Competition is closed for 2007.
New competition will be announced separately.

2007 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation Program

American Embassy Kyiv is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the 2007 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation Program. The Fund was established by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2001 to help other countries preserve cultural heritage and demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures.

Proposals may include preservation projects directed at:

A cultural site or sites. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Preservation of an archaeological or historical site or sacred place or monument;
• An archeological survey as a component of a preservation plan;
• Preservation management planning for a site or sites in a region;
• Documentation of a site or sites in a region for preservation purposes.

An object or collection of objects from a site, a museum, or similar institution. This might include, but is not limited to:

• Conservation treatment of an object or collection of objects;
• Inventory of a collection of objects for conservation purposes;
• Creating suitable space and conditions for safe storage or exhibition of a collection of objects;
• Specialized training in the care and preservation of collections.

Forms of traditional cultural expression. This might include, but is not limited to:

• Documenting traditional music or dance forms;
• Compiling a dictionary of an endangered language;
• Documenting storytelling as part of traditional expression, e.g. folklore, traditional poetry;
• Support for training in the preservation of traditional arts or crafts that are threatened by extinction.

Application Requirements:

1. Detailed description of the project and participants, including the time frame for completion.

2. Indication of the importance of the cultural or sacred site, object or collection or form of expression. All should have a close association with the history and cultural development of Ukraine and demonstrate a need for preservation or conservation.

3. Indication of the urgency of the project.

4. Detailed budget

5. The impact of the U.S. contribution to the preservation project.

6. Grantee - must be an established organization or institution. No grants can be approved for individuals.

7. Resume of the Project Director and other professional staff.

8. Indication of other funding sources, if any. (Preference is given to those projects with local non-United States Government source cost sharing.)

Program Restrictions:

• This program is to support ONLY the preservation of cultural heritage. Conservation of natural heritage does not qualify for funding. Distinction between cultural and natural heritage: cultural heritage refers to objects, monuments, groups of buildings and properties with historical, aesthetic, archaeological, scientific, ethnological or anthropological value. Natural heritage refers to physical, biological and geological formations, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants and areas with scientific, conservation or aesthetic value.
• Digitization projects must take into account the fact that digital storage media (CDs, DVDs, videotapes, audiotapes, and diskettes) are not sufficiently stable to be used as permanent archival storage, and must not rely exclusively on digital records. Analog or paper backup records must be maintained.
• Funds cannot be used to support conservation of or the purchase of privately owned, residential or commercial property or collections.
• As a general rule, the program does not support international travel. Funds may pay for travel for outside specialists, however, if justified as integral to the project. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Proposals must be directed at specific projects that exclusively support preservation of sites, or forms of traditional expression, conservation of objects or preventive conservation/preservation strategies. Line items for administrative staff, miscellaneous, or contingency will not be supported. Administrative fees are limited to 5% of the overall project costs.
• Funds cannot be applied to construction of new buildings or to reconstruction of a type of historical building; only the restoration of existing buildings can be supported.
• Strong encouragement is given to local non-U.S. government source cost-sharing (including in-kind) from sources such as governments, international organizations, and the private sector.
• Keep in mind fluctuation of exchange rates when calculating the budget and amount of grant request.

Ukrainian