Purpose of Grants Program: 

The U.S. Department of State provides funding for well-conceived projects that support U.S. Embassy Santiago’s strategic priorities in Chile. All proposed projects should strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and Chile and include a clear U.S. element that will promote increased understanding of the United States among the Chilean public. They may include U.S. expert(s), organization(s), technology, methods or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. 

Proposals should address one or more of the following priority program objectives: 

• Bolster resilience against disinformation: Chilean audiences including but not limited to journalists and students acquire skills and tools to enhance free speech, and/or media literacy to make informed decisions and build resilience against disinformation. 
• Foster mutual economic prosperity: promote more stable and sustainable social and economic conditions and encourage economic participation by under-represented or under-served Chileans, particularly through entrepreneurship, English language learning, and other economic empowerment efforts.  
• Enhance bilateral institutional cooperation in science, engineering, technology and advanced education: programs that support academic or institutional collaboration and educational exchange, promote joint U.S.-Chile research and/or cultivate public-private partnerships for higher education in advanced fields (Note that Grants cannot fund specific scientific, technology, engineering or health-care research projects, even if collaborative – see page 8 for Funding Restrictions). 
• Cultivate security, democracy and democratic institutions, human rights, and rule of law shared values: programs that support the propagation of democracy and democratic institutions, civil liberties, human rights, security and rule of law. 
• Before applying, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications that will apply to this award to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include:  
• eCFR :: 2 CFR Part 200 -- Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 
• eCFR :: 2 CFR Part 600 -- The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 
• US Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions 

1. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 

Length of Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed by December 31, 2026, with limited exceptions. 

Number of Awards Anticipated: Up to 10 awards (dependent on approved amounts) 

Award Amounts: Awards may range from a minimum of $40,000 to a maximum of $100,000, with limited exceptions. 

Type of Funding: FY2025 Public Diplomacy funding, U.S. Embassy Santiago, 

Funding Authority: Smith-Mundt Act 

Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Cooperative Agreement, or Fixed Amount Award Anticipated Program Start Date: Flexible, as early as 3 weeks from proposal approval  

This notice is subject to availability of funding. 

1. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 

The Public Diplomacy Section welcomes applications from U.S. and Chilean: 

• Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non- governmental organizations with programming experience, 
• Individuals, or 
• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions. 

Note that for-profit or commercial entities are NOT eligible to apply. 

Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing or in-kind contributions are not required but are encouraged. 

Other Eligibility Requirements 

Applicants may submit only one proposal per organization for this specific funding opportunity. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding. 

To be eligible to receive an award, an organization must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration with www.SAM.gov. Note this is not required to submit a SOI. Please see Section E for information on how to obtain these registrations. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or to be registered in SAM.gov. 

1. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

Application forms required below are available at https://cl.usembassy.gov/education- culture/grants-corner/. If you require special accommodation to access any information contained in this announcement, please contact GrantsChile@state.gov. 

Content and Form of Application Submission 

Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. 

SOI – Statement of Interest 

Submissions will be reviewed and receive a response within 20 business days of the deadline. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2025, with limited exceptions. 

The SOI must be completed in English, follow the character limits stipulated, and includes: 

• Legal name of the organization, name of person submitting the SOI, title, telephone, address, e-mail, and UEI (if available) 
• Name of the project, total budget in USD, length and timing of project 
• Brief project summary: description, project statement, and solution 
• Audience, location, and promotion plans 
• Goals and objectives 
• Outputs and outcomes 
• Brief introduction of the organization or individual 
• Estimated budget in U.S. dollars, divided by category (see guidelines in section H) 

Statements of interest must be submitted through the following link: 

https://forms.gle/JZoYQnn6avEnYxmT7    

1. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 

Statement of Interest Review 

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) at U.S. Embassy Santiago convenes a committee to review and analyze the quality and feasibility of each proposed project and how well it aligns with the Embassy’s priorities. The committee may provide conditions and/or recommendations on SOIs to enhance the proposed project. These conditions must be addressed if the applicant is invited to complete the second step, the full proposal application.  

Each SOI will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

• Program areas addressed are aligned with priorities - 30 points 
• Objectives and expected outcomes are clear – 20 points 
• Target Audience – 10 points 
• Proposed budget and timeline – 20 points 
• Proposal is viable, reasonable, and executable – 10 points 
• Compliance with required information and documents – 10 points 

Full Proposal Review 

Following the SOI review, successful SOI applicants will be contacted and instructed to submit full applications. These applicants will have one month from the date of this notification to submit a full proposal. A full proposal will include: 

1. Completion of full proposal, at a link to be provided. 
2. Additional mandatory forms/documents, to be uploaded: 

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – Organizations) 
• SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) 
• Budget Justification Narrative: After filling out the SF-424 A budget form, applicants must describe each of the budget expenses in detail. 
• Program Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: The plan should indicate expected activities and results, as well as how they will be measured. 
• SAMs proof of active registration: Email or screenshot that shows active registration. 

We strongly recommend you download and complete all forms prior to beginning the submission process. 

Full Proposal Criteria: 

• Goals and objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results. Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the program maximizes inclusivity for all stakeholders in design, administration and implementation. (25%) 
• Quality and feasibility of the program idea: The program idea is well-developed, with realistic detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline and measures of success. (20%) 
• Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates how it plans to monitor and evaluate for measuring impact (results) of the proposed project. Results from monitoring and evaluation efforts should demonstrate to the Public Diplomacy Section that the applicant can use information and data to show that its project is meeting program objectives and goals. We encourage applicants to use their own M&E template. Otherwise, there is an example located in the application package on the Grants Corner page. (15%) 
• Budget and narrative justification: The budget should be detailed, and narrative justification be complete and reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The cost estimates are realistic. (20%) 
• Sustainability: The application clearly communicates the applicant’s strategy for ensuring that the project benefits will continue to be realized after the conclusion of the period of performance of the award. The applicant presents a feasible approach to sustainability. (20%)