FY 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition | DOS PAS SLO 2021 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS PAS SLO 2021 003

The FY 2021 NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovenia, designed to support well-planned, well-managed projects that strengthen ties between the United States and Slovenia. The Embassy is looking to fund initiatives that deepen mutual understanding and highlight shared values by increasing Slovenians understanding of the United States, including American society, culture, politics, and core democratic principles. The program is meant to be flexible in terms of subject matter, but it is clearly oriented toward projects that advance public diplomacy goals and create durable bilateral connections.

Projects can fall under a broad set of eligible topic areas, with priority themes that reflect current U.S.-Slovenia and trans-Atlantic interests. These priority areas include regional and trans-Atlantic cooperation; entrepreneurship and innovation (including economic reform, trade promotion, and support for women in STEAM); international security, counterterrorism, and defense issues; energy security and diversification; digitalization, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence; anti-corruption, good governance, rule of law, and transparency; independent media and investigative journalism; human rights (including tolerance, respect for diversity, and support for historically marginalized communities); youth engagement, volunteerism, and active citizenship; and climate action, environmental preservation, and sustainability. In practice, the strongest proposals are likely to connect one or more of these themes to concrete activities that bring Slovene and U.S. partners together in a way that is visible, measurable, and relevant to local needs.

The Embassy signals three main qualities it wants to see in competitive proposals. First, programs should clearly build and enhance relationships between Slovenia and the United States through meaningful bilateral cooperation, not just general programming that could occur without a U.S. partner or U.S. content. Second, projects should be sustainable and demonstrate strong merit, with clearly defined goals, expected outcomes, and a plan for how results will continue or be used after the grant ends. Third, proposals should include a clear U.S. component and also plan for public recognition and outreach: applicants are expected to acknowledge U.S. Embassy support and include a strategy to amplify the cooperation through traditional and/or digital media. This emphasis on visibility and mutual understanding suggests that public engagement, communications planning, and credible U.S.-Slovenia linkages are central to how applications will be assessed.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is offered through grants or cooperative agreements, meaning selected projects may involve varying levels of Embassy involvement depending on the award structure. The funding activity categories listed include education, environment, and humanities/cultural affairs, which fits the public diplomacy focus and the breadth of themes described. The award ceiling is $10,000 per award, and the Embassy expected to make about 10 awards under this notice, positioning it as a small-grants program aimed at targeted, high-impact initiatives rather than large multi-year programs.

Eligibility is limited to specific types of organizations: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education). Applicants are instructed to carefully review the full NOFO package and the U.S. Embassy web-page instructions and to follow the required submission steps exactly. The notice also makes clear that incomplete applications, or those that fail to meet eligibility requirements, will not be reviewed. The notice was created June 15, 2021, with an original application deadline of August 16, 2021, so it is tied to the FY 2021 cycle and its posted closing date.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovenia in the education, environment, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition" 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 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 16, 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 $10,000.00 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 that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for DOS PAS SLO 2021 003

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