Discover U.S.

The U.S. Embassy Seoul, through its Public Diplomacy Section, has released the FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity titled "Discover U.S." (PD-SEOUL-FY25-06), commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This opportunity is intended to support educational programming in the Republic of Korea that strengthens mutual understanding and celebrates American culture, values, and history. The initiative is part of the broader America250 celebration and seeks to enhance U.S.-ROK diplomatic relations by engaging local audiences through interactive, English-language events at American Corners across South Korea. The program will fund up to five individual grantees—each assigned to one of the five designated American Corners located in Busan, Gangneung, Gwangju, Jeju, and Pyeongtaek. Each grantee is expected to implement a minimum of 20 educational sessions over a 10 to 12-month performance period beginning around November 2025. Program activities may include film screenings followed by discussions, interactive cultural workshops, and lectures focused on the U.S. experience, with topics selected in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section. Grantees will receive up to $6,000 each to support these activities. This funding opportunity is only open to individual applicants, not organizations. Eligible applicants must reside in the Republic of Korea through December 2026, and must be either (a) American citizens with teaching experience in English, or (b) Korean citizens with extensive U.S. experience and demonstrated expertise in teaching American studies, history, or values. Applicants must also be fluent in English and have experience designing and delivering educational or cultural programming. Applicants may apply to serve more than one location, but must rank their preferences and justify their choices. Only one grantee will be selected per American Corner location. Applications are due by Monday, August 11, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. GMT+9. Required documents include federal application forms SF-424I, SF-424A, and SF-424B, along with a 10-page proposal, budget justification narrative, a one-page CV or resume, letters of support, and official permission letters if applicable. The proposal must address the program’s goals, provide a timeline, detail project activities and evaluation plans, and outline future sustainability. All application materials must be submitted in English, formatted correctly, and emailed to SeoulPDGrants@state.gov. Grants will be issued as cooperative agreements, which entail significant involvement by the Embassy throughout the program period. This includes guidance from Public Diplomacy staff, collaboration with American Corner coordinators, provision of resources like the e-Library, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Funded expenses may include honoraria, travel, program supplies, and digital platform fees; subcontracting or payments to third parties are prohibited. Funds cannot be used to support activities by or in partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), nor can they fund any program in violation of applicable U.S. anti-discrimination laws. Applications will be reviewed by a committee based on six core criteria: quality of the program idea, applicant experience, program planning and feasibility, budget accuracy, monitoring and evaluation plan, and sustainability. Notifications for awards are expected by September 2025. The cooperative agreement and Form SF-270 will govern the funding and reimbursement process. Successful applicants must also comply with post-award federal regulations, reporting requirements, and tracking of foreign assistance data elements as mandated by the Foreign Assistance Data Review (FADR) process.

Ensure all documents are in English and formatted properly. Review America250.org before applying.