Opportunity Information: Apply for AFMON 20 01
The Annual Public Affairs Grant Program (Funding Opportunity Number AFMON 20 01) is a small-grants funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Liberia (Public Affairs Section in Monrovia). It supports educational, cultural, and exchange-oriented projects designed to strengthen relationships between the United States and Liberia. The overall purpose is to highlight shared values, encourage practical bilateral cooperation, and expand mutual understanding, with a clear expectation that funded activities will build durable people-to-people and institutional ties.
A central requirement is that every proposal must include a meaningful American component. That can be American cultural or educational content, or the active involvement of U.S. experts, organizations, institutions, and/or U.S.-based resources. Projects are also expected to improve understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives while creating opportunities for collaboration between Liberians and Americans. In practice, this means proposals should not only be locally relevant, but also clearly connected to U.S. engagement and public diplomacy goals.
Proposed programs must align with one or more of the program priority areas identified by PAS Monrovia. These priorities include strengthening democratic institutions; increasing the capacity of Liberians to lead national development and advance self-sustaining growth; empowering civil society with particular attention to women; bolstering education at all levels; and strengthening networks among U.S. State Department exchange program alumni so they can expand outreach, sharpen skills, and increase their community service impact.
The announcement gives a wide range of acceptable activity types as examples. These include virtual or in-person lectures, seminars, and speaker programs; academic and professional skills-building efforts (including literacy and STEM); exchanges and collaborative projects that address critical knowledge or capacity gaps; media projects and journalist or communications training that improve accountability, transparency, reach, and professionalism; social movement programs that support political transparency and accountability; and sports or extracurricular initiatives targeted toward underserved and marginalized communities. These examples are not presented as an exhaustive list, but as a guide to the kind of public-facing, impact-oriented programming the Mission is looking to fund.
Funding is provided through a discretionary grant mechanism under CFDA 19.040, with an award ceiling of $20,000 per project and an anticipated total of about eight awards. The opportunity was created on April 27, 2020, with an original closing date of June 30, 2020. The notice also emphasizes that because awards needed to be issued before the end of Fiscal Year 2020, there was a cut-off date to allow adequate time for review and processing.
Finally, proposals were expected to reflect the realities of COVID-19 at the time of the announcement. Applicants were instructed to design activities that account for public health restrictions, including limits on travel, gathering size, and social distancing. Practically, this encouraged applicants to build in virtual or hybrid options, risk mitigation plans, and realistic implementation approaches consistent with evolving public health guidance.Apply for AFMON 20 01
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Liberia in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Annual Public Affairs Grant Program" 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 Apr 27, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2020 As grant must be issued before end of Fiscal Year 2020 and time must be provided for reviewing and processing the applications, there is a cut off date.. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Annual Public Affairs Grant Program (AFMON 20 01) - FAQs
What is the Annual Public Affairs Grant Program (Funding Opportunity Number AFMON 20 01)?
The Annual Public Affairs Grant Program (AFMON 20 01) is a small-grants funding opportunity run by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Liberia, through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Monrovia. It supports public-facing educational, cultural, and exchange-oriented projects that strengthen relationships between the United States and Liberia.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The overall purpose is to highlight shared values, encourage practical bilateral cooperation, and expand mutual understanding between the United States and Liberia. A clear expectation is that funded activities will build durable people-to-people and institutional ties.
What kinds of projects does the program support?
The program supports educational, cultural, and exchange-oriented programming. Proposed activities should be impact-oriented and aligned with U.S. public diplomacy goals, while also being locally relevant in Liberia.
Is there a required "American component" in every proposal?
Yes. Every proposal must include a meaningful American component. This can include American cultural or educational content, or active involvement by U.S. experts, organizations, institutions, and/or U.S.-based resources.
What does "meaningful American component" mean in practice?
Based on the announcement, the American component is expected to be more than a brief mention. It should be integral to the design of the project, such as incorporating U.S. expertise, partnering with U.S. organizations or institutions, using U.S.-based resources, or featuring substantive American educational or cultural content.
Do projects need to address U.S. policy and perspectives?
Yes. Projects are expected to improve understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives while creating opportunities for collaboration between Liberians and Americans.
Do proposals need to align with specific priority areas?
Yes. Proposed programs must align with one or more priority areas identified by PAS Monrovia. Applications that do not clearly connect to at least one priority area would not meet the stated program expectation.
What are the priority areas for PAS Monrovia under this opportunity?
The priorities listed in the announcement include:
- Strengthening democratic institutions
- Increasing the capacity of Liberians to lead national development and advance self-sustaining growth
- Empowering civil society, with particular attention to women
- Bolstering education at all levels
- Strengthening networks among U.S. State Department exchange program alumni to expand outreach, sharpen skills, and increase community service impact
What types of activities are considered acceptable examples under this program?
The announcement provides examples of acceptable activity types, including:
- Virtual or in-person lectures, seminars, and speaker programs
- Academic and professional skills-building efforts (including literacy and STEM)
- Exchanges and collaborative projects that address critical knowledge or capacity gaps
- Media projects and journalist or communications training to improve accountability, transparency, reach, and professionalism
- Social movement programs that support political transparency and accountability
- Sports or extracurricular initiatives targeted toward underserved and marginalized communities
Are the listed activity examples the only eligible project types?
No. The announcement indicates the examples are not exhaustive. They are provided as a guide to the kind of public-facing, impact-oriented programming the Mission is looking to fund.
Who is the funding agency for this grant?
The funding agency is the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Liberia, Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Monrovia.
What grant mechanism and CFDA number are associated with this opportunity?
Funding is provided through a discretionary grant mechanism under CFDA 19.040.
What is the maximum award amount per project?
The award ceiling is $20,000 per project.
How many awards were anticipated?
The announcement anticipated a total of about eight awards.
When was this funding opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on April 27, 2020.
What was the original closing date for applications?
The original closing date was June 30, 2020.
Was there a cut-off date before the closing date?
Yes. The notice emphasizes there was a cut-off date to allow adequate time for review and processing because awards needed to be issued before the end of Fiscal Year 2020.
Why did the announcement emphasize timing and review constraints?
Because awards needed to be issued before the end of Fiscal Year 2020, the Mission needed enough time to review submissions and complete processing. This is why a cut-off date was highlighted in addition to the stated closing date.
How were applicants expected to address COVID-19 in their proposals?
Proposals were expected to reflect the realities of COVID-19 at the time. Applicants were instructed to design activities that account for public health restrictions, including limits on travel, gathering size, and social distancing.
Were virtual or hybrid activities encouraged?
Yes. In practical terms, applicants were encouraged to build in virtual or hybrid options, risk mitigation plans, and realistic implementation approaches consistent with evolving public health guidance.
Does the program prefer public-facing projects?
Yes. The activity examples and program framing emphasize public-facing, impact-oriented programming that supports mutual understanding and durable relationships between Liberians and Americans.
How should a proposal demonstrate "durable ties" and long-term impact?
While the announcement does not prescribe a single method, it clearly expects activities to build lasting people-to-people and institutional ties. Proposals would typically need to show how collaboration, exchange, networks, or partnerships will continue beyond the immediate project period.
Is strengthening exchange alumni networks specifically included as a priority?
Yes. One of the stated priorities is strengthening networks among U.S. State Department exchange program alumni so they can expand outreach, sharpen skills, and increase their community service impact.
Do media and journalism-related projects fit this program?
Yes. The announcement explicitly includes media projects and journalist or communications training that improve accountability, transparency, reach, and professionalism as example activities.
Do sports or extracurricular initiatives qualify?
Yes. The announcement includes sports or extracurricular initiatives as eligible examples, particularly when targeted toward underserved and marginalized communities.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification)
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