American Palestinian Arts, Culture, and Sports Initiative | OPAPDFY23003

Opportunity Information: Apply for OPAPDFY23003

The American Palestinian Arts, Culture, and Sports Initiative is a U.S. Department of State public diplomacy grant run through the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs (U.S. OPA) under the U.S. Mission to Jerusalem. It is an open competition intended to fund projects that use arts, culture, and sports as practical tools for strengthening ties between Americans and Palestinians while also supporting broader U.S. OPA mission goals. At its core, the program looks for partnerships with American and/or Palestinian nonprofit organizations that can deliver activities benefiting Palestinian communities and institutions, helping them better meet local needs and aspirations, and supporting conditions for a more prosperous economy driven by a healthy private sector with equitable and inclusive opportunities.

A central requirement of the opportunity is that each proposal includes a substantive American element. That means projects cannot simply take place in Palestinian communities without real engagement from American people, organizations, or professional expertise. The goal is to create meaningful interaction with American institutions, ideas, and ideals in ways that improve American-Palestinian relations and open the door to future cooperation. In practice, this could look like joint programs with American artists, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, theater professionals, cultural organizations, coaches, athletic trainers, leagues, or sports institutions, with collaboration built into the design rather than added as a token feature.

Geographically, the program prioritizes activities implemented in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, either in one location or in a combination of two or all three. The intended participants and audiences should mainly be Palestinian professionals and/or students working in arts, culture, and sports fields, though other target groups may be acceptable if they clearly advance the program objectives. In other words, applicants need to show a direct line from who they plan to serve to what the initiative is trying to accomplish.

Projects are expected to advance the U.S. OPA mission goals and accomplish at least one of four main objectives. The first objective focuses on increasing understanding and collaboration between Americans and Palestinians through direct exchange and joint work with U.S. arts, cultural, and sports professionals or institutions. Examples mentioned include joint performances, co-productions, exhibitions, workshops, tournaments, trainings, and other collaborative creations or events. The second objective centers on workforce and economic outcomes in the creative and sports sectors, such as improving employability, entrepreneurship, and career development for artists, creatives, cultural workers, and sports professionals. The third objective highlights the use of arts, culture, and sports to positively address conflict resolution and community well-being, including mental health, resilience, and trauma therapy. The fourth objective emphasizes civic and social impact, aiming to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, along with environmental protection, human rights, and stronger civil society through arts, culture, and sports programming and exchange.

The grant also signals that proposals will be viewed more favorably when they clearly advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and/or accessibility. This includes attention to participation and impact across race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Applicants are therefore encouraged to show, with concrete program design choices, how their activities broaden access, reduce barriers to participation, and include communities that are often left out of arts, cultural, and sports opportunities.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number OPAPDFY23003) supports awards through instruments such as cooperative agreements, grants, or other mechanisms, and it is categorized under areas including arts and cultural affairs, education, employment and training, environment and natural resources, health, humanities, and related fields (CFDA 19.021). Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education. The posted maximum award amount is up to $100,000, with an expectation of making about two awards. The opportunity was originally posted on May 3, 2023, with an original closing date of June 4, 2023.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Jerusalem in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), education, employment, labor and training, environment, food and nutrition, health, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "American Palestinian Arts, Culture, and Sports Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.021.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 04, 2023. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for OPAPDFY23003

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