2026 Grants Program: Freedom 250 Special Edition

 

Public Diplomacy Section, U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand

 

Announcement

U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the Cultural Heritage Center (CHC) in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce the call for proposals for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2026 Grants Program: Freedom 250 Special Edition Funding Opportunity.

Established in 2001, the AFCP supports projects that showcase U.S. global leadership in cultural heritage preservation, improving U.S. favorability overseas, and supporting U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals.  Under the AFCP Freedom 250 special edition, the minimum funding available for individual projects is US$25,000 per project and the maximum amount is US$250,000 per project.  The deadline for submitting a single full application is March 19, 2026.

This Freedom 250 special edition of the AFCP honors our enduring commitment to freedom, democracy, and unity via cultural heritage stewardship.  In the spirit of these values, priority projects should incorporate technical exchange between Americans and foreign counterparts and illuminate the rich historical and cultural ties between the United States and Thailand.

Funding Priorities

Projects that meet one or more of the following criteria will be prioritized:

Cultural objects or sites in other countries associated with, or frequently visited by notable Americans, such as homes, studios, or institutions. Cultural objects or sites in other countries developed, excavated, or otherwise brought to light by American archaeologists or other heritage professionals. Cultural objects or sites in other countries associated with American history or American contributions to significant historical events, such as peace agreements, military memorials, and other commemorative sites. Cultural objects or sites in other countries associated with American innovations and leadership in the sciences, such as laboratories or observatories. Cultural objects or sites in other countries highlighting the intellectual and philosophical roots of American institutions. Cultural objects or sites in other countries associated with American-inspired independence movements that showcase the United States as an example for nations striving toward liberty and self-governance. Forms of traditional cultural expression such as music and dance that heavily

influenced American art forms.

Historical sites of significance to diaspora communities in the United States.

Funding Areas

The AFCP Freedom 250 special edition supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts.  Appropriate project activities may include:

Anastylosis: Reassembling a site from its original parts. Conservation: Addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site. Consolidation: Connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site. Documentation: Recording the condition and important features of an

object, site, or tradition in analog or digital format.

Inventory: Listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristics. Preventive Conservation: Addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition. Restoration: Replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate for fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings. Stabilization: Reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site.

Sites and objects having a religious connection, the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution permits the government to include religious objects and sites within a program under certain conditions.  For example, an item with a religious connection (including a place of worship) may be the subject of a cultural preservation grant if the item derives its primary significance from and is nominated solely based on architectural, artistic, historical, or other cultural (not religious) criteria.

Ineligible Activities and Unallowable Costs

The AFCP Freedom 250 special edition does NOT support the following activities or costs, and applications requesting support for any of these activities or costs will be deemed ineligible:

a) 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. b) Natural Heritage: Preservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants, fossils, etc.) unless the natural heritage has a cultural heritage connection or dimension. c) Human Remains: Preservation of hominid or human remains. d) News Media: Preservation of news media (newspapers, newsreels, radio and TV programs, etc.). e) Published Materials: Preservation of published materials available elsewhere (books, periodicals, etc.). f) Mandated Educational Materials: Development of curricula or educational materials for required classroom use. g) Archaeological Research: Archaeological excavations or exploratory surveys for research purposes. h) Historical Research: Historical research, except in cases where the research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project. i) New Collections: Acquisition or creation of new objects or collections for new or existing museums. j) New Construction: Construction of new buildings, building additions, or permanent coverings (over archaeological sites, for example). k) New Works of Art: Commissions of new works of art or architecture for commemorative or economic development purposes. l) New or Modern Adaptations: Creation of new or modern adaptation of existing traditional dances, songs, chants, musical compositions, plays, or other performances. m) Conjectural Reconstructions: Creation of conjectural reconstructions of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist. n) Relocation: Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another unless under imminent threat of irreversible damage or destruction. o) Removal: Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason. p) Digitalization: Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a clearly defined conservation, documentation, or public diplomacy effort. q) Conservation Plans or Studies: Conservation plans or other studies, unless they are one component of a larger project to implement the results of those studies. r) 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). s) Fund-Raising Campaigns: Costs of fund-raising campaigns. t) Contingency Costs: Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs. u) 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. v) Project Cost Limits: Individual projects which cost less than US $25,000 or more than $250,000. w) Independent U.S. Projects: Independent U.S. projects overseas.

Application Scoring System

The AFCP Freedom 250 special edition has a point-based rating system as follows:

Rationale for Support, including Freedom 250 rationale (provided by Embassy) (25 points max) Activities Description (including technical exchange) and Timeframe (20 points max) Importance of the cultural heritage site, object, or practice (10 points max) Project Maintenance Plan (5 points max) Implementer Public Outreach Plan and Embassy Strategic Outreach Plan, including how the embassy intends to integrate the project with other Freedom 250 activities (15 points max) Data and Information Access Plan (5 points max) Budget and Budget Narrative (10 points max) Supporting Materials (resumes, assessments, reports, images, etc.) (10 points max) Innovative integration, collaboration, or coordination with other ECA and public diplomacy programs (5 bonus points max)

Cost Sharing and Other Forms of Cost Participation

There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost participation required.  When an implementing partner offers cost sharing, it is understood and agreed that the partner must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the budget of the application and later included in an approved agreement.  The implementing partner will be responsible for tracking and reporting on any cost share or outside funding. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs.

Eligible Project Implementers

Eligible project implementers are reputable and accountable non-commercial entities that demonstrate they have the capacity to manage projects to preserve cultural heritage. 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 AFCP 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 implementing partners must be registered and active in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM) to receive U.S. federal assistance. The embassy should work with them to start the registration process immediately so that it is active if the project is ultimately selected for an award. The registration process can take several weeks to complete, so it is important to avoid any delay.  If a project is selected for an award and the registration is not completed, the award could be delayed until the next fiscal year, pending the availability of funding.

SAM Registration

An award recipient must be registered in SAM prior to receiving U.S. federal assistance unless it meets one of the exemptions specified in the Federal Assistance Directive (https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/A-OPE/FA/SitePages/Policy.aspx).

The SAM registration process can take weeks or months, especially for non-U.S. applicants. SAM will assign a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) automatically to any entity registering or renewing its record in the system. Registration in SAM is free: https://sam.gov/.

Suggested guidelines for a single full application to be submitted are below.  Each application must be in English and should be emailed to Bangkokpd@state.gov with the subject line: “THAILAND AFCP 2026: Project Name – Applicant Name” by midnight March 19, 2026.  To determine if your project fits into the AFCP Freedom 250 special edition criteria, interested applicants are encouraged to coordinate early with Public Diplomacy Section of U.S. Embassy Bangkok or email a short one-paragraph description of their project to Bangkokpd@state.gov any time before the deadline for an initial review.

For additional information about the fund, please visit the CHC website https://www.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/#programs.

 

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)

2026 Grants Program: Freedom 250 Special Edition

INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN FULL APPLICATION

All information must be submitted in English

a) Project Description:

Provide a project summary and clearly describe the goals of the project.  Explain the outputs and outcomes the project will produce to achieve each goal and the activities that will generate these outputs and outcomes.  Do this for both primary goals (such as restoring a part of a monument) and secondary goals (such as improving economic opportunities).  Successful applications describe a clear, logical pathway from activities to goals, including the necessary steps in between.  Unsuccessful applications state broad goals but omit details on how they will be achieved.  In addition to the description, applicants may include a list, table, or chart of activities in chronological order, along with major outputs and outcomes and target dates for achieving them.

b) Key Personnel:

Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the project.

c) Statement of Importance:

Highlight the historical, architectural, artistic, or cultural (non-religious) values of the cultural heritage.

d) Freedom 250 Statement:

Describe how the cultural heritage relates to one or more of the AFCP Freedom 250 funding priorities.

e) Project Maintenance Plan:

Outline the steps or measures that the applicant will take to maintain the site, object, or collection in good condition after the AFCP-supported project is complete; or, in the case of forms of traditional cultural expression, preserve and disseminate the documentation, knowledge, or skills gained from the project.

f) Implementer Public Outreach Plan:

Describe, as appropriate and in close coordination with the U.S. embassy, how the implementing partner will build awareness, engage communities and stakeholders, and promote U.S. branding of the project.  Awareness-building activities typically include social media posts, ribbon-cutting events, and news stories.  Community and stakeholder engagement activities may include community-led or community-produced workshops, short videos, documentary films, oral histories, storytelling or interpretive exhibits, and educational or enrichment events tailored for specific audiences, such as young people.  Successful applications feature strong and innovative public outreach activities.

g) Data and Information Access Plan:

Outline how the implementing partner will share, as appropriate, raw data or processed information, such as publications, generated from the project with the public and the State Department.

h) Detailed Project Budget:

Provide a detailed project budget that lists all costs in separate categories (personnel, fringe benefits, travel [including per diem], equipment, supplies, contractual, other direct costs, indirect costs) and indicates funds from other sources.  Suggest using the attached AFCP budget template.

i) Budget Narrative:
Explain how the costs were estimated (quantity x unit cost, annual salary x percentage of time spent on project, etc.) and any large budget line items. j) Resumes or CVs:
Provide resumes or CVs of the proposed project director and other key personnel. k) Support Letters:
If applicable, letters of support from project partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner. l) Proof of Official Permission:
Official permission letters, if required for project activities. m) Relevant Supporting Documentation:
Provide relevant supporting documentation, as applicable, such as historic structure reports, restoration plans and studies, conservation needs assessments and recommendations, architectural and engineering records, etc., compiled in preparation for the proposed project. n) Visual or Audiovisual Documentation:
Provide a minimum of five high-quality digital images (JPEGs or PNGs) or audiovisual files that convey the nature and condition of the heritage and show the urgency or need for the proposed project (e.g., collapsing walls, extensive water damage). o) NICRA:
If applicable, provide the latest Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) as a PDF file. p) Mandatory Application Forms (SF-424):
Include Application for Federal Assistance: Organizations (SF-424), Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A), Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B; only if applicant is not registered in SAM.gov), and, if applicable, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL).

 

********************************************

🔗AFCP Freedom 250 Budget Worksheet

🔗AFCP Freedom 250 Frequently Asked Questions