NOFO: Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grant Program (Cambodia)

Priority Areas

• In all cases, projects should address clear needs in Cambodia or region. Special consideration will be given to proposals that connect cultural property protection and heritage themes to other Embassy programming or encourage linkages between government agencies (inter-ministerial initiatives) and between governments and the private sector.

Funding Information 

• Floor on amount of Individual Awards: US $25,000 per project
• Ceiling on amount of Individual Awards: US $150,000 per project

Eligible Activities

• The CPAIG Grants Program supports the following types of activities:
  • Training: Build capacity of foreign law enforcement and cultural property managers to protect sites and objects. Examples include country-specific or regional workshops on investigation and interdiction techniques, effective record keeping, the role of the judiciary, increased communication between ministries of culture and law enforcement authorities, and training for cultural property stewards.
  • Inventories: Support the creation and maintenance of centralized, digital, and secure inventories of cultural objects or sites to better support resource allocation, aid in recovery in cases of theft, and promote public appreciation for cultural property protection.
  • Site Security and Protection: Support practical and sustainable measures to more effectively secure archaeological sites (on land or underwater), museums, libraries, archives, and other collecting institutions against looting, thefts, and vandalism. Examples include development of site security plans, installation of security systems, and training for guards or site stewards.
  • Public Education and Outreach for Crime Prevention: Support strategies to prevent looting and trafficking through heightened public awareness and outreach. Examples include educational materials, community engagement and media programs, storytelling, distance learning courses, 3D models, and virtual experiences like games and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).
  • Successful CPAIG projects shall adhere to international standards for the protection of cultural property and focus on fostering cooperation, building best practices, and engaging communities through one or more of the above activities.

Ineligible Activities

• CPAIG does not support the following activities or costs, and the Embassy will deem applications requesting CPAIG support for any of these activities or costs ineligible:
  • Privately or Commercially Owned Property: Preservation or purchase of privately or commercially owned cultural objects, collections, or real property, including those whose transfer from private or commercial to public ownership is envisioned, planned, or in process but not complete at the time of application.
  • Natural Heritage: Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections, and other natural collections) unless the natural heritage has a cultural heritage connection or dimension.
  • Mandated Educational Materials: Development of curricula or educational materials for required classroom use.
  • New Construction: Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example).
  • Relocation: Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another unless under imminent threat of irreversible damage or destruction.
  • Removal: Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason.
  • Digitization: Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a clearly defined documentation effort.
  • Repatriation: Repatriation of cultural property from the United States to another country unless part of a larger, clearly defined protection, documentation, or public diplomacy effort.
  • Cash Reserves or Endowments: Cash reserves, endowments, or revolving funds (funds must be expended within the award period [up to five years] and may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund).
  • Fund-Raising Campaigns: Costs of fund-raising campaigns.
  • Contingency Costs: Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs.
  • Pre-Award Costs: Costs of work performed prior to the announcement of the award unless allowable per 2 CFR 200.458 and approved by the Grants Officer.
  • International Travel: International travel outside the project country, except in cases where travel is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project or to provide project leaders with learning and exchange opportunities with cultural heritage experts.
  • Project Cost Limits: Individual projects which cost less than US $25,000 or more than $150,000.
  • Independent U.S. Projects: Independent U.S. projects overseas.

Eligibility Criteria

• The embassy defines eligible project implementers as reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that can demonstrate they have the requisite capacity to manage projects to protect cultural property. Eligible implementers may include non-governmental organizations, museums, educational institutions, ministries of culture, or similar institutions and organizations, including U.S.-based educational institutions and organizations subject to Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The CPAIG will not award grants to individuals, commercial entities, or past award recipients that have not fulfilled the objectives or reporting requirements of previous awards.
• Potential implementers must be registered and active in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM) to receive U.S. federal assistance.

Application Requirements

• Each concept note submitted must include:
  • Project Basics, including working title, anticipated project length (Note: Applicants may propose project periods of up to 60 months), location/site, and project cost estimate (amount requested from CPAIG; in U.S. dollars).
  • Project Implementer.
  • Project Scope of Work summarizing (3,000 characters minimum):
    • cultural property protection activities and goals
    • related host country or community goals (i.e., what they hope to gain from the project beyond protecting cultural property and how these goals will be achieved)
    • anticipated strategic outreach activities to build awareness and engage communities and stakeholders.
  • Rationale for CPAIG Support, explaining why it’s in the interests of the U.S. government to fund the project, specifically:
    • how the project relates to existing bilateral cultural property agreements or Joint Action Plans, or emergency import restrictions (1,000 characters maximum).
    • the projected public diplomacy benefits of the project (1,000 characters maximum).
  • (Optional, but preferred) Five high quality digital images (JPEGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the site or collection and show the urgency or need for the proposed project.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Cambodia.