This notice is subject to availability of funding. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for individuals and organizations from Serbia or the U.S. to submit applications to support the objectives of the Alumni Small Grants as described under “Program Objectives” below. PAS welcomes proposals from new applicants. Priority Region: Serbia. Note: PAS Belgrade strongly urges potential applicants to consider submitting proposals with activities focusing on participants or audiences in cities and towns in Serbia besides Belgrade. Program Objectives: The U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section has set aside funds for the Alumni Small Grants Program specifically designated for use by past participants of U.S. Government (USG)-sponsored exchange programs. (See above for list of USG-sponsored exchange programs.) The Alumni Small Grants Program allows our alumni to leverage their experience in the U.S. to develop ideas and implement projects on how to give back to their home community, or to Serbian society more generally. These projects will allow alumni to showcase their leadership and organizational skills, their creativity and innovative approaches to solving problems, and their ability to network and work with allies to achieve their goals. Grant activities may take any number of forms, including trainings, conferences, workshops, courses, academic competitions, spelling bees, summer camps (focused on language study, sports, etc), cross-border exchanges, 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), film or theater festivals, performances, or other activities. In light of social distancing measures, and to limit the spread of COVID-19, we welcome creative proposals that utilize video conferencing, distance learning tools, etc. If your proposal includes in-person activities, please consider the inclusion of contingency plans, just in case the health situation requires that social distancing measures be implemented during the grant period. Participants and Audiences: Based on the challenges or problems, objectives, themes, and potential activities mentioned above, PAS expects that the participants or primary audiences for your project could be instructors and school administrators (all levels: K-12 and tertiary), learners (any level of proficiency, from beginner to fluent speakers), students (high or university level), and members of specific professions related to your selected Program Theme. You might have secondary audiences or beneficiaries, too. For example, if you are training the teachers in a new teaching methodology, they are your primary audience and all their students who benefit from the updated methodology would be the secondary audience or final beneficiary. Please note that the participants or audiences for the proposed activity should be citizens or legal residents of Serbia. See below, however, regarding incorporating participants or audiences from other countries into the project activity. Even if some participants come from a regional neighbor or from the U.S., PAS is primarily interested in the participants from Serbia and the project’s impact on them. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: Any length of time up to a maximum of 24 months (including the evaluation period). Anticipated program start date: Your project should start no earlier than June 1, 2021 and no later than June 1, 2022. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 24 months or less (including the time you have built in for project assessment and evaluation Funding Instrument Type: Grant or Fixed Amount Award Funding Restrictions: You may NOT apply for a grant from PAS if your project: · involves partisan political activity; · involves charitable activities and/or the distribution of humanitarian aid; · is a fundraising campaign; · is commercial in nature, i.e., you or a project partner are making money from this project, or the activity supports a current or future business or entrepreneurial venture. · involves the provision of health care or services, child care, food subsidies, or other social services to populations. Please be aware, too, that this funding opportunity aims to support specific projects with objectives which can be achieved within a set timeframe. We will not accept applications which are aimed more broadly at supporting your organization’s usual or typical daily activities and operations. Those will be deemed technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding by the review committee. For this particular NOFO, grant funding can be used to cover the cost of travel within the region if attendance by participants from neighboring countries is an essential part of the project. As a general rule, at least half the participants in your project should still be citizens of Serbia. Please contact PAS if you have further questions about projects involving participants from other countries besides Serbia. Grant funding can likewise be used to cover the cost of travel between the U.S. and Serbia for program participants if that is an essential part of the project. As a general rule, participants or audiences should not be charged for taking part in any PAS-funded activity. If you envisage that your project activity will not be free for some reason, please contact PAS while you are in the process of completing the application to see whether that could be allowed. Depending on the funding source, PAS might be able to support your project, but only if you can demonstrate how the revenue generated will used to support the larger objectives and explain that your organization will profit from the modest entrance fee. All the mandatory application forms and the full text of the NOFO are available online via the Related Documents Tab and at https://rs.usembassy.gov/alumni-small-grant-program-funding-opportunity-2021/. We do not send out hardcopy versions of the application packages. All application materials must be submitted by email to
[email protected]. If PAS does not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact:
[email protected] . Information Session. PAS will hold a virtual information session on March 31st, 2021 at 16:00 (4pm) Central European time to discuss this funding opportunity and to answer questions from potential applicants. To join the information session and to send us your questions in advance, please register at: http://bit.ly/3b5OBKU. You will receive the invitation with a link to join the session five (5) days ahead of the event. If you happen to miss that online session for any reason, we will provide a link to the recording on the website. Please check for information on other PAS funding opportunities on the U.S. Embassy website at: https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/.