U.S. Mission to Armenia, U.S. Embassy Yerevan PDS Annual Program Statement

Overview:

The U.S. Embassy Yerevan Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement (APS), outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding.  Please carefully follow all instructions below.

The APS is a best practice utilized by many U.S. embassies around the world to solicit proposals
for funding via an open and transparent competition process. With few exceptions, awards are
made based on open competition. In the interest of fairness and transparency, PDS cannot accept unsolicited proposals. PDS only considers proposals received in response to the Annual Program Statement, and Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOS) posted on Grants.gov and the Embassy website.

The Embassy invites proposals from qualified individuals and organizations for programs that strengthen cultural ties between the United States and Armenia, including cultural and exchange programs that highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert(s), organization(s) or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy, culture, and perspectives. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded pending funding availability. This Annual Program Statement outlines our funding priorities, strategic themes, and procedures for submitting proposals. Please follow all instructions below carefully.

Priority Program Areas

1.    Reinforce U.S.-Armenian Shared Values, by funding proposals that support human rights, social inclusion (including supporting integration of displaced persons), youth outreach, gender equity, and women’s empowerment.

2.    Strengthen U.S.-Armenia Cultural and Educational Ties, by funding proposals that promote U.S. culture, including music, dance, arts, film, sports, and education, and bring together U.S. and Armenian artists, educators, and other experts together to collaborate and support artistic and cultural projects that advance human rights, equity and social inclusion, youth outreach, and women’s empowerment.

3.    Advance Shared Prosperity, by funding proposals that foster economic empowerment, resilience, and shared prosperity through STEM education and entrepreneurship initiatives, particularly for youth and other underserved audiences, including women.

4.    Advance Regional and Global Security, by funding proposals that support reconciliation, peace-building, and lasting partnerships between the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and normalization of relations between the people of Armenia and Turkey, including plans for continued cooperation after the project ends.

5.    Develop Media Capacity and Expand English Language Opportunities, by funding proposals that advance media literacy, train journalists, and expand English language learning and training opportunities for journalists, students, and youth.

6.    Strengthen Democracy and Civil Society, by funding proposals that encourage transparency and accountability in governance, foster civic engagement and reforms, and promote democracy, rule of law, and civic education.  NOTE: Most projects of this nature are funded under the Democracy Commission and Alumni Outreach small grants.

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $150,000 While the PDS will consider proposals up to $50,000, projects that are smaller in scope are more likely to be awarded. Most grants selected are between $5,000 and $25,000. In rare circumstances, applications above $50,000 will be evaluated.

The Public Diplomacy Section will accept proposals throughout the year and will generally review proposals according to the following schedule:  

•    Proposals received between October 1 and December 31 will be reviewed by January 31, 2024, with responses going out by February 29, 2024
•    Proposals received between January 1 and March 31 will be reviewed by April 30, 2024, with responses going out by May 31, 2024 
•    Proposals received between April 1 and June 30 will be reviewed by July 31, 2024, with responses going out by August 31, 2024. 
•    Proposals received between July 1 and September 30 will be reviewed by October 31, 2024, with responses going out by November 30, 2024.

Solicitation limitations:

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Healthy Eating Research

Overview:

Healthy Eating Research is excited to share that we have research funds available for small commissioned studies and papers. Commissioned projects are intended to address time-sensitive research questions; all projects should aim to identify and evaluate policies, environmental approaches, and systems changes that advance health and nutrition equity in the areas of healthy food access and security, diet quality, and healthy weight, thus improving inequities in social structures and community conditions that are the main drivers of diet and weight-related health disparities.

Types of Projects

Commissioned Studies:

HER’s commissioned research is intended to fund small studies that produce timely, policy-relevant research.  Examples of project activities may include primary data collection and analysis, secondary data analyses, in-depth case studies, qualitative research needs assessments, modeling studies, and policy analyses.

Deliverables could include data analyses and summary reports, manuscripts for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, measurement tools (or their validation), reports with recommendations, policy and/or research briefs, or other deliverables as appropriate.

Commissioned Papers:

HER also commissions papers, including manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals, as well as evidence-based reports and briefs published outside the peer-reviewed literature.

Issue or Research Briefs are intended to distill existing published research into an easily digestible brief format for an advocate, policymaker, or practice audience. 

Manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals typically include Narrative or Scoping Reviews and Systematic Reviews. Researchers are the primary audience for these deliverables.

Scope

Proposals should focus on the investigation of policy, systems, and environmental change strategies, and consider nutrition-related health disparities. The goal of Healthy Eating Research is to help all children achieve optimal nutrition and address nutrition-related equity. Therefore, all commissioned research must have the potential to impact groups at highest risk for poor health and well-being, and nutrition-related health disparities. All proposed studies must have a clear impact on children (0-18) and families in the U.S. HER’s Equity for Researchers document offers tools to help researchers understand and incorporate racial equity principles into their research in order to advance health equity. For more information on past studies funded, visit our Research and Publications webpage.

Commissioned analyses/studies will be for a duration of up to 12 months and a maximum of $100,000 (though please note, the average amount of most studies funded is $40,000-50,000).

Issue or Research Briefs funding typically ranges between $1,500 and $2,500; timelines vary based on the time-sensitive nature of the topic.  Narrative or Scoping Reviews funding is up to $6,000 for a duration of up to 12 months; and Systemic Reviews will be funded up to $8,000 for a duration of up to 12 months.

Please submit an abstract following the abstract template via email to Healthy Eating Research (healthyeating@duke.edu) with the subject “ATTN: HER Commissioned Research.” The abstract will be reviewed by HER staff and, if considered in-scope for this funding opportunity, the applicant will be invited to submit a full proposal. All abstracts and full proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

U.S. Embassy in Finland Public Diplomacy Annual Program Statement

Overview:

PDS Finland invites proposals for programs that promote bilateral cooperation and highlight shared values.  All programs must include an American perspective, societal or cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and viewpoints.  Additionally, programs must include a public outreach component(s), such as livestreaming, masterclasses, traditional media, digital outreach, or events open to audiences. 

Examples of PDS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to:

• Academic and professional lectures, and seminars;
• Professional and academic exchanges and programs;
• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions

Priority Program Areas:

• Proposals that relate to the Arctic and increasing cooperation between Arctic states and communities;
• Addressing climate change and changing environmental conditions;
• Proposals that advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility;
• Proposals that address global security challenges and increasing understanding of NATO, including programs in support of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiatives;
• Proposals that increase collaboration and exchange between American and Finnish students and teachers;
• Proposals that promote economic prosperity, entrepreneurship, and innovation
• Proposals that counter disinformation

The Public Diplomacy Section will accept proposals throughout the year and
will review proposals according to the following schedule:

• Proposals received between October 11-December 10 will be reviewed by December 30 with responses going out on/around January 31.
• Proposals received between December 11-February 11 will be reviewed by February 28 with responses going out on/around March 31.
• Proposals received between February 12-April 12 will be reviewed by April 30 with responses going out on/around May 31.
• Proposals received between April 13-June 13 will be reviewed by June 30 with responses going out on/around July 31.
• Proposals received between June 14-July 31 will be reviewed by August 15 with responses going out on/around August 31.

No applications will be accepted after July 31, 2024.

U.S. Mission to Myanmar, U.S. Embassy Rangoon Public Affairs Small Grants Competition

Overview:

The U.S. Embassy Rangoon of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations or individuals to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a program (or programs) to strengthen the cultural ties between the U.S. and Myanmar through cultural programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. 

Priority Program Areas: Priority will be given to proposals that address one or more of the following program areas:

1. U.S.–MYANMAR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP - Programs that seek to promote a greater understanding of U.S. policies, culture, and society to Myanmar audiences; activities that promote shared values and interests between the American and Myanmar people; and projects that build people-to-people ties.

2. SUPPORTING INCLUSIVE & DIVERSE SOCIETY - Programs that seeks to build inclusive society, promote a deepened understanding of diversity and inclusion, and encourage tolerance and peace through socio-economic development, dialogue, skills development, and economic empowerment. 

3. EDUCATION & CULTURE - Programs that promote understating of U.S education and culture or that help prepare for study in the United States; the building of linkages between American and Myanmar private academic & cultural institutions; and training opportunities for Myanmar students or faculty and artists.

4. MEDIA LITERACY, INDEPENDENT MEDIA & PRESS FREEDOM - Projects that promotes digital & media literacy, support independent & citizen journalism, and counter disinformation.

All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

The applications will be accepted in two folds: (1) Submission of statement of interest (SOI) (2) the full application. Applicants must first submit a concise (two-page maximum) statement of interest designed to clearly communicate a program idea and objectives.  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(s) by submitting a full proposal application.  Full proposals will go through a second merit review before a final funding decision is made. SOIs will be reviewed on a rolling-basis until September 15, 2024. 

• Length of performance period: 1 to 12 months. 
• Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $99,999; most awards are expected to be approximately $25,000.

U.S. Mission to Barbados, Embassy Bridgetown PAS Annual Program Statement

Overview:

Purpose of Small Grants: PAS Bridgetown invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the U.S. and Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean through cultural, educational, business, and scientific programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. 

All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and priorities. 

Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to: 

• Academic and professional lectures, seminars and speaker programs; 
• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions; 
• Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;
• Professional and academic exchanges and programs; 

Priority Program Areas: This NOFO is part of Mission Bridgetown’s support for public diplomacy programming in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Proposals should address PAS Bridgetown’s stated goals, objectives, target audiences, and geographic locations.

 
PAS Bridgetown focuses on economic diversification, education, human rights, intellectual property rights, professional and academic exchange, cultural connections through people-to-people, institutional, and economic ties, and leveraging alumni of U.S. government programs to achieve long-term objectives in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Funding Instrument Type:    Cooperative Agreement

The Brooks and Joan Fortune Foundation Grants (BJFF)

Overview:

The Brooks and Joan Fortune Foundation (BJFF) primarily provides funds to support education, art, and outreach programs and projects. In general, the foundation desires to support specific activities that result in a defined outcome rather than general operating funds or fundraising campaigns. While the foundation activities have historically been located in Indiana and Florida, requests from around the country will certainly be considered.

Timeline and Review Process
Applications will be screened and evaluated upon receipt to determine eligibility.  Organizations will be notified via email as to the status of their proposal. Eligible applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Grant funding is dispersed throughout the year.

Grantee Evaluations

• All applications will be reviewed based on merit, priority for funding, and available foundation funds
• Funding decisions are usually made on a quarterly or more frequent schedule
• Notification of funding decision will be sent by email.

If you need additional help, watch this video tutorial about the system and read this applicant guide.

Randomized Controlled Trials to Evaluate Social Programs Whose Delivery Will Be Funded by Government or Other Entities

Overview:

Arnold Ventures’ (AV) Evidence-Based Policy team invites grant applications to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of social programs in any area of U.S. policy in which:

(i) AV will fund the RCT, and government or another entity will fund the program’s delivery; and
(ii) The RCT meets the additional selection criteria set out below.

Our main goal in funding such RCTs is to build the body of programs rigorously shown to produce sizable, sustained effects on important life outcomes. We recognize how challenging this is: Surprisingly few programs are found to produce the hoped-for improvements in participants’ lives when evaluated in a well-conducted RCT. This Request for Proposals seeks to optimize the chances of success by prioritizing RCTs of programs with highly-promising prior evidence or other compelling policy reasons for a rigorous evaluation.

IMPORTANCE: Is the applicant proposing to evaluate a program –

• That is backed by highly-promising prior evidence, suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on outcomes of recognized policy importance – such as educational achievement, workforce earnings, criminal arrests, hospitalizations, child maltreatment, and government spending. For example, we specifically encourage applications seeking to replicate findings from prior rigorous evaluations that are especially promising but not yet conclusive—e.g., due to only short-term follow-up, a single-site study design, or well-matched comparison groups but not randomization. (Please provide full citations to the relevant prior studies as an attachment to the letter of interest.) As a threshold condition for “highly promising” evidence, applicants should show that the program can be or (preferably) has been successfully delivered under real-world implementation conditions, since effective implementation is usually necessary for a program to produce meaningful impacts

- or -

• For which there are other compelling policy reasons to evaluate its effectiveness – e.g., it is, or soon will be, widely implemented with significant taxpayer investment, and its impact on its targeted outcomes is currently unknown. Please note that, to meet this criterion, it is not sufficient to establish that the program seeks to address an important problem, or that the study will fill a gap in the research or test a theory. Applicants must also present a compelling policy reason, as described above, to evaluate the specific program.

We ask applicants first to submit a letter of interest (maximum three pages).

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no deadline.

We recognize the need to expand and diversify the pool of researchers with RCT experience. Thus we strongly encourage researchers who are new to RCTs, including those from groups historically underrepresented in the research community – such as researchers of color and women – to participate in this funding opportunity. We therefore want to clarify that such individuals who do not meet the experienced researcher” criterion themselves may still serve as a study’s lead researcher as long as they partner with a colleague who does meet the criterion and will play a key substantive role in the study.

Rigorous Impact Evaluations of Student Success Programs and Practices in Higher Education

Overview:

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a nonpartisan philanthropy whose core mission is to invest in evidence-based solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. The Higher Education initiative seeks to identify and scale effective practices that improve student success and address equity gaps in higher education. Even as access to higher education has significantly expanded, we still struggle to help students complete their credentials and secure a strong return on their investments. Colleges need sound evidence to identify ways to support students’ financial, social, and academic needs. We support research to uncover the most effective programs and practices that will pave the way for success among all students, especially those underserved by the current system. In recent years, a number of highquality, randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluations have identified several programs with the potential to substantially increase student success and address equity gaps. Arnold Ventures works to continue building the evidence base and to secure policies and investments to scale up what works.  

This Request for Proposals—a joint effort of AV’s Higher Education and Evidence-Based Policy initiatives— seeks grant applications to conduct rigorous impact evaluations of programs and practices (“interventions”) to promote college success in the United States that fall into one of three tiers:  

 (i) The intervention is backed by promising prior evidence suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on important student success outcomes (e.g., student learning, persistence, degree or certificate completion, job placement, post-college earnings, and debt burden); 

(ii) The intervention is widely adopted in practice, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated and its impacts on key student success outcomes are thus largely unknown; or 

(iii) The intervention is growing in use and likely to become widely adopted, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated.    Whenever possible, Arnold Ventures has a preference for funding randomized controlled trials (RCTs).   We will also consider certain rigorous quasi-experimental designs that can credibly demonstrate a causal relationship when random assignment is not feasible, as discussed under “study design” below.    

Our ultimate goal in this effort is to build credible evidence about “what works” to improve student success outcomes and, in particular, to increase the number of interventions rigorously shown to produce important improvements in outcomes including but not limited to student learning, persistence, degree or certificate completion, job placement, post-college earnings, and debt burden. The field recognizes a few gold-standard programs such as ASAP and Bottom Line; however, we recognize the need to identify other effective interventions to support student success in higher education. For the purposes of this RFP, such interventions may be broadly defined and, for example, may include programs that target high school students or others not currently enrolled in college, so long as the proposed study will measure the outcomes of interest listed above.

We ask applicants first to submit a letter of interest (maximum three pages). Applicants whose letters are reviewed favorably will be invited to submit a full proposal (maximum six pages). 

There is no deadline for submitting a letter of interest; applicants may submit a letter at any time via email to StudentSuccessRFP@arnoldventures.org.

We recognize the need to expand and diversify the pool of researchers with RCT and quasiexperimental design experience, and are committed to reducing barriers to achieving this goal. Thus we strongly encourage researchers who are new to rigorous impact evaluations, including those from groups historically underrepresented in the research community—such as researchers of color and women—to participate in this funding opportunity. We especially encourage researchers representing Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to participate. Such individuals who do not meet the “experienced researcher” criterion themselves may still serve as a study’s lead researcher as long as they partner with a colleague who does meet the criterion and will play at least a key advisory role in the study.

Global Innovation Fund Grants

Overview:

Evidence is essential to innovation and we are committed to promoting smart, evidence-led investing.

Research plays a central role: as a source of innovative ideas, and as a tool for assessing their impact, cost-effectiveness and scalability. We are very interested in supporting policy reforms that could improve the equity or efficiency of public sector performance. We support investments in public, private and non-profit activities, using all available financial instruments.

GIF construes “innovation” broadly, to include behavioural nudges and organisational innovations as well as hardware and software. Some examples include:

• The Behavioural Insight Team’s work on improving tax compliance
• A training system for skills and entrepreneurship developed by Educate!, an Ugandan organisation
• Segovia’s system for facilitating cash transfers to vulnerable populations
• Simprint’s rugged biometric identification system
• Sparkmeter’s technologies to promote access to electricity

Evidence is at the heart of GIF’s staged approach to investment. GIF takes well-informed risks in pursuit of high social benefits. To do so, we embed learning into each investment. We want to know things like: does this innovation improve poor people’s well-being? How? Under what conditions? By how much? Does it promote gender equality? Is it cost-effective? How sensitive is demand to income and price? The answers will guide decisions by GIF and others on whether and how to scale up the innovations.

Criteria for funding

• Innovation: Research should promote real world implementation of an innovative approach to an important development challenge. Innovations are things that make it easier, faster, less costly, or otherwise more feasible to achieve a development result than current practice. This includes testing to see if a result demonstrated in one context applies in others.
• Potential impact: GIF is looking for innovations that make a big difference. These are innovations that, if scaled up or replicated, could make a substantial difference to millions of lives, or perhaps a transformative difference to hundreds of thousands. Target innovations have social benefits that far outweigh social costs.
• Poverty focus: Target innovations are those that can improve the lives of those living at $5/day, and especially those subsisting on less than $2/day. This criterion is applied at the level of the beneficiary. So while GIF works mostly in low-income countries or provinces, it could consider, for instance, innovations that help impoverished slum-dwellers in a middle-income country.

Potential for and pathway to scale: GIF wants to support ideas that scale up.

If you have an innovative idea that you’d like to test for proof of concept, you can apply for a pilot grant (up to $230,000). If you’re past the pilot stage and ready to rigorously test impact and cost-effectiveness, you can apply for a test and transition grant (up to $2.3 million)

If you are interested in evaluating an innovation being implemented by a government, business, or NGO, team up with them and apply for funding. The application could come either from the implementer or the researcher. For innovations that already have good supporting evidence and want to generate further learning as they expand and evolve, total funding can go up to $15 million

If you’ve already evaluated an innovation and found it to be promising, let us know about it, and encourage the innovator to apply to GIF for scale-up.

Solicitation limitations:

GIF encourages applications from women and from researchers and organisations based in developing countries.

No basic or laboratory research:  GIF doesn’t support theoretical research or laboratory based research.

Randomized Controlled Trials of Criminal Justice Programs and Practices

Overview:

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a nonpartisan philanthropy whose core mission is to invest in evidence-based solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. This Request for Proposals—a joint effort of AV’s Criminal Justice and Evidence-Based Policy initiatives—seeks grant applications to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of criminal justice programs and practices (“interventions”) in the United States that fall into one of three tiers:

1. The intervention is backed by promising prior evidence suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on important criminal justice outcomes (e.g., prevent violence, reduce recidivism, minimize injustice, improve health/employment of persons formerly involved in the justice system);
2. The intervention is widely adopted in practice, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated and its impacts on key criminal justice outcomes are thus largely unknown; or
3. The intervention is growing in use and likely to become widely adopted, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated.

While this Request for Proposals focuses on RCTs, we will also consider certain rigorous quasiexperimental designs when random assignment is not feasible, as discussed under “study design” below. Submissions are welcome in all areas of criminal justice; we especially encourage those that align with a priority area of the Criminal Justice initiative (i.e., policing, pretrial justice, community supervision, prisons, and reintegration) or with the Evidence-Based Policy initiative’s focus on areas where prior studies have identified a number of promising interventions (e.g., youth crime prevention).

Our ultimate goal in this effort is to build credible evidence about “what works” to improve criminal justice outcomes and, in particular, to grow the number of criminal justice interventions rigorously shown to produce important improvements in people’s lives. Few such proven-effective interventions currently exist, and until they do, our nation will lack critical knowledge needed to move the needle on crime, injustice, and other key criminal justice outcomes.

What To Expect in the Grant Agreement:

We will ask awardees, as a condition of their award, to –

• Pre-register the study on the Open Science Framework (OSF) website and, prior to commencement of the study, upload a copy of the research and analysis plan described in their proposal.
• Provide us with brief phone or email updates on the study’s progress on a periodic basis, and before making any key decisions that could materially affect the study’s design or implementation.
• Submit concise reports on the impact findings at appropriate intervals. These reports should make it easy for readers to see the study’s main results and gauge their credibility (e.g., by showing the similarity of the treatment and control groups in pre-program characteristics, the amount of sample attrition, and the statistical significance of the impact findings).

- and –

• Make their datasets and related materials (e.g., survey instruments, code used to clean and analyze datasets) publicly available on the OSF site. We ask applicants to do this within one year of the last data collection, and only to the extent allowed under any confidentiality/privacy protections.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no deadline.

We recognize the need to expand and diversify the pool of researchers with RCT experience. Thus we strongly encourage researchers who are new to RCTs, including those from groups historically underrepresented in the research community – such as researchers of color and women – to participate in this funding opportunity. We therefore want to clarify that such individuals who do not meet the experienced researcher” criterion themselves may still serve as a study’s lead researcher as long as they partner with a colleague who does meet the criterion and will play a key substantive role in the study.

Solicitation limitations:

Letter of Intent required.

The Policy permits institutions of higher education, including community colleges, to receive an indirect cost rate of 15 percent (15%) of total direct project costs; all other organizations (e.g., non-profit, governmental, for-profit, etc.) may receive an indirect cost rate of 20 percent (20%) of total direct project costs.