U.S. Embassy Beirut, Lebanon - PDS Statement of Interest | LBN PDS 2024 SOI

Opportunity Information: Apply for LBN PDS 2024 SOI

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut, through its Public Diplomacy Section (PDS Beirut) at the U.S. Department of State, is inviting organizations and individuals to submit a short Statement of Interest (SOI) for potential grant funding. This opportunity is meant to support public diplomacy programs in Lebanon that strengthen ties and collaboration between American and Lebanese organizations and communities. The embassy is looking for practical, well-scoped ideas that can be turned into tangible programs, especially those that create meaningful people-to-people connections and showcase shared values and mutual exchange.

A key feature of this opportunity is that it uses a two-step application process. Applicants do not start by writing a full proposal. Instead, the first step is a concise SOI that is limited to three pages and should clearly explain the program idea, its objectives, and a basic budget. The SOI is essentially a concept submission meant to help the embassy evaluate ideas without requiring applicants to invest the time and effort needed for a complete proposal up front. After a merit review of eligible SOIs, the embassy will invite selected applicants to move to step two, where they will develop and submit a full proposal application. Those full proposals will then go through a second merit review before any final funding decisions are made.

The embassy highlights several thematic priorities that proposed programs should address. These include arts and culture, climate action, human rights and freedom of expression, sports, and experiential learning, described as learning by doing. While applicants can propose a wide range of activities within these themes, the general expectation is that programs will be interactive and impact-focused rather than purely academic or discussion-based, with a clear sense of how participants will engage, build skills, and apply what they learn in real settings.

Across all themes, proposals are expected to incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility considerations. In practice, that means applicants should think intentionally about who benefits from the project, how underserved or marginalized groups will be included, and what steps will be taken to reduce barriers to participation, whether those barriers are related to disability access, geography, gender, socioeconomic status, language, or other factors. The embassy is also explicitly interested in programs that build partnerships and durable connections, so concepts that include collaboration between U.S. and Lebanese partners, joint programming, exchanges, mentorship, or network-building are likely to align well with the stated objectives.

This is a discretionary grant opportunity issued under Funding Opportunity Number LBN PDS 2024 SOI, with funding administered by the U.S. Mission to Lebanon. The maximum award amount listed is $25,000, and the embassy anticipates making around five awards. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity categories include arts, environment, and other. Eligible applicants include individuals, nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), and private institutions of higher education. The original closing date for submitting the SOI was June 28, 2024, and the opportunity record indicates it was created on April 17, 2024.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a call for strong program concepts that fit within the embassy's priority themes, can be delivered at a modest grant size, and clearly advance U.S.-Lebanon engagement through partnerships, inclusion, and hands-on learning. The immediate task for applicants is to present a crisp, compelling three-page SOI that communicates what they want to do, why it matters, what outcomes they expect, and how the budget supports the plan, with the understanding that only selected SOIs will be invited to develop full proposals for final consideration.

• The U.S. Mission to Lebanon in the arts, environment, other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Beirut, Lebanon - PDS Statement of Interest" 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 2024-04-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-28. (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 $25,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for LBN PDS 2024 SOI

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