The U.S. Consulate General Cape Town’s Public Affairs Section (PAS Cape Town) of the U.S. Department of State announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in applying for funding for program proposals that strengthen ties and build relation-ships between the U.S. and South Africa.

The purpose of this small grants program is to strengthen ties and build relationships between the U.S. and South Africa through activities that highlight shared values, goals and cooperation. All proposed projects must have a strong, central, American element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s (separate and beyond any involvement with the U.S. Consulate or its American Corners), and have as a primary goal the promotion of increased understanding of U.S. values, perspectives, and policies and relationship building between Americans and South Africans.

Examples of PAS Small Grants Programs include, but are not limited to:

• Academic or professional speaker programs involving an American speaker, either in person or virtual;
• Artistic and cultural programs, joint performances or exhibitions involving the work of American artists or American subject matter;
• Educational exchanges involving travel by South Africans in the United States or Americans in South Africa;
• Programs that expand PAS American Corners and American Spaces activities;
• Programs that strengthen the relationship between American and South African organizations or institutions and their respective target audiences;
• Programs developed by an alumnus/a of a U.S.-government sponsored educational or professional exchange program.

Priority Program Areas

Grant proposals must address at least one of the following program priority areas:

• Projects that promote economic growth, youth employment and/or connection between the US and SA economies;
• Projects that promote awareness of sustained U.S. engagement in South Africa;
• Projects that address women’s empowerment and/or gender-based violence;
• Projects that promote pluralism & social inclusion;
• Projects that promote combating local and transnational crime, trafficking, and insecurity

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $100,000
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $25,000
• Length of performance period: 12 to 18 months
• Number of awards anticipated: 4 to 6 awards (dependent on amounts)

Participants and Audiences

Intended participants and target audiences are youth (above age 14) and adults, located in either the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, or Western Cape. PAS Cape Town is particularly interested in projects that are based in smaller regional cities within these provinces.

Eligibility Criteria

• PAS Cape Town encourages applications from South African:
  • Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations with programming experience
  • Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
  • Governmental institutions
• Applicants should be able to document their experience implementing similar projects. For-profit businesses or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.