Description
Objectives and Project Outcomes: The objectives of the Public Diplomacy Grant Program are to promote positive relations between the people of Uganda and the United States; reinforce shared values; and connect Uganda’s emerging leaders (aged 16 to 35) to the American people through projects that: • Help Ugandan youth, especially young women, explore and discover their potential through innovative science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM,) programs, as well as entrepreneurship programs. • Encourage Ugandan youth to participate in civic life through social entrepreneurship, volunteerism, and community engagement. • Strengthen understanding of U.S. values and institutions; highlight U.S. culture, including American Studies; and support diversity, acceptance of minority groups, and other areas of mutual interest. • Demonstrate the power of the arts to promote positive self-expression, social change, and economic opportunity. • Promote the application of new technologies to address economic, environmental, and social challenges of shared concern. U.S. Content In order to be eligible for funding consideration, proposals must demonstrate significant U.S. content. U.S. content can include, for example, the participation of U.S. experts, the application or adaptation of U.S. models and best practices, or learning materials related to American history, society, culture, government, or institutions. Initiatives that promote sustained cooperation between the people of the United States and Uganda even after program funding has concluded are encouraged. Proposals without significant U.S. content will not be considered for funding. Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to: • Programs that reinforce and amplify lessons learned by alumni of State Department-funded exchange programs (both American and Ugandan alumni); • Youth engagement, leadership, and education programs; • Workshops, seminars, trainings, and master classes on American themes or issues of mutual interest mentioned in the above goals of the Program; • Programs to empower young women; • Radio, television, and social media training and programming in support of the above Program objectives; • Initiatives in support of the above program objectives that make creative use of the Mission’s American Center in Kampala or Nile Explorer bus, a mobile classroom that provides extracurricular learning opportunities in STEM and other subjects through visits to underserved schools across Uganda. Activities that are not typically funded include, but are not limited to: • fees and travel costs to attend conferences in the United States, • ongoing salary costs and office equipment, • paying to complete activities begun with other funds, • projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns, • social welfare projects, • political party activities, • projects that support specific religious activities, • trade activities; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research; construction projects; projects whose primary aim is the institutional development of the organization itself.