U.S. Embassy Bratislava, PAS, Countering Extremism Program | PAS SVK 002 FY2020

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS SVK 002 FY2020

The U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, through its Public Affairs Section (PAS), offered a cooperative agreement funding opportunity focused on preventing and countering racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. The program is framed as a practical capacity-building effort: it is meant to train and mentor national and local government officials alongside civil society and community leaders, emphasizing real-world best practices that can be implemented at the municipal and national levels. The project is designed to be carried out in partnership with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Strong Cities Network, a global platform that supports cities and local actors working to prevent violent extremism.

The core deliverables revolve around a multi-step engagement process rather than a single event. The selected awardee would be responsible for organizing a two-day in-person workshop planned for spring 2021 (or later, depending on circumstances), featuring participation by four speakers from the United States. To extend the impact beyond the workshop itself, the awardee must also run two webinar discussions, one before and one after the workshop, to prepare participants in advance and reinforce learning and follow-through afterward. In addition, the awardee would administer two small grants of approximately $3,750 each (about $7,500 total) awarded to Slovak workshop participants to create awareness-raising initiatives and counter-messaging campaigns aimed specifically at racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist narratives. The grant recipient would not only disburse these micro-grants but also monitor them, which implies responsibility for basic sub-grant management, reporting, and ensuring the activities align with program objectives.

The opportunity also includes international and in-country follow-on components intended to strengthen networks and sustain momentum. After the workshop, the awardee would facilitate a four-day/three-night visit to Slovakia by Strong Cities Network staff, which suggests structured meetings, consultations, and potentially site visits with local stakeholders. The program further supports a U.S.-based exchange component by covering round-trip international airfare for up to ten Slovak workshop participants to travel to the United States in fall 2021 (or later) as part of a State Department exchange program. Another required element is specialized guidance to Slovak local and national government officials on how to address violent extremist messaging online, signaling an emphasis on digital resilience, policy approaches, and practical methods for responding to online radicalization and propaganda.

A notable administrative requirement is that the awardee is expected to formalize cooperation with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based organization that manages the Strong Cities Network. The awardee would arrange a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ISD and treat ISD as a sub-awardee to support organizing the workshop and follow-on activities, with an estimated budget allocation of about $18,000 for that sub-award relationship. This structure indicates the Embassy anticipated a lead implementer coordinating logistics and program execution while leveraging ISD/Strong Cities Network expertise and networks as an embedded partner.

From a funding and eligibility standpoint, this was a discretionary U.S. Department of State opportunity administered by U.S. Mission to Slovakia under CFDA 19.040, categorized under education activities and structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government would likely have substantial involvement during implementation compared with a standard grant. The funding opportunity number was PAS SVK 002 FY2020. The total award ceiling was $100,000, with one award expected. It was created July 8, 2020, and originally closed August 31, 2020. Eligible applicants were nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education), reflecting a specific applicant profile the Embassy was seeking for implementation capacity and regional engagement.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Slovakia in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Bratislava, PAS, Countering Extremism Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 08, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAS SVK 002 FY2020

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