U.S. Consulate General — São Paulo Public Affairs Section Annual Program Statement | FY20 PAS SP APS

Opportunity Information: Apply for FY20 PAS SP APS

The U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo, through its Public Affairs Section (PAS), issued an Annual Program Statement (Funding Opportunity Number: FY20 PAS SP APS) inviting proposals for small, targeted public diplomacy-style projects that strengthen U.S.-Brazil cooperation and mutual understanding. The opportunity is discretionary and falls under CFDA 19.040, with an award ceiling of $20,000 per project. The notice was created on May 7, 2020, and listed an original closing date of August 15, 2020. While the funding instrument is labeled as "Other," the program is clearly geared toward grants or cooperative support for public-facing initiatives tied to mission priorities.

Projects are expected to advance at least one of the Consulate's broader relationship goals: supporting shared U.S.-Brazil regional and global priorities around international security, democracy, and the rule of law; expanding shared prosperity by deepening economic partnership; promoting cooperation that improves citizen security; and expanding people-to-people relationships that strengthen economic and institutional ties while increasing understanding of U.S. government policy and American values. In practice, proposals should show a clear connection between planned activities, the intended audiences, and one or more of these overarching outcomes.

PAS Sao Paulo highlights five strategic priority areas for proposed programs. The first is economic growth, including entrepreneurship, bilateral trade, investment, economic integration, innovation, and science and technology. The announcement specifically mentions emerging and sensitive areas such as 5G and intellectual property rights, signaling interest in programs that encourage modern, rules-based economic development and tech cooperation. The second area is advancing social inclusion, with emphasis on human rights, diversity, entrepreneurship, and freedom of speech, and on protecting and empowering marginalized or under-represented groups. Proposals that address economic inclusion for groups such as women, youth, and Afro-Brazilians are called out as especially relevant.

A third priority is STEAM and 21st century skills, focusing on U.S.-Brazil cooperation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Applied Arts, and Math, particularly for youth audiences. This suggests interest in workforce readiness, innovation capacity, education partnerships, and skills-building activities that connect Brazilian participants with U.S. approaches, institutions, or expertise. The fourth priority area centers on press freedom and combating disinformation, supporting innovation in both traditional and digital media, factual reporting, and activities that build media literacy and critical thinking. Programs that help communities recognize and resist mis- and disinformation are explicitly encouraged. The fifth priority is regional security, including non-proliferation, countering violent extremism, and exchanges that promote multilateral cooperation and stability across South America.

A key eligibility and scope constraint is geographic and audience-based: PAS will only consider proposals geared to Brazilian audiences located within the Sao Paulo Consular District, defined here as the states of Sao Paulo, Parana, and Mato Grosso do Sul. Applicants should therefore design their outreach, participants, and measurable outcomes around these locations, and be prepared to explain why the chosen audiences are strategic and how the project will reach them.

Eligible applicants include organized civil-society organizations and their local representatives, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and individuals. For-profit and commercial firms are not eligible. The notice also reinforces standard U.S. federal assistance compliance rules: any entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System within SAM is ineligible to receive assistance or participate in award-funded activities, consistent with debarment and suspension requirements under 2 CFR 180 and related executive orders.

Administrative requirements differ slightly for organizations versus individuals. If an organization is selected to move forward, it must obtain a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and maintain an active SAM.gov registration before submitting a full application. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or SAM.gov registration. Overall, competitive proposals for this opportunity would be those that are tightly scoped to the $20,000 ceiling, clearly aligned to one or more of the stated strategic priorities, focused on audiences in the three-state consular district, and structured to produce tangible, measurable public diplomacy outcomes such as skills gains, strengthened institutional links, improved media literacy, or enhanced cooperation in economic and security-related areas.

• The U.S. Mission to Brazil in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Consulate General — São Paulo Public Affairs Section Annual Program Statement" 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 2020-05-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-15. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for FY20 PAS SP APS

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