The U.S. Embassy San Jose Public Diplomacy Section is offering a grant for strengthening U.S.-Costa Rica ties through cultural and exchange programs.

The U.S. Embassy San Jose Public Diplomacy (PD) Section of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit a Statement of Interest to implement programs that strengthen ties between the United States and Costa Rica through cultural, exchange, and outreach activities that highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. The thematic areas for the projects must be aligned with Public Diplomacy priorities and the strategic goals of U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica detailed below. Please carefully read and follow all instructions.

PDS will review proposals through two separate rounds of funding. You may submit your proposal within the time periods for either round.

Each round of funding will entail a two-step process for successful proposals. Submission of the Statement of Interest (SOI) is the first step. Applicants must submit a concise two-page Statement of Interest that clearly communicates program ideas and objectives. This first step is not a full proposal application. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants to submit

program ideas for evaluation prior to requiring the development of a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program idea(s) by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decisions are made.

To be eligible for award, the applicant must submit all required information in its application through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), including the requirements found in any attachments to this Grants.gov opportunity. (Please contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 and support@grants.gov with any submission problems.