Deadline: December 6, 2019
The Request for Applications (RFA) for the US-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program 2020 is now open. Eurasia Foundation has launched a new P2P funding competition for U.S. and Russian public and private organizations to implement joint projects and promote US-Russia collaboration and communication on topics of mutual interest.
Through this RFA and with the support of the U.S. Embassy Moscow, Eurasia Foundation (EF) invites project applications from nonprofit organizations and institutions seeking to expand U.S.-Russian communication and cooperation. EF will fund innovative projects promoting peer-to-peer collaboration and long-term engagement between Russians and Americans on topics of mutual interest.
Funding
Applicants may request up to $55,000 per project with the goal to create or expand U.S.-Russian ties. All project’s activities and deliverables should be completed within 12 months and end before August 31, 2021. Projects proposing U.S.-Russia partnerships between previously unaffiliated organizations will be given priority consideration.
While universities and other research institutions are eligible to apply to the P2P program, funded projects must expand beyond pure research. Specifically, all P2P projects should include or culminate in concrete deliverable or deliverables, including but not limited to offering newly-developed training sessions, lectures, conferences, video/music productions, art exhibits, performances, etc.
EF will not fund projects that engage in political activism or lobbying, support public policy reform movements, or seek to sway public opinion about policy. Rather, competitive projects will seek out project topics that can lead to productive international partnership and have potential to spark long-term peer-to-peer relationships.
Eligibility
- Public and private not-for-profit organizations registered in the U.S. or Russia at the time of application are eligible for funding. This includes nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, schools, and other entities. For-profit and business institutions are not eligible to apply, with the exception of for-profit cultural organizations. Experience working directly with international partners in the past is not required for this funding opportunity.
- Projects that provide direct benefit to the Government of the Russian Federation at any level, including Russian government entities (museums, universities, schools, etc.) and Russian government officials or employees in any branch of government (including paying salary or honoraria to teachers, professors, museum workers, etc.) are not eligible for funding.
- Organizations registered and/or located in any country other than the U.S. or Russia are not eligible to serve as project partners.
- Organizations and partnerships that have applied to P2P in the past are eligible to apply for funding in the new round provided that an original concept note is submitted. Submitted concept notes that propose the same project as a previously submitted concept note will not be considered for funding.
Project Requirements
- Projects should emphasize U.S.-Russian collaboration and knowledge exchange in their design.
- While conducting the funded project, implementers should have varied and plentiful opportunities to substantively engage with their international partners. Engagement can be achieved through co-hosted webinars, joint events in the U.S. and Russia, bilateral presentations, international volunteer engagement, collaborative performances, or through other creative activities.
- Projects should result in collaborative outcomes and deliverables that address one or more of the following areas:
- 1) American business values of innovation, entrepreneurship, and fair legal and labor practices,
- 2) U.S.-Russian collaboration in space exploration and science,
- 3) U.S.-Russian collaboration in the arts,
- 4) grassroots expression of ideas through writing, art, and new media.
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Applicants are encouraged to include innovative methodologies and technologies to accomplish program goals and collaboration between U.S. and Russian peers. Successful projects will result in a tangible deliverable or outcome that enhances interaction and understanding between U.S. and Russian society well beyond the project end date.
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Travel between the U.S. and Russia can be a valuable component of P2P projects and is allowable as part of project activities. When including project-related travel in a P2P proposal, efficiency is key. All P2P-related travel should include multiple activities and should reach beyond common metropolitan areas in the U.S. (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.) and Russia (e.g., Moscow, St. Petersburg). Implementers are responsible for making all travel arrangements associated with the project.
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All applicants are encouraged to include at least one project component that shares cultural and professional skills in the project’s technical areas. This exchange of information and skill can be achieved through invite-only lectures, widely distributed publications, internal meetings, or in a variety of other ways.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used to evaluate project applications:
- Quality of the Project Idea: Need for the project must be clearly defined and well-supported. All goals and activities must be concrete, relevant, realistic, and non-political in nature.
- Project Planning: Partners, project participants, beneficiaries must all be clearly defined. The project timeline must be realistic and allow for sufficient project monitoring.
- Institutional Capacity: Implementers’ experience should be clearly linked to the topic of their proposed project. Implementers must also demonstrate a clear capacity to successfully administer the funding and achieve all proposed objectives.
- Cost Effectiveness: All budgeted funds are reasonable and efficient. Overhead and administrative components of the proposal, including salaries and honorarium, should be kept as low as possible.
Application
Organizations must submit all application documents using EF’s online funding management system (link below).
If this is the first time that an applicant has applied to an EF funding opportunity using the online funding management system, a staff member from the applicant organization must create an account on the funding management system. Instructions for account creation are located on the right of the login page linked above. If an applicant already has an account, they may simply log in without creating a new account.
To access the application for P2P, you will need to enter the access code P2P3.
Before being invited to submit a full funding application, all prospective applicants must provide a statement of interest application addressing the following questions:
- What is the main issue/problem to be addressed?
- What is the project’s main objective and some key activities that will help achieve it?
- What are the anticipated outcomes or results of the project?
- Who will be the project’s main implementing organization and all partners?
- How is the partnership equipped to implement the initiative?
Applicants must also submit a letter of commitment from their international partner in the statement of interest application (detailed instructions provided in the funding management system).
To be considered for funding, applicants must submit their applications using EF’s online funding management platform by 11:59 p.m. EST on December 6, 2019. Applications that do not address all five questions will not be considered for funding.
In consultation with the U.S. Embassy Moscow, EF will only invite organizations with the most prospective statements of interest to complete a full application form.
For more information, visit U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer.
