort
(L) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites
from the country for any reason
(M) Cash reserves, endowments or revolving funds; funds must
be expended within the award period and may not be used to
create an endowment or revolving fund or otherwise spent over
many years
(N) Costs of fund-raising campaigns for preservation
(O) Costs for administrative time or materials not directly
related to performing project work
(P) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award
(Q) Contingency or miscellaneous fees
(R) Administrative staff or administrative fees greater than
5% of the overall project costs
(S) International travel, except in cases where travel for
outside specialists is justifiable and integral to the
success of the proposed project (international travel will be
considered on a case-by-case basis)
(T) Projects totaling less than US $10,000
(U) Awards to individuals.
As a general rule, AFCP does not support independent U.S.
projects abroad.
3. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS: As in previous years, 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) Other funding sources, if any;
(L) At least three digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual
files of the site, object, or form of expression to be
addressed in the proposed project.
Recipients (grantees) must be non-governmental organizations,
museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions.
The Center strongly encourages proposals that include local
non-U.S. government cost-sharing (including in-kind) from
sources such as governments, international organizations, and
the private sector.
4. SUBMISSIONS: The deadline for submitting Turkey project proposals is
December 01, 2008. Note that this date is earlier than in previous
years. Full implementation of the program is pending the availability
of FY 2009 funds. Proposal must be submitted to the Embassy of the
United States in Ankara in electronic format to the following addresses:
mckayme@state.gov and taskins@state.gov.