Opportunity Information: Apply for SCAKAB 21 CA 004 SCA 04052021
The Arts and Activism grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SCAKAB 21 CA 004 SCA 04052021) is a discretionary funding competition offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The program is designed to fund projects that connect civil society activism with creative expression, specifically by helping activists and artists work together to communicate important public messages through artistic formats that can reach and move diverse audiences.
At its core, the opportunity supports projects that use visual art, music, drama, and film to translate civic and human rights messages into compelling cultural products and community engagement efforts. The intended themes are clearly defined: peace and reconciliation, tolerance and unity, and respect for the rights of all citizens. The idea is that pairing these messages with the right artistic medium can help community-based groups and civil society organizations communicate in fresh, emotionally resonant ways that traditional advocacy methods may not achieve, ultimately widening public awareness and strengthening advocacy impact.
A key expectation is strong capability in both art and advocacy. PAS emphasizes that successful projects will need practical experience not only in producing or curating art, but also in community engagement, messaging, and outreach. Because of that, partnerships are strongly encouraged and may be necessary: arts organizations that lack advocacy experience are expected to team up with NGOs that understand community mobilization and civic engagement, while NGOs that do not have expertise in the chosen artistic medium are expected to partner with artists or arts-focused organizations. This partnership requirement reflects the program’s focus on real-world execution, ensuring that artistic outputs are not created in isolation but are tied to effective public engagement strategies.
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that the funder may anticipate an active role in coordination or oversight during implementation compared with a standard grant. The award ceiling is $500,000, and up to four awards were expected, depending on funding availability and the quality of proposals received. The project period is planned for 24 months as a base term, with an option to extend for an additional 12 months, allowing organizations enough time to develop creative content, test approaches with communities, scale outreach, and build sustained programming rather than one-off events.
The opportunity was posted on April 9, 2021, with an original application deadline of June 9, 2021. It is listed under CFDA 19.501 and categorized under “Other” for the funding activity category, reflecting that it sits at the intersection of public diplomacy, civil society support, and arts-based engagement rather than a single narrow sector. Eligibility is described broadly as “Others,” implying that applicants needed to consult the full announcement’s eligibility details, but the narrative makes clear the target applicants include art-focused organizations and NGOs capable of partnering with artists to deliver credible, community-connected arts programming tied to civic messaging.Apply for SCAKAB 21 CA 004 SCA 04052021
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Afghanistan in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Arts and Activism" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.501.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 09, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 09, 2021. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Arts and Activism Grant Opportunity (SCAKAB 21 CA 004 SCA 04052021) - FAQs
1. What is the Arts and Activism grant opportunity?
The Arts and Activism grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SCAKAB 21 CA 004 SCA 04052021) is a discretionary funding competition offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. It supports projects that connect civil society activism with creative expression so that important public messages can be communicated through artistic formats.
2. What is the main purpose of this program?
The program is designed to help activists and artists work together to translate civic and human rights messages into compelling cultural products and community engagement efforts. The goal is to reach diverse audiences in emotionally resonant ways, widen public awareness, and strengthen advocacy impact beyond what traditional advocacy methods may achieve on their own.
3. What kinds of projects does PAS want to fund?
PAS intends to fund projects that use creative expression to communicate public messages connected to civic and human rights themes. The opportunity specifically highlights the use of visual art, music, drama, and film as artistic formats that can move audiences and support community engagement.
4. Which artistic formats are specifically mentioned as eligible approaches?
The opportunity explicitly references visual art, music, drama, and film as example formats for translating public messages into artistic products and engagement activities.
5. What themes should proposed projects focus on?
The intended themes are clearly defined in the opportunity: peace and reconciliation, tolerance and unity, and respect for the rights of all citizens.
6. How should activism and art be connected in a proposal?
The opportunity emphasizes that art should not be created in isolation. Projects are expected to tie artistic outputs to community engagement, messaging, and outreach so that creative products serve clear public communication and advocacy goals.
7. What capabilities are expected from applicants or project teams?
PAS highlights the need for strong capability in both art and advocacy. Successful projects are expected to demonstrate practical experience not only in producing or curating art, but also in community engagement, messaging, and outreach.
8. Are partnerships required or encouraged?
Partnerships are strongly encouraged and may be necessary based on an organization’s strengths. The opportunity signals that the program expects real-world execution that combines artistic expertise with credible community engagement and mobilization capability.
9. If an arts organization lacks advocacy experience, what does PAS expect?
The opportunity states that arts organizations that do not have advocacy experience are expected to team up with NGOs that understand community mobilization and civic engagement.
10. If an NGO lacks expertise in the artistic medium, what does PAS expect?
The opportunity indicates that NGOs without expertise in the chosen artistic medium are expected to partner with artists or arts-focused organizations.
11. What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.
12. What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement (based on the notice description)?
A cooperative agreement generally signals that the funder may anticipate an active role in coordination or oversight during implementation compared with a standard grant. The opportunity notes this expectation at a high level but does not provide additional operational detail here.
13. What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is $500,000.
14. How many awards were expected to be made?
Up to four awards were expected, depending on funding availability and the quality of proposals received.
15. What is the planned project period?
The project period is planned for 24 months as a base term.
16. Is there an option to extend the project period?
Yes. The opportunity includes an option to extend for an additional 12 months.
17. Why does the program allow up to 24 months plus a possible 12-month extension?
The description indicates this structure is intended to give organizations enough time to develop creative content, test approaches with communities, scale outreach, and build sustained programming rather than one-off events.
18. When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on April 9, 2021.
19. What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was June 9, 2021.
20. What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
It is listed under CFDA 19.501.
21. What is the funding activity category?
The funding activity category is listed as "Other," reflecting that the program sits at the intersection of public diplomacy, civil society support, and arts-based engagement rather than a single narrow sector.
22. Who is offering and administering this opportunity?
It is offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, and administered through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
23. What does "discretionary funding competition" mean in this context?
The opportunity is described as a discretionary competition, meaning awards were to be made through a competitive selection process and would depend on funding availability and the quality of proposals received, as stated in the notice summary.
24. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others." The summary indicates that target applicants include art-focused organizations and NGOs capable of partnering with artists to deliver community-connected arts programming tied to civic messaging. Applicants would need to consult the full announcement for the complete eligibility details.
25. What types of organizations does the narrative suggest are good fits for this program?
The narrative suggests strong fit for (1) arts organizations that can produce or curate visual art, music, drama, or film and can partner with advocacy-focused NGOs, and (2) NGOs and civil society organizations with community engagement and outreach strength that can partner with artists or arts-focused organizations.
26. What is the intended audience or community impact?
The program aims to reach diverse audiences and to communicate important public messages in ways that resonate emotionally, potentially improving public understanding and engagement around peace, tolerance, unity, and rights-related themes.
27. What is the central program idea in one sentence?
Pairing activism with artistic mediums can help community-based groups and civil society organizations communicate civic and human rights messages in fresh ways that broaden awareness and strengthen advocacy impact.
28. Does the summary specify any required deliverables or exact activities?
The provided summary does not list specific required deliverables. It frames the expectation around producing cultural products and conducting community engagement and outreach connected to defined themes, using artistic formats such as visual art, music, drama, and film.
29. Does the summary state whether awards are guaranteed?
No. The summary indicates that up to four awards were expected, contingent on funding availability and the quality of proposals received.
30. Where does this opportunity sit programmatically (sector-wise)?
The summary positions it at the intersection of public diplomacy, civil society support, and arts-based engagement, which is reflected in the "Other" funding activity category.
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