Public Diplomacy Grants in Kuwait | KUWAIT PAS 2020 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for KUWAIT PAS 2020 01

The U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait (Public Affairs Section), offered a public diplomacy grant opportunity titled "Supporting Civic Engagement, Marginalized Communities, and Education Through Exchanges and Training" (Funding Opportunity Number KUWAIT-PAS-2020-01; CFDA 19.040). The program was designed to fund small, Kuwait-focused projects that use exchanges, training, and public diplomacy-style programming to strengthen educational preparation, civic participation, and community resilience. Total funding available was listed as $85,000, with an expectation of roughly 10 awards depending on final award sizes. Individual awards were capped at $25,000 (with a minimum around $1,000), and projects were generally expected to be completed within 10 months, with an allowable performance period of 1 to 12 months. Funding was provided through FY20 public diplomacy funds associated with Fulbright-Hays/Smith-Mundt authorities, and proposed activities were anticipated to run in the October 2020 to September 2021 window, subject to funds availability.

The Embassy structured the application as a two-step process to reduce the burden on applicants. The first step required a short Statement of Interest (SOI), limited to 1 to 2 pages, that clearly explains the project idea and what it is meant to achieve. This initial submission was not a full proposal; instead, it functioned as a screening round. After a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants would be invited to submit a complete proposal package for a second-round review before final award decisions were made. The SOI submission deadline stated in the notice was July 31, 2020, and submissions were made by email to PASKuwaitM@state.gov, including a brief project summary and an estimated budget in U.S. dollars. All materials needed to be in English, and the funded work had to primarily benefit target audiences inside Kuwait.

Projects were expected to address at least one of the Embassy's stated objectives. These objectives included helping students in Kuwait prepare for U.S. higher education (such as English language instruction, college readiness, or advising), strengthening participation of marginalized communities, youth, and women in politics and the economy, improving awareness and enforcement related to intellectual property rights, building people-to-people ties between the United States and Kuwait through educational, cultural, or civic activities aimed at youth and young professionals, supporting innovative approaches to social, economic, or political challenges, and promoting community resiliency during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The target audiences were described broadly but clearly, emphasizing youth and young professionals, educators, women, stateless residents, and other underserved groups in Kuwait.

Eligibility was open to a wide range of applicants, including not-for-profit organizations (such as think tanks and NGOs), not-for-profit educational institutions, individuals, and certain foreign public entities like public international organizations or government institutions. Cost sharing was encouraged but not required, meaning applicants could strengthen competitiveness by contributing resources or securing partner support, but it was not a condition of applying. For administrative readiness, organizations ultimately needed a Unique Entity Identifier (historically referenced as DUNS) and active SAM.gov registration to receive an award; however, the Embassy did not require those registrations at the SOI stage. If invited to submit a full proposal, the organization would need to complete those registrations before the full application was submitted, and applicants were warned that registration can take weeks. Individuals were not required to register in SAM.gov for eligibility at the SOI stage.

The SOI itself had to include a short project description covering goals, objectives, intended outcomes, performance indicators, beneficiaries, and a proposed timeline, along with a clear statement showing the applicant's capacity to implement the activities and responsibly manage U.S. government funds. During review, SOIs were scored using three main criteria: quality of the program idea (50 points, including responsiveness to the program framework, feasibility, clarity, creativity, and a reasonable timeline), organizational capacity and past performance (35 points, including experience running similar programs and the role of any local partners), and program planning/ability to achieve objectives (15 points, focused on whether activities and expected results were well articulated). The Embassy noted that reviewers would not read beyond the page limit, and that for consistency panelists might only consider the first page if the SOI exceeded the limit, making concise presentation especially important. The Grants Review Committee could also attach conditions or recommendations to improve a concept, which would then need to be addressed in the full proposal stage.

For applicants invited to the second step, the full proposal package would include standard federal assistance forms such as the SF-424 (or SF-424-I for individuals), SF-424A (budget information), and SF-424B (assurances), along with compliance with U.S. Department of State terms and conditions and federal regulations (including 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 600). The notice also emphasized that entities listed on the SAM Excluded Parties List System (debarred or suspended parties) were not eligible to receive funds or participate in award activities. Questions about the opportunity and the SOI process were directed to the same email address used for submissions: PASKuwaitM@state.gov.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kuwait in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), business and commerce, community development, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor and training, environment, health, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services, regional development, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Public Diplomacy Grants in Kuwait" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 11, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for KUWAIT PAS 2020 01

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