Salute to America 250 Outreach Across Japan

The U.S. Embassy Tokyo, through its Public Diplomacy Section, has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled "Salute to America 250 – Outreach Across Japan," commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. This funding opportunity, designated under opportunity number PAS-Tokyo-FY2026-01, seeks to fund cooperative agreements that support innovative, wide-reaching programming across Japan’s 47 prefectures. The initiative celebrates American culture, innovation, and the enduring partnership between the United States and Japan. It is grounded in the broader U.S. Mission to Japan's public engagement strategy and directly aligns with goals articulated by the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday. This grant opportunity offers a total of $500,000 in funding, with awards ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 each. Between one and five awards are anticipated. The expected project start date is March 1, 2026, with activities to be completed by December 31, 2026. Projects must focus on fostering public awareness of American excellence and binational cooperation through various forms of engagement, including cultural and sports exchanges, county-fair-style public events, Thanksgiving celebrations, community service projects, and educational programming. These activities are expected to be highly visible, promote positive perceptions of the U.S.-Japan relationship, and reach new audiences unfamiliar with the U.S. Mission. Eligible applicants include U.S. and non-U.S. nonprofit organizations, including educational institutions, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. For-profit organizations are not eligible. Applicants must have a valid UEI and active SAM.gov registration. While cost sharing is encouraged, it is not a mandatory requirement. Individuals are not eligible to apply, although they may be involved as participants or subrecipients. Only one proposal may be submitted per organization, and exceeding this limit will result in disqualification. Application submissions must include completed SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B forms (if applicable), a 20-page proposal narrative, budget and budget justification, resumes or position descriptions of key personnel, letters of support from partners, and proof of nonprofit status and registration. The proposal must clearly define project goals, target audiences, geographic coverage, and plans for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. A Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) is mandatory and will be reviewed in collaboration with the embassy’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist before an award is issued. Applications must be submitted electronically to [email protected] by February 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM JST. No late or multiple submissions from the same organization will be considered. There are no pre-application requirements such as concept notes or LOIs. Awards will be issued as cooperative agreements, and embassy staff will maintain substantial involvement, including final approval of outreach materials and selection of subawardees and microgrant recipients. Reporting requirements will include quarterly program and financial updates, and recipients will be required to follow U.S. Department of State branding and marking policies.

Follow proposal structure exactly; do not submit more than one application per organization; ensure SAM.gov and UEI registrations are current and valid.