The Public Diplomacy Section (PD) of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada, U.S. Department of State administers a Public Diplomacy Grants Program.
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada invite proposals for projects that strengthen ties between Canada and the United States through programming that promotes bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding.
All programs must include an American element or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policies and perspectives to a Canadian audience.
Examples of programs include, but are not limited to:
Programs that support U.S.-Canada cooperation, increase understanding of U.S. foreign policy in Canada, encourage interest in U.S.-Canada shared history and culture, and promote their shared democratic values.
U.S. experts conducting speaking tours/public talks, participating in roundtable discussions, and delivering workshops in Canada.
Academic and professional lectures and seminars.
Professional and academic exchanges and programs.
Artistic and cultural programs, workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions.
Development of initiatives aimed at maintaining contacts with alumni of U.S. Department of State exchange programs.
Initiatives that develop stronger ties between the United States and Canada.
Public messaging campaigns using social media, video, and new media.
All programs must be targeted at engaging Canadian audiences. All programs must include a U.S. element or connection with U.S. expert/s that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. Any speaker paid with grant funding must hold U.S. citizenship.
Priority Program Areas
Climate: Activities that promote and expand awareness around the benefits of environmental collaboration between the United States and Canada to accelerate climate ambitions laid out in the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership, to include promoting the economic and environmental benefits of the energy evolution.
Prosperity, Trade, and Investment: Activities that foster connections among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) owned by women, people of color, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+, youth-led, and other underrepresented groups, as well as organizations who support economic development. Activities should strategically build domestic and cross-border business networks to empower SMEs to grow their business, foster economic growth and promote inclusivity.
Democracy, Human Rights, and Social Justice: Activities that promote democracy, advance human rights, with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and foster social justice including through combatting hate.
Promoting Security Cooperation: Activities that advance U.S.-Canada security cooperation including on, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation and cybersecurity through engagement with Canadians including academia, civil society, think tanks, government officials, and youth.
Strengthen Arctic Partnerships: Activities that:
advance the agenda of the U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic region,
advance areas of mutual interest, such as scientific research, environmental protection and conservation, and resource management, and/or
support collectively addressing challenges in the Arctic in order to contribute to the region’s security and sustainable and inclusive development.
Funding Information
Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $15,000.00 to a maximum of $250,000.00
Length of performance period: Up to twenty-four months
Participants and Audiences
All grant-funded activities must be targeted at engaging Canadian audiences.
All applicants for awards must identify their target audience and estimate the expected audience reach through indirect contact via social media, traditional media, program or any other relevant mechanism.
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
U.S. or Canadian not-for-profit, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations.
Public and private educational institutions.
Public international organizations and governmental institutions.
Individuals (note that for-profit organizations are not eligible for this notice of funding opportunity. By extension, this means that an employee or owner of a for-profit organization may not apply as an individual solely to circumvent this restriction. If applying as an individual, you must include in your application an explanation of why you are uniquely qualified as an individual applicant.)
U.S. organizations applying for funding must partner with a Canadian organization.
Ineligible
They will not fund the following:
Trade Shows,
Programs relating to partisan political activity,
Charitable or development activities,
Construction programs,
Fund-raising campaigns,
Scientific research,
Lobbying for specific legislation,
Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization,
