Africa Regional Services Paris Annual Program Statement: ARS Speaker Program | AF PDPA FY21 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for AF PDPA FY21 01

The Africa Regional Services (ARS) Speaker Program is a U.S. Department of State public diplomacy grant opportunity run out of Africa Regional Services in Paris. It is designed to support U.S. citizen speakers and artists who can deliver outreach programs for audiences in sub-Saharan Africa that strengthen understanding of the United States, including U.S. policies, perspectives, culture, and values. Activities can be professional (lectures, seminars, trainings) or cultural and artistic (workshops, masterclasses, performances, exhibitions). The program supports both virtual engagements and, when conditions allow, in-person programming. A key requirement is that programs must be conducted in French, Portuguese, or Spanish, and they must include clear U.S. elements such as American case studies, materials, or cultural content.

The application process works in two stages and starts with joining a speaker roster rather than applying for a specific event right away. First, an applicant submits a short, one-page Statement of Interest (SOI) along with a CV or resume. The SOI is meant to quickly communicate the applicant's expertise, credentials, relevant speaking or training experience, and language ability. ARS reviews SOIs on a rolling basis, with eligible submissions evaluated monthly by a Grants Review Committee. Applicants are assessed individually (not ranked against each other) and are typically notified within about a month whether they have been placed on the ARS roster. Being placed on the roster does not by itself guarantee funding; it simply makes the speaker eligible to be selected for specific programs.

The second stage begins only after a person is on the roster. ARS staff and U.S. embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa then select roster members for particular programs based on the embassy's objectives, the target audience, and the subject matter needed for that country or engagement. If selected for an actual program, the speaker is then invited to submit a full grant application package, which includes the required federal forms (SF-424 or SF-424-I, SF-424A, and SF-424B, as applicable). Programs that move forward must align with public diplomacy goals and be tailored to the embassy or consulate's audience needs.

ARS lists a wide range of priority topics, with an emphasis on governance, rights, information integrity, and capacity building. Priority areas include disability rights and inclusion; freedom of expression and citizen journalism; countering gender-based violence; good governance and rule of law; human rights and LGBTI issues; media business management, journalism skills, and World Press Freedom; NGO and civic leadership; racial and ethnic diversity; transparency and accountability; public management; entrepreneurship and innovation; countering disinformation; countering violent extremism; cybersecurity; preventing trafficking in persons; energy security; wildlife protection and illegal fishing (including legal and judicial aspects of wildlife trafficking); STEAM; youth empowerment; women's leadership; arts management; climate change; space policy; and environmental and waste management. On the cultural side, ARS explicitly encourages artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions that demonstrate U.S.-Africa cultural cooperation and reinforce people-to-people ties.

The intended audiences are broad and include members of the public as well as decision-makers, civil society leaders, and other opinion-shapers. Programs are implemented in coordination with U.S. embassy public affairs sections across sub-Saharan Africa, with the goal of reaching audiences at multiple levels of society and building wider understanding and support for U.S. engagement and viewpoints.

Funding is structured as small grants. Individual awards generally range from $500 to $10,000, with total funding of about $80,000 available under FY21 Public Diplomacy funds (authorized under Smith-Mundt). ARS anticipates making roughly 20 to 75 awards depending on the size of individual requests. The performance period for a specific grant-supported program can be 1 to 12 months, and once an embassy selects a speaker for an engagement, the program should be completed within 12 months. Separately, a speaker's name can remain on the ARS roster for up to five years, allowing future selection opportunities during that time.

Eligibility is limited primarily to U.S. citizen individuals who can lead programs in French, Portuguese, or Spanish and who are based in the U.S., Africa, Brazil, or Europe. Applicants must be able to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, typically via a U.S. passport. U.S. green card holders may be eligible only if they are part of a performing artist group, as described in the notice. For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply. Cost sharing is not required. Applicants may submit only one SOI, and individuals must have a Social Security Number to meet IRS reporting requirements. Applicants should also be aware of federal exclusions: anyone listed on the Excluded Parties List System within SAM is not eligible, and ARS encourages applicants to verify that no ineligible party is involved.

To apply for the first-stage consideration, applicants email the one-page SOI and their CV or resume directly to arsspeaker@state.gov. For administrative compliance, any applicant who advances to the full application and award stage will need to be able to follow the Department of State standard terms and conditions and applicable federal regulations (including 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 600). Questions about the SOI process are directed to the same ARS email address. The opportunity was posted with an original closing date of September 30, 2021, and an anticipated start date of March 1, 2021, with awards subject to the availability of funds.

• The Department of State, Africa Regional Services in the agriculture, arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), business and commerce, community development, energy, environment, health, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Africa Regional Services Paris Annual Program Statement: ARS Speaker 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 Mar 01, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 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 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for AF PDPA FY21 01

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: