7 November 2014
991
The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2015 Media and Cultural Section, U.S. Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand Announcement The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce the 2015 call for proposals for the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. The Fund was established to help countries preserve their cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. Since its inception in 2001, the Fund has helped preserve cultural sites, practices, and objects that are historically or culturally significant in Thailand and around the world. Project amount must be more than US$10,000. In year 2014, awards ranged from US$10,000-US$200,000. The deadline for submitting applications is December 12, 2014. In general, proposals may be submitted in support of the following three types of projects: A. CULTURAL SITES includes (but is not limited to) historic buildings and archaeological sites. Examples are restoration of an ancient or historic building, preservation of an archaeological site, or documentation of cultural sites in a region for preservation purposes. B. CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS from a museum, site or similar institution and includes archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, and general museum conservation needs. Examples are conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects; needs assessment of a collection’s condition and strategies for improving it; inventory of a collection for conservation and protection purposes; the creation of safe environments for storage or display of collections; or specialized training in the care and preservation of collections. C. FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION includes traditional music, indigenous languages, and ancient crafts. Examples 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 applied arts or crafts that are threatened by extinction. Specific to this year’s competition, proposals for projects that meet one or more of the following criteria will receive consideration: (1) Directly support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations, such as cultural property protection agreements and Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) goals; (2) Strengthen capacity in country to preserve and protect cultural heritage; (3) Support the preservation of inscribed World Heritage sites; (4) 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; and (5) Engage women, youth, or under-served communities. Eligible project applicants are reputable and accountable non-commercial entities, such as non-governmental organizations, museums, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations that are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite experience and capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. AFCP encourages cost sharing, in-kind contributions, and other forms of cost participation. There is no minimum or maximum percentage required for this competition. The Fund can NOT be used to support the following: (1) preservation or purchase of privately or commercially owned cultural objects, collections, or real property, including those whose transfer from private or commercial to public ownership is envisioned, planned, or in process but not complete at the time of proposal submission; (2) preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants, fossils, etc.); (3) Preservation of hominid or human remains; (4) Preservation of news media (newspaper, newsreels, radio and TV programs, etc.); (5) Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.); (6) Development of curricula or educational materials for classroom use; (7) Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research purposes; (8) Historical research, except in cases where historical research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project; (9) Acquisition or creation of new collections for new or existing museums; (10) Construction of new buildings or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example); (11) Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes; (12) Creation of new or the modern adaptation of existing traditional dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances; (13) Creation of replicas or re-creation of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist; (14) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another; (15) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason; (16) Digitalization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger clearly defined conservation effort; (17) Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies; (18) Cash reserves, endowments or revolving funds; funds must be expended within the grant period (up to five years) and may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund; (19) Costs of fund-raising campaigns; (20) Indirect costs or operating expenses, i.e. expenses incurred during the day-to-day operational activities of an organization, such as office rent, utilities, license fees, and other costs for administrative time, services, or materials not directly related to performing project work; (21) Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees; (22) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award; (23) International travel, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project (which will be considered on a case-by-case basis); (24) Travel or study for professional development; (25) Individual project costing less than US$10,000; or (26) Independent U.S. projects overseas. Suggested guidelines for proposal preparation and information to be provided are below. Each project proposal must be in English and should be emailed to bangkokpd@state.gov For more information, please contact Ms. Kanchalee Jitjang, Cultural Specialist, Media and Cultural Section, U.S. Embassy, at tel. 02-205-4597, 02-205-4625, 02-206-4623. For additional information about the Fund, please visit the AFCP website http://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/ambassadors-fund-cultural-... The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2015 SUGGESTED INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN PROPOSALS All information Must Be Submitted in English Project Basics, including title, project dates, AFCP focus area, and other top-level information Applicant Information (name of organization, address, phone, fax, mobile, e-mail, website) A Short Description of the Organization Project Location Project Summary Project Purposes (explains project objective and desired results) Detailed Project Activity Description (explains how to achieve the project objectives and results, presents proposed tasks in a logical order, and describes how those tasks directly contribute towards achieving the project objectives and results) Project Timeframe or Schedule, starting from October 2015 (identifies the major project phases and milestones, with performance target dates for achieving them [may propose periods up to five years with five budget periods of one year each], sequence and duration; or attach a timeframe sheet in separate attachment) Statement of Importance (highlights the historic, architectural, artistic, or cultural [non-religious] values of the cultural site, object, collection, or form of traditional expression) Statement of Urgency (indicates the severity of the situation and explains why the project must take place now) Statement of Sustainability (outlines the steps or measures that will be taken to maintain the site, object, or collection in good condition after the AFCP-supported project is complete) Detailed Project Budget in US$ (no less than US$10,000), calculate by US$1 = 30 Baht (demarcated in one-year budget periods such as 2015, 2016, 2017, etc.) that lists all costs in separate categories 1) Personnel 2) Fringe Benefits 3) Travel (including Per Diem) 4) Equipment 5) Supplies 6) Contractual 7) Other Direct Costs 8) Cost Sharing 9) Other Funding Sources 10) Justification for any anticipated international travel costs (if any) Attachments and Supported Documents: 1) Resumes of the Project Director, including Key Professional Staff and Project Participants demonstrating that the applying entity has the requisite experience and the capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage 2) Proof of Official Permission and Endorsement to undertake the project. Letter(s) from a national or local authority responsible for the site or resource indicating that the prospective applicant has the support of that authority, and permission to undertake the project 3) Minimum of FIVE high-quality digital images in JPEG format or audio-visual files that convey the nature and condition of the site, object, or form of expression and, in case of a site or object, show the urgency or need for the proposed project (such as collapsing wall, water damage, worn fabric, broken handle, etc.), any historical structure reports, conservation needs assessments, and other planning documents compiled in preparation for the proposed project 4) Detailed budget worksheet Other organizations you applied to with the same project and status of your application *******************************************