Preserving Cultural Heritage and Promoting Religious Freedom and Tolerance in the Pacific Islands | DFOP0016835

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0016835

The U.S. Department of State, through the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), is offering a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Preserving Cultural Heritage and Promoting Religious Freedom and Tolerance in the Pacific Islands" (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0016835). The program is designed to strengthen the ability of civil society organizations across the Pacific Islands to promote freedom of religion or belief and to support practical, sustained inter-religious cooperation. A central idea behind the opportunity is that stronger local networks and credible community leadership can help societies handle religious differences peacefully while also reinforcing democratic resilience.

The opportunity is framed around a specific regional challenge: Pacific Island countries can be vulnerable to disinformation and misleading narratives that exploit cultural or religious identity. The Department of State is explicitly concerned about influence efforts by foreign actors, particularly those linked to countries with severe violations of religious freedom, and it aims to reduce the impact of those efforts. The approach emphasized in the description is to work through established opinion leaders, especially religious actors, who often hold trusted roles in Pacific Island communities and can counter divisive messaging more effectively than outside voices.

Funding will be provided through a cooperative agreement, which typically means the U.S. government expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant, such as through ongoing coordination, shared planning, or federal input on key implementation decisions. The funding activity category is listed as Humanities, and the CFDA (Assistance Listing) number is 19.345. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $450,000, and the program anticipates making one award, suggesting a single implementing organization will likely lead the effort, potentially with local partners or sub-awardees.

Eligibility, based on the posted data, is limited to nonprofits that have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, excluding institutions of higher education. While the narrative description mentions public international organizations, consultants, nonprofits, and universities, the formal eligibility field provided specifies only 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education). In practice, that usually means an eligible nonprofit could still collaborate with universities, consultants, or international organizations as partners or contractors, but the prime applicant would need to meet the stated eligibility requirement.

The timeline in the source information indicates the opportunity was created on July 26, 2024, with an original application closing date of August 26, 2024. The applicant organization would be expected to propose a plan that measurably builds civil society capacity in the Pacific Islands, supports freedom of religion or belief, and strengthens interfaith or inter-religious cooperation in a way that directly contributes to resilience against disinformation and manipulative foreign influence.

• The Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Preserving Cultural Heritage and Promoting Religious Freedom and Tolerance in the Pacific Islands" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.345.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-26. (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 $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for DFOP0016835

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