U.S. Embassy Bridgetown PAS Annual Program Statement

The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.

PAS Bridgetown invites proposals for programs that strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean through cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives.

Examples of PAS Small Grants Program programs include, but are not limited to:

• Academic and professional lectures, seminars and speaker programs;
• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions;
• Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs;
• Professional and academic exchanges and programs;

Priority Program Areas

This NOFO is part of Mission Bridgetown’s support for public diplomacy programming in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Proposals should address PAS Bridgetown’s stated goals, objectives, target audiences, and geographic locations. PAS Bridgetown focuses on education, human rights, intellectual property rights, professional and academic exchanges, cultural connections through people-to-people, institutional, and economic ties, and leveraging alumni of U.S. government programs to achieve long-term objectives in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

PAS Bridgetown’s programming in Barbados and Eastern Caribbean:

1. Strengthens local institutions to build long-term, self-sustaining relationships and institutional linkages between U.S. and Barbados and Eastern Caribbean organizations, including capacity building support for organizations as needed.
2. Contributes to economic growth; improves human capacity by creating a better educated and more skillful workforce; and contributes to the development of government capacity in Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, in particular in areas outside of urban centers and other remote and/or disconnected areas while contributing to local and regional stability.

1. Empowers civil societies to strengthen diversity, the rule of law, transparency, and human rights.
2. Strengthens people-to-people ties between the United States and Barbados and Eastern Caribbean through shared information, experiences, exchanges, and/or expertise.
3. Enhances community engagement through positive messages and tolerant perspectives that enhance and amplify community-based efforts in a wide range of areas.
4. Expands media outreach by amplifying U.S. diplomacy activities and programs on social and traditional media platforms.