Cultural Antiquities Task Force (19.036)
Cultural Antiquities Task Force (Assistance Listing 19.036) is run by the Department of State. It awarded $2.2 million in 27 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $80,079 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $80,769. Half of the 27 awards fell between $55,971 and $95,620, and they ranged from $6,000 to $200,000.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$2.2 million
- Grant awards27
- Typical award$80,769
- Awarded in FY 2025$283,562
- Size rank1,748 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreement
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $724,958 in fiscal 2021 to $283,562 in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1748th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 17 largest recipients received 97% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 4 states and territories.
What the program funds
An interagency body of U.S. federal law enforcement and other agencies, the Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) supports projects and other activities intended to disrupt the illegal trafficking of cultural property from other countries into the United States.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Embassies must vet applicants for eligibility and ensure that the applicants are able to receive U.S. federal assistance. Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grants (CPAIG) are open to U.S. embassies in countries with which the United States has a signed bilateral cultural property agreement or where emergency import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material are in effect under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 2601 et seq). The CATF may also fund projects at its discretion outside of the CPAIG framework in countries where cultural heritage is at risk from theft, looting, and trafficking.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Successful projects must adhere to international standards for the protection of cultural heritage around specific themes, including fostering cooperation, building best practices, and engaging communities, through the following types of activities: A) Training: Build capacity of foreign law enforcement and cultural property managers to protect sites and objects. Examples include country-specific or regional workshops on investigation and interdiction techniques, effective record keeping, the role of the judiciary, increased communication between ministries of culture and law enforcement authorities, and training for cultural property stewards. B) Inventories: Support the creation and maintenance of centralized, digital, and secure inventories of cultural objects or sites to better support resource allocation, aid in recovery in cases of theft, and promote public appreciation for cultural property protection. C) Site Security and Protection: Support practical and sustainable measures to more effectively secure archaeological sites (on land or underwater), museums, libraries, archives, and other collecting institutions against looting and theft. Examples include development of site security plans, installation of security systems, and training for guards or site stewards. D) Public Education and Outreach for Crime Prevention: Support strategies to prevent looting and trafficking through heightened public awareness and outreach.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Application deadlines determined independently by participating U.S. embassies.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Fiscal Year 2020 financial assistance ranged from approximately $25,000 to $130,000 per project, with an average amount of approximately $64,000 per project.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Projects supported in 2025 involved training in risk management for cultural heritage sites and collections in Cyprus, site security and protection for Libyan cultural property, training in combatting cultural property trafficking for law enforcement agents from the Andean region, and similar activities.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cultural Antiquities Task Force (19.036) awarded $2.2 million across 27 grant awards, an average of $80,079 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees | 8 | $584,100 | |
| American Society of Overseas Research | Virginia | 3 | $345,000 |
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 1 | $140,000 |
| Cultural Heritage Without Borders Albania | 1 | $129,836 | |
| United Nations Development Programme (Undp) | New York | 1 | $100,000 |
| The American Center of Research, Incorporated | Virginia | 1 | $98,000 |
| Badira Culture Communication e T Developpement | 1 | $96,240 | |
| The Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York | 1 | $95,000 |
| Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano de Chiclayo | 1 | $92,891 | |
| Parque Metropolitano La Libertad | 1 | $83,050 | |
| Global Game Jam, Inc. | Washington | 1 | $80,769 |
| Fundacion Para La Conservacion de Los Recursos Naturales y Ambiente En Guatemala | 1 | $69,000 | |
| Universidad del Valle de Guatemala | 1 | $58,938 | |
| Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia | 1 | $56,941 | |
| Universidad San Francisco de Quito Usfq | 1 | $42,580 | |
| Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange | 1 | $14,707 | |
| Direction Nationale Du Patrimoine Culturel | 1 | $6,000 |
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 32% of the money, colleges and universities 11% and individuals 3.2%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 16 | $1.2 million | 54% |
| Nonprofits | 7 | $693,769 | 32% |
| Colleges and universities | 3 | $241,517 | 11% |
| Individuals | 1 | $69,085 | 3.2% |
By state
No state received $1 million or 10 awards from this program, so it has no state pages.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 4 | $443,000 |
| New York | 2 | $195,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | $140,000 |
| Washington | 1 | $80,769 |