Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS ACC RSOI 2022 01
The U.S. Embassy in Ghana, through its Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Department of State, issued an Annual Program Statement for FY 2022 inviting organizations to submit Statements of Interest (SOIs) for small grants. The central goal of this opportunity is public diplomacy: projects should strengthen ties and build durable relationships between the United States and Ghana by highlighting shared values, mutual goals, and areas of cooperation. This announcement is intentionally open-ended and runs as an annual mechanism to encourage competition for new awards, but it starts with a short concept stage rather than requiring a full proposal up front.
The application process is structured in two steps. First, applicants submit an SOI that functions as a concise concept note, capped at three pages, describing the core program idea and what it aims to achieve. PAS reviews SOIs for eligibility and merit, and only selected applicants are invited to develop and submit a full proposal later. For this cycle, SOIs were due by February 1, 2022, with invitations to submit full proposals planned for February 18, 2022, full proposals due March 18, 2022, and final notifications targeted for April 30, 2022. Projects were expected to begin on or before June 30, 2022, and run for a total performance period of 6 to 18 months, with all projects required to be completed within 18 months or less.
A defining requirement is that every proposed project must include a strong and central American element. That means more than simply working with the U.S. Embassy or using American Corners; proposals should incorporate direct U.S. content or engagement such as American experts, partner organizations, institutions, or other tangible U.S. connections. The primary intent is to increase understanding of American values, perspectives, and policies while also building people-to-people and institution-to-institution relationships between Americans and Ghanaians. Example activities PAS is open to include speaker programs featuring American speakers (virtual or in-person), arts and culture collaborations involving American artists or American themes, programs that expand or enrich American Corners and American Spaces programming, alumni-led initiatives tied to U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs, roundtables and workshops, and media training. PAS notes that programming can be virtual, in-person with appropriate public health protocols, or a hybrid of both.
PAS identifies four priority program areas that proposals should align with. The first focuses on accountable governance, stronger democratic institutions, and human rights, which can include work on press freedom and journalism professionalism, media literacy and countering disinformation, transparency and anti-corruption, and human rights protection. The second priority area targets opportunity in underserved communities, including projects tied to public health and educational access. The third emphasizes peace and security, including capacity-building efforts, community-driven approaches to countering violent extremism, prevention and response related to gender-based violence, judicial sector strengthening, and cybersecurity training. The fourth looks at environmentally sustainable and inclusive economic growth, trade, and investment, including entrepreneurship support, capacity-building and incubators, climate-related work, and convenings that connect investors with businesses.
Audience strategy and inclusion are explicitly important in PAS review. Applicants are expected to define who the program is for and why that audience matters, and to show a thoughtful plan for reaching them. Proposals are also assessed for appropriate inclusivity across factors such as gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, and disability, depending on the program context.
The announcement also clearly lists activities that are not eligible for funding. PAS will not support partisan political activities, charity or development/social welfare programming, construction, programs that advance specific religious activities, fundraising campaigns, lobbying for particular legislation or programs, scientific research, projects primarily aimed at organizational growth or institutional development, or proposals that merely duplicate existing programs. In practice, this means applicants need to keep proposals centered on public diplomacy and relationship-building outcomes rather than service delivery, infrastructure, or advocacy tied to domestic political agendas.
Funding is described as small grants with a total pool of up to $200,000, subject to the availability of funds. PAS anticipated making 8 to 10 awards, depending on individual award sizes. Awards were expected to range from $15,000 (minimum) to $25,000 (maximum). PAS also notes it may award more or less than the stated amounts depending on application quality and what it determines is in the U.S. Government interest. Awards may be issued as grants or fixed amount awards, and the broader listing also references cooperative agreements as a possible instrument type. Cost sharing is not required, though optional in-kind support can be considered case by case.
Eligibility is open to a range of U.S. and Ghana-based applicants, including registered nonprofit organizations (such as think tanks and civil society/NGOs with relevant programming experience), individuals, nonprofit or governmental educational institutions, and governmental institutions. Applicants must be able to document experience implementing similar projects and demonstrate the capacity to manage a U.S. government award. For-profit businesses and commercial entities are not eligible. The Embassy also limits submissions to one proposal per organization; if an organization submits more than one, all submissions from that organization are deemed ineligible.
On registrations, PAS does not require applicants to have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI, formerly tied to DUNS), an NCAGE code, or an active SAM.gov registration at the SOI stage. However, if an SOI is selected and the applicant is invited to submit a full proposal, the applicant must obtain these registrations before a full application can be submitted. The notice emphasizes these registrations are free, and it outlines a general sequence: UEI, then NCAGE, then SAM registration.
SOIs had to be submitted by email to pasaccragrant@state.gov by 11:59 pm GMT on February 1, 2022. The email subject line needed to begin with "SOI 2022" followed by the proposed program name. Applicants were required to submit a single attachment (Word or PDF only) containing the complete concept note, and only submissions meeting these technical rules would be reviewed. The SOI itself needed to include: a heading with the organization name, relevant priority area(s), project title, location(s), project length, and total requested funding; a project synopsis describing objectives, key activities, intended audiences/participants, partners, and expected results; a description of the American content and how it builds understanding of the U.S. and relationships with Americans; a budget estimate in U.S. dollars showing approximate allocations; and a short organizational background demonstrating experience and ability to manage the award.
Finally, the review process is handled by a grant review committee and is based on three main evaluation categories. Reviewers assess the project idea for fit with priority areas, originality and potential impact, ability to reach key audiences, and strength of the American component. They evaluate the project plan for realism, feasibility, a logical timeline, measurable results, and alignment between activities and the proposed budget. They also assess institutional capacity, looking for evidence the applicant can deliver the program and manage funds responsibly, plus any added value such as relevant partnerships or specialized expertise. Selected SOI applicants were to be notified by February 18, 2022, but an invitation to submit a full proposal is explicitly not a guarantee of funding or a financial commitment by the U.S. government.Apply for DOS ACC RSOI 2022 01
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Ghana in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Ghana Public Affairs Section Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI): Annual Program Statement (FY 2022)" 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 Dec 29, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 01, 2022. (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 $25,000.00 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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