Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program | DOS PAS SLO 2022 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS PAS SLO 2022 002

The Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program (Funding Opportunity Number: DOS PAS SLO 2022 002) is a U.S. Department of State grant competition run by the U.S. Mission to Slovenia. It offers small, discretionary grants for well-designed and well-managed projects that strengthen ties between the United States and Slovenia. The program is meant to support practical, community-facing initiatives that deepen mutual understanding and highlight shared democratic values, while also increasing Slovene audiences' understanding of the United States, including its society, politics, and values.

Funding is provided as a grant, with an award ceiling of USD 10,000 per project, and the Embassy anticipated making about 10 awards in this cycle. The opportunity spans a broad set of eligible program areas, including community development, education, energy, environment, humanities/cultural affairs, law and justice, and science and technology or other research and development-oriented activities. While the topic scope is intentionally wide, the core expectation is that projects clearly contribute to U.S.-Slovenian cooperation and produce concrete public benefit rather than vague or purely internal organizational improvements.

Eligibility includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, as well as nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the U.S. IRS (other than institutions of higher education). In practical terms, this is geared toward Slovenian and regional organizations and institutions that can credibly deliver programming aligned with Embassy public diplomacy goals. The Embassy also notes that new grantees may receive preference over repeat recipients if their proposals are relevant and show strong potential impact, signaling an interest in broadening the pool of partners.

For this specific grant period, the Embassy states it will give additional consideration to proposals that fit one or more priority themes. These include regional and transatlantic cooperation (with emphasis on the U.S.-Slovenian bilateral relationship), economic issues such as entrepreneurship, innovation, economic reform, trade promotion, and women in STEAM, and international security topics including counterterrorism and defense issues. Additional priority areas include energy security and diversification; environmental issues such as climate change mitigation, conservation, and sustainability; and digitalization topics such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The list also places strong emphasis on governance and information integrity, including countering corruption, improving transparency, strengthening the rule of law, and supporting independent media and investigative journalism, including media literacy and efforts to combat disinformation. Human rights is another key theme, specifically framed around tolerance, respect for diversity and inclusion, and support for historically marginalized communities and equal rights. Finally, education is prioritized in ways that build and deepen partnerships between scholars and educational institutions, suggesting the Embassy is looking for linkages that endure beyond a single event.

In terms of what makes a competitive proposal, the Embassy is explicit about three main qualities. First, projects should actively build and enhance relationships between Slovenia and the United States through bilateral cooperation, and they should be designed to promote mutual understanding and shared values, not just address a topic in isolation. Second, the project should be sustainable and demonstrate strong merit, with clearly defined goals, realistic implementation plans, and measurable outcomes so the Embassy can see what success looks like and how it will be assessed. Third, proposals should include a plan to publicly acknowledge U.S. Embassy support and to amplify the partnership through traditional media, digital media, or both, reflecting a public diplomacy focus where outreach, visibility, and audience engagement matter.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on February 18, 2022, with an original closing date of April 18, 2022. Overall, this is a small-grants mechanism intended to support targeted, high-impact projects that connect Slovenian institutions and communities with U.S. partners and ideas, with particular interest in transatlantic cooperation, resilient democratic governance, security, energy and environment, digital resilience, independent media, human rights, and education partnerships.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovenia in the community development, education, energy, environment, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Funding Opportunity: NGO Small Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 18, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 18, 2022. (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 $10,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled 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 DOS PAS SLO 2022 002

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