About

The U.S. Embassy Kuwait Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program to strengthen educational and cultural ties between the U.S. and Kuwait through cultural and exchange 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 perspectives. 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

Goals

• The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Kuwait invites proposals for projects to strengthen people-to-people ties between Kuwait and the U.S. and to advance their shared goals of climate resilience, economic well-being, and a safe and secure world. Proposals should model fair practices and reflect DEIA principles. All projects must include an American connection or component that will increase understanding of U.S. policy, perspectives, or the relationship between the United States and Kuwait.

• All projects must include a U.S. element or connection. For example, projects can include U.S. experts, organizations, or institutions in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policies and perspectives. Special consideration will be given to proposals that highlight the diversity of the United States and programs whose participants represent diverse backgrounds. Additionally, projects must address one or more of the priority areas. Both requirements should be highlighted in your proposal.

Priority Areas

• Strengthening and Expanding U.S.-Kuwait Partnerships: Focused on enhancing regional stability and security, this includes fostering collaborations in education, arts, freedom of speech, and fortifying bilateral ties.

• Enhancing National Security: Addressing political reform, economic development, and legal frameworks. Emphasis includes women’s empowerment, combating gender-based violence, and advancing cybersecurity and responsible AI use.

• Engaging Individuals with Disabilities: Promoting research, advocacy, and inclusive policies to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities in Kuwait.

• Promoting Economic Cooperation and Environmental Preservation: Facilitating U.S.-Kuwait economic collaborations to support entrepreneurship and address climate change and air quality.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $200,000.

• Awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000.

• Length of performance period: 1 to 12 months.

Eligible Projects

• Suggested Projects Could Include:

  • Boosting Kuwaiti Student Enrollment: Increasing outreach activities and awareness campaigns to encourage Kuwaiti undergraduate and graduate students to study at U.S. universities.

  • Building Cybersecurity Capacity: Strengthening Kuwait’s National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) and related entities’ cybersecurity resilience.

  • Empowering Women: Providing career, job search, and leadership training and workshops to help newly graduated, unemployed, and entrepreneurial women find employment and/or advance their careers/businesses.

  • Engaging STEM and Innovation Leaders: Highlighting the risks of over-reliance on foreign technologies while showcasing U.S. innovation and leadership in science and technology.

  • Social Media Campaign and Live Sessions: Enhancing public engagement and outreach to various segments of the Kuwaiti society through real-time interactions and strategic messaging.

  • Media Professionalization: Honing the skills of Kuwait’s media professionals by strengthening the accuracy of news reporting, through fact-checking, countering disinformation, encouraging investigative reporting, and improving transparency for government and civil society.

  • Encouraging Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence: Increasing awareness of the dangers, responsible uses, and alignment tools of artificial intelligence for media through designing training programs for media professionals and government regulators.

  • Bolstering Kuwait’s Creative Economy: Bringing U.S. expertise in media/arts production, including television, literature, film, and online arts, to empower Kuwait’s creative artists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and museum curators.

  • Environmental Awareness Through the Arts: Empowering young Kuwaitis through art via workshops that cover natural art, recycling, and climate change. Activities could include Inviting environmentalists, organizing field trips, tree planting campaigns, and organizing exhibitions to showcase outcomes.

  • Cultural Preservation and Environmental Appreciation: Encouraging cultural preservation of Kuwaiti heritage and appreciation of the environment through youth volunteerism, including via preservation/restoration of historic sites and/or recycling/cleanup campaigns.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following types of programs are not eligible for funding:

  • Programs relating to partisan political activity;

  • Charitable or development activities;

  • Construction programs;

  • Programs that support specific religious activities;

  • Fund-raising campaigns;

  • Lobbying for specific legislation or programs;

  • Scientific research;

  • Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization;

  • Programs that duplicate existing programs.

Application Requirements

• Please ensure:

  • The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity

  • All documents are in English

  • All budgets are in U.S. dollars

  • All pages are numbered

  • All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and

  • All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Calibri font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

• The following documents are required:

  • Mandatory application forms:

    • SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations)or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance –individuals)

    • SF424A(Budget Information for Non-Construction programs)

    • SF424B(Assurances for Non-Construction programs)

    • Completed Grant Proposal

• Summary Coversheet: Cover sheet stating the applicant name and organization, proposal date, program title, program period proposed start and end date, and brief purpose of the program.

• Proposal (5 pages maximum): The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. You may use your own proposal format, but it must include all the items below.

• Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed program, including program objectives and anticipated impact.

• Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the U.S. Embassy and/or U.S. government agencies.

• Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed

• Program Goals and Objectives: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve.  What aspect of the relationship between the U.S. and XXX will be improved? The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable.

• Program Activities: Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.

• Program Methods and Design: A description of how the program is expected to work to solve the stated problem and achieve the goal.

• Proposed Program Schedule: The proposed timeline for the program activities.  Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events.

• Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program?

• Program Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees.

• Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: This is an important part of successful grants. Throughout the time-frame of the grant, how will the activities be monitored to ensure they are happening in a timely manner, and how will the program be evaluated to make sure it is meeting the goals of the grant?

• Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable.

• Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424A Budget, use a separate file to describe each of the budget expenses in detail.

• Other Information: Guidelines for Attachments (suggested examples):

  • 1-page CV or resume of key personnel who are proposed for the program.

  • Letters of support from program partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner.

  • Official permission letters, if required for program activities.

  • If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file.

Eligibility

• The Public Affairs Section encourages applications from Kuwait based:

  • Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience

  • Individuals

  • Non-profit educational institutions

  • For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.

  • Only Kuwait based applicants will be considered.

Post Date: January 16, 2025