FY 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition | DOS PAS SLO 2021 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS PAS SLO 2021 001

The FY 2021 NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovenia, designed to support well-planned, well-managed projects that strengthen ties between the United States and Slovenia. The central purpose is public diplomacy: projects should deepen Slovenian understanding of the United States, including American society, culture, politics, and values, while also advancing U.S. policy priorities in Slovenia. The program is positioned as a competitive small-grants mechanism, with the Embassy signaling that new grantees may be favored when they bring strong, relevant, and high-impact proposals.

Funding is offered through grants and cooperative agreements, and the program expects to make around 10 awards. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $10,000 per project, which suggests the Embassy is looking for focused, practical initiatives with clear deliverables rather than large, multi-year efforts. Activity areas span a broad range, including arts and humanities (cultural affairs), community development, education, environment, and law/justice/legal services, giving applicants flexibility as long as the work clearly connects back to the program goals of bilateral relationship-building and mutual understanding.

For this particular grant cycle, the Embassy highlights specific priority themes that will receive additional consideration. These include regional and trans-Atlantic cooperation; entrepreneurship and innovation (including economic reform, trade promotion, and women in STEAM); international security, counterterrorism, and defense issues; energy security and diversification; digitalization, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence; countering corruption and strengthening good governance, rule of law, and transparency; support for independent media and investigative journalism; human rights work (including tolerance, respect for diversity, and support for historically marginalized communities); youth engagement, volunteerism, and active citizenship; and environmental preservation and sustainability. Applicants that can credibly tie their activities to one or more of these areas, while still advancing U.S.-Slovenia connections and understanding of the United States, are positioned more competitively.

Eligibility is relatively broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits that do not have U.S. 501(c)(3) status (other than universities), and other entity types as clarified in the opportunity’s eligibility notes. In practical terms, this indicates the Embassy is open to working with Slovenian civil society organizations, educational institutions, and other locally relevant partners that can implement programming effectively and responsibly.

Proposals are evaluated using a set of defined criteria that emphasizes both program quality and organizational capacity. Reviewers will look closely at the quality of the project concept and design, the clarity and feasibility of program goals and objectives, and the applicant’s plan for measuring effectiveness (how outcomes will be tracked and evidenced). They will also assess organizational capability and past performance, the realism and cost effectiveness of the budget, the suitability of key personnel, and the sustainability of the project beyond the grant period. In other words, strong applications are expected to be more than good ideas: they should read like implementable plans with credible staffing, a sensible budget, measurable results, and a reason the work will matter after the funding ends.

The review process is handled by the Embassy’s NGO Small Grants Committee, typically an odd-number panel of key Embassy staff (often five). The committee uses a cost-benefit approach and weighs each project’s potential to advance U.S. policy priorities. This means applicants should assume reviewers will be comparing impact per dollar across proposals, and that clearly articulated public diplomacy value and strategic relevance will matter alongside technical project design.

The Embassy also spells out what it wants to see in the strongest proposals. Top projects will actively build and deepen U.S.-Slovenia relationships through bilateral cooperation, highlight shared values, and promote mutual understanding. They should be sustainable, with clearly defined goals and outcomes rather than vague aspirations. Finally, proposals should include visible acknowledgement of U.S. Embassy support and a communications plan to amplify the partnership through traditional and/or digital media, reflecting the program’s public diplomacy purpose and the Embassy’s interest in broader reach and visibility.

Key administrative details include the opportunity number (DOS PAS SLO 2021 001), a creation/posting date of January 20, 2021, and an original application deadline of March 15, 2021.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovenia in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), community development, education, environment, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program - Open Competition" 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 Jan 20, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 15, 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 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS PAS SLO 2021 001

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