Description
Program Objectives The PD Section of Mission Spain welcomes the submission of a Statement of Interest (SOI) for creative, engaging projects that align with the following program areas: Championing democracy, democratic values and rules-based international order, throughout the world, or with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean where the United States and Spain both have deep and enduring affiliations, focusing on an audience of university students or thought leaders in Spain; Promoting media literacy; Programs that directly increase information sharing and collaboration on disinformation among experts in the Spanish-speaking world and U.S. counterparts; Strengthening U.S.-Spain collaborations to combat climate change; Projects to improve ocean health, with a focus on the Atlantic Cooperation Initiative; Projects for U.S.-Spain collaboration on global innovation across digital, science and technological fields; Empowering female Innovators and Entrepreneurs in the Spanish startup sector; Increasing the number of Spanish students studying in the United States, particularly in the realm of vocational training; Recognizing the central importance of the NATO Alliance in ensuring transatlantic peace and security, with a focus on university students and/or thought leaders; The submission of the SOI is the first step in a two-step competitive process. The SOI is a concise, 1-2-page concept note/executive summary, designed to clearly communicate the program idea, primary audience(s), key objectives and estimated budget breakdown. This is not a full proposal. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to requiring the development of a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program idea by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decisions are made. All projects are required to have a clear connection to the United States, either through U.S. organizations, experts, and/or best practices in order to increase the awareness and understanding of U.S. perspectives, policies, and society. In addition, all projects should clearly promote diversity and inclusion. Geographic diversity (reaching audiences outside of major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona) will also be looked upon favorably when reviewing proposals. Please propose “SMART” objectives for your project. The objective of your activity should be: Specific, Measurable, realistically Achievable within the period of the grant, Relevant to an actual problem or challenge, and Time-based, meaning that you will be able to finish the project and measure the impact by a set date. If a proposal is selected, you will be required to explain in detail how you will measure or evaluate the progress achieved or the impact you have made on the participants or audiences through your project activities. Types of Projects: Project activities may take any number of forms, including academic competitions, cross-border exchanges, conferences, workshops, courses, curriculum development, exhibits, hackathons or app development, online projects, mock trials or moot court competitions, simulations and role-playing activities (e.g., Model Congress, Model United Nations), performances, or other activities. Academic or scientific research projects will not be funded under this call for proposals. Audience: PD Spain will not fund projects that are “cultural entertainment” by nature, reaching the general public as an audience base. PD Spain is looking for projects that target a specific audience, as a way to achieve the program objectives. The challenge or problem you are looking at, together with your goals and objectives, will help you determine the participants or primary audiences for your project and shape the activity outlined in your proposal. You might have secondary audiences or beneficiaries, too. For example, if you are training teachers in a new teaching methodology, the teachers are your primary audience and all their students who benefit from the updated methodology would be the secondary audience or final beneficiary. Please try to be specific with your primary audiences, avoiding the use of “general public” as a primary audience. Participants and primary and secondary audiences for the proposed project should be citizens or legal residents of Spain and/or Andorra. Even if some participants come from a regional neighbor or from the United States, PD Spain is primarily interested in the participants from Spain and/or Andorra and the project’s impact on them. Anticipated program start dates: Flexible start dates are preferred, and funds permitting, selected proposals will be obligated by September 30, 2024. In the case that a proposal is selected, but sufficient funding does not become available, PD Spain reserves the right to reconsider the proposal for funding in the next fiscal year. * Note: PD Spain encourages that projects be scalable (in both directions) whenever possible. If the review panel has doubts or concerns about the capacity to implement a given project, they may ask that a reduced budget be presented. This notice is subject to availability of funding. Issuance of this APS does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals. Further, the Department of State reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received or award smaller amounts than the full proposal, as deemed appropriate. The Department of State also retains the right to execute non-competitive continuation amendment(s) to any award. Any amendment(s) is based on performance, pending availability of funds and is not guaranteed.