Notice of Funding Opportunity

 

Funding Opportunity Title:  U.S. Ambassador’s Independent Media Support  (AIMS) Fund

Funding Opportunity Number:  PDS-BUD-FY23-AEECA001

Deadline for Applications: June 30, 2023 no later than 11:59 p.m. (CET)

Assistance Listing Number:  19.900 AEECA

Total Amount Available: $500,000 – subject to availability of funds

 

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to provide support to Hungarian independent media outlets and civil society organizations actively advancing media freedom in Hungary.  Please follow all instructions below.

Region: Hungary

Program Objectives: 

Activities under this cooperative agreement will support the independent media landscape in Hungary by enabling independent media and/or civil society organizations to promote high-quality journalism and the long-term viability of independent media outlets and journalists.

The implementing partner will manage funds that will be disbursed to sub-recipients for either pre-planned expenditures or “rapid response funds” for unforeseen expenditures that generally fall within the following funding categories:

• Travel for journalists, researchers, technicians, editorial staff, or other essential personnel for the purposes of reporting, conducting interviews, conducting research, or other activities that contribute to independent journalistic activities.
• Transportation, lodging, and meals/incidental expenses for rural journalists to travel to Budapest for media training, conferences, professional development, consultations, and reporting activities.
• Short-term professional development courses for journalists (non-degree programs) and associated travel costs.
• Programmatic and administrative costs associated with internships, fellowships, or other training and development programs for emerging journalists or technical staff.
• Fees to access to research databases, archives, or other online resources that advance independent journalistic reporting.
• Legal or administrative fees related to access to information, legal proceedings, or other administrative processes essential to operations.
• Logistical expenditures related to journalistic reporting and research (translations, transcriptions, audio/video production, equipment rental, venue rental, etc.).
• Event production costs for journalist trainings, media literacy programming, public information campaigns, public exhibitions, etc.
• Publication of educational materials (including translation of materials into Hungarian)

• Costs for licensing, subscription, marketing, financial management, or consulting services, software, or databases.
• Support for digital infrastructure, to include web design, online hosting, web optimization, development of mobile applications, community managers, etc.
• Conduct of market analysis, public opinion polling, or other research related to the Hungarian media landscape, media consumption trends.
• Other similar activities approved by the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.

The implementing partner must establish a clear, efficient, transparent, publicly available procedure for prospective sub-recipients to apply for financial support under this award.

 

Participants and Audiences:

The implementing partner must:

• Be based in Hungary (preferred) or the Central Europe region, or have a substantial local presence which allows for hands-on program management and monitoring/evaluation activities.
• Have the capacity to expeditiously disburse funds to sub-recipients (beneficiaries) in compliance with U.S., Hungarian, and EU regulations.
• Regularly consult with the U.S. Embassy in Budapest on funding decisions, program activities, monitoring and evaluation, and other grant activities.

 

Sub-recipients must fall into one of the following categories:

• Independent media outlets with operations in Hungary.
• Independent civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations conducting activities that advance media freedom in Hungary.
• Independent educational institutions or entities providing academic and/or professional development courses or other developmental resources to students, journalists, or others in the media field.

 

For programming purposes, an independent organization is defined as one which is not directly or indirectly affiliated with or funded by a political party, partisan organization, or political candidate.  Final determination of an organization’s status as an independent entity shall be made by the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.

 

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 12 months with the possibility for extension

Number of awards anticipated: 1-3 awards

Award amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $500,000

Total available funding: $500,000 – subject to availability of funds

Type of Funding:  FY2023 Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA) Funds administered by the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest

Anticipated program start date:  September 1, 2023

 

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

 

Funding Instrument Type:  Cooperative Agreement.  Substantial involvement of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest will include approval of all sub-recipients (beneficiaries), program activities, funding timelines, and monitoring/evaluation oversight.

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 12 months, but depending on program needs extension is possible.

The Department of State will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the initial budget period on a non-competitive basis subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

 

C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION

 

1. Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

Hungarian, U.S., or other foreign entities, including:

• Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
• Public and private educational institutions
• Public international organizations and governmental institutions

 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing or matching is not required.

 

3. Other Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 for more information.

 

For further details download the full notice of funding opportunity here (PDF 250 KB). 

 

Call for Proposals: Embassy Budapest, Public Diplomacy Section – Small Grants Program

Annual Program Statement for Fiscal Year 2023

 

Please review the full Annual Program Statement (APS) for all program objectives, application information, and eligibility requirements.

Embassy’s detailed Annual Program Statement can be downloaded in a PDF format from here: Call for Proposals (PDF, 294 KB)

Overview

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary is pleased to announce that funding is available through the Embassy’s Small Grants Program. This program supports projects proposed by Hungarian non-profit organizations, individuals, and educational organizations that aim to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Hungary.

The Embassy has particular interest in projects that strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Hungary through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation.

For the detailed list of Priority Program Areas, please read the full announcement.

Proposals will be considered in four separate cycles of funding. The deadlines to submit proposals are:

• March 31, 2023 (11:59 p.m. CET)
• May 31, 2023 (11:59 p.m. CET)
• July 31, 2023 (11:59 CET)
• September 30, 2023 (11:59 p.m. CET)*

*Applications received between July 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023 will be considered for funding in Fiscal Year 2024, subject to funds availability

Typically, grants range from $5,000 to $10,000.  The Public Diplomacy Section in Budapest reserves the right to award less or more than the funds requested as it deems to be in the best interest of the U.S. Government.

NOTE: Once a project proposal is approved, the administrative process to receive funds takes a minimum of two months. As such, proposals tied to a specific date or event, should take this timeline into account.

How to Apply

Proposals should be submitted by email to BudapestGrants@state.gov, in English (NOTE: only proposals in English will be accepted). In addition to the proposal, you must submit a budget and budget narrative. Proposal (DOCX 55KB) and budget templates (XLS 85KB) can be downloaded here. You will receive an e-mail confirming that we have received your application. Proposals can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed with all the submissions received for the appropriate cycle of funding.  All applicants are typically contacted 4-6 weeks after the deadline for each funding cycle and informed whether or not their proposal was selected. Should you have any questions, please submit them to BudapestGrants@state.gov.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include individuals, registered U.S. and Hungarian not-for-profit organizations, including non-governmental organizations, non-profit or governmental educational institutions, and governmental institutions.

Required Registration:

In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations, whether based in the United States or in Hungary, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, as well as an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks, so we encourage applying organizations to begin their registration as early as possible. Individual recipients do not need any registration.

For detailed information on the SAM.gov registration process please read the relevant sections in the full announcement.

 

Selection Process

Each application submitted under this announcement will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the following evaluation criteria:  Embassy priorities; quality and feasibility of the program idea; goals and objectives; budget; organizational capacity and record on previous grants; monitoring and evaluation plan; sustainability, media and visibility plan. The criteria are designed to assess the quality of the proposed project, and to determine the likelihood of its success.

Thank you for your interest in the Embassy’s Small Grants Program.

Important information regarding Federal Assistance Applications (SF-424)

Type of Application:                                      New
Name of Federal Agency:                              U.S. Embassy Budapest, Department of State, Public Diplomacy Office

Assistance Listing Number:                           19.040
Title:                                                                Public Diplomacy Programs
Funding Opportunity Number:                     PDS-BUD-FY23-APS001

Title:                                                                U.S. Embassy Budapest, PDS – FY23 Annual Program Statement (APS)