Description
The Department of State established the AFCP in 2001 at the request of Congress (Conference Report 106-1005 accompanying H.R. 4942). At the time, the Senate noted that the preservation of cultural heritage “offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military.” The projects recommended for funding advance U.S. foreign policy goals and show respect for other cultures. Cultural preservation is effective public diplomacy that resonates deeply with opinion leaders and local communities, even in countries where ties may be otherwise limited. AFCP projects strengthen civil society, encourage good governance, and promote political and economic stability around the world. The AFCP Grants Program supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts. Appropriate project activities may include: a) Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts); b) Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site); c) Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site); d) Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition); e) Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state); f) Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition); g) Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings); h) Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site). Sites and Objects Having a Religious Connection: 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 a 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. Funding Priorities: Some of the most impactful AFCP projects have been designed as part of a greater PD programming arc promoting specific U.S. policy goals and host country or community objectives. Accordingly, in FY2023, ECA will give preference to projects that do one or more of the following: a) Directly support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations. b) Directly support U.S. policies, strategies, and objectives in a country as stated in the Integrated Country Strategy or other U.S. government planning documents. c) Support disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas or post-disaster cultural heritage recovery. d) Partner, connect with, or feed into other ECA or public diplomacy programs. B. PROGRAM INFORMATION: Closing date for Round One (concept notes): Monday, December 26, 2022 Expected size of individual awards: $10,000 to $500,000 Closing date for Round two: Monday, April 3, 2023