Grants / Department of State / U.S. Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo

AF-DRC-FY25-07: Congo Basin Conclave 2 - Cultural Component

Closed Closed February 14, 2025 Opportunity AF-DRC-FY25-07 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Austrian-American Partnership Fund (AAPF) (OFOP0002825). Status: Closes January 1, 2099 (26353 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$50,000
• Award floor$10,000
• Total funding$50,000
• Expected awards15
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

The Congo Basin Conclave will provide a forum that enables experts and stakeholders to network, share best practices, and promote local solutions to local problems. Delegations from Congo Basin countries will gather to plan for cross-border activities and community projects to preserve the Congo Basin and invest in the people of the Congo Basin, balancing economic opportunity for local communities and protections for indigenous peoples with environmental concerns. The cultural component, and the inclusion of artists and influencers in the Conclave, is key to galvanizing public support for Congo Basin preservation.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Public Diplomacy Programs awards averaged $26,570; this notice allows up to $50,000 per award.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Congo Basin and its people are increasingly under threat. Slash and burn agriculture, urbanization, rapid population growth, charcoal production, deforestation, illegal logging and mining, and the bushmeat trade, all contribute to environmental degradation. The Congo Basin Conclave conceives of a cross-sectional approach to “smart” development that balances economic opportunities for local communities and protections for indigenous peoples. The Conclave seeks to bring together local stakeholders to build networks that support projects that invest in the people of the Congo Basin, who stand to benefit the most from a healthy, sustainable environment. In a country that is home to 60% of the Congo Basin – the world’s second-largest rainforest – the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa hosted the first Congo Basin Conclave April 22-24, 2024, with delegations from Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo, as well as participants from across the DRC. Pre-conclave discussions took place in all four participating countries, generating ideas and themes for the Kinshasa Conclave. The 130 participants formed six thematic dialogue groups that met four times over the course of the three days, culminating in recommendations and action plans for cross-border collaborations. Facilitating collaboration between regional experts was only one part of the vision of the Conclave; the other was generating popular support for Congo Basin preservation. To achieve this, the Conclave included a cultural component that featured university engagement, movie screenings, arts diplomacy, and a public concert. These community engagement efforts reached hundreds of enthusiastic young people with positive messaging about taking pride in, and protecting, their patrimony—and challenging them to take action. The cultural component, and the inclusion of artists and influencers in the Conclave, is key to galvanizing public support for Congo Basin preservation.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, OFOP0002825, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.