2025 Application for the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund Grant
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The U.S. Department of State invites U.S. citizen alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to apply for the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund. Please read through the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF) guidelines and instructions carefully before starting the application.
About CDAF:
The Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (CDAF) is an annual competition that awards up to $10,000 to teams of U.S. government-sponsored exchange alumni to carry out public service projects. The competition provides small grants to teams of two or more U.S. government-sponsored exchange alumni to carry out public service projects that advance U.S. policy goals at home and across the world related to one of the following five themes:
- Strengthening Democratic Institutions and Promoting Media Integrity
- Protecting the Environment
- Building community through Arts, Sports, or Technology
- Human Rights, Refugees, and Migrants
- Promoting English Language Learning
CDAF is a unique opportunity for alumni to use skills and knowledge learned during the exchange, connect with fellow alumni, and elevate their role as community leaders. Past participants have developed projects that promote media literacy education, build community resilience, and engage with issues such as climate change and promoting English language projects. This funding opportunity is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and implemented by Global Ties U.S. in partnership with the Office of Alumni Affairs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Guidelines:
- Teams must consist of at least two exchange alumni. The primary project lead must be a U.S. citizen alum, and the secondary lead and other team members can be U.S. citizens or international citizens exchange alumni.
- Grant Period: Activities should take place after Mid-April, 2025* and conclude prior to September 30, 2025. Funding cannot be used for any activities that began before April, 2025* or occur after September 30, 2025. *project start date is dependent on receiving the team's signed grantee agreement.
- The Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund is not meant to fund ongoing activities of for-profit, non-profit, or academic organizations. However, applicants can involve their organizations or partner with other organizations in the project’s implementation. The proposal should disclose any other partnering organizations that are co-funding and/or providing in-kind support to the project.
- Travel: Travel may be considered, though the applicant must provide a strong contingency plan, considering the possibility that travel may not be able to take place due to situations that may interfere with proposed travel. If travel is proposed to take place internationally, the U.S. embassy or consulate in that country must review and approve the application. CDAF is not able to support travel to the United States for individuals without eligible visas at the time of application.
- Project Promotion: When appropriate, the U.S. Department of State and Global Ties U.S. will amplify project activities through social media platforms. If your proposal is selected for funding, you may sign a communications release form.
Before submitting your application, please review:
- the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund webpage: https://www.globaltiesus.org/cdaf/
- the Funding Guidelines and Instructions for Budget Template and the Budget Template which must be used.
For more frequently asked questions, view our FAQ Page: Here.
2025 Project Timeline
Wednesday, December 4:
- The competition opens!
Wednesday, February 5 at 11:59p.m. Eastern Time:
- 2025 CDAF Application Deadline (late applications will not be accepted)
February and March:
- Eligible proposals will be reviewed and evaluated.
April:
- Finalists and winners are notified and announced.
April – September:
- Projects take place.
About the Application:
In order to complete this application, you must complete the following sections:
Team Information
- Team member info | Project Information
Project Narrative
- Project Description | Implementers and Collaborators | Implementation
Project Budget
- Itemized Budget | Budget Narrative
Letter of Support
Disclaimers and Final Submission Only complete submissions will be accepted. The application will remain open from December 4, 2024 - February 5, 2025.
Application Resources:
Utilize following resources to help build your application.
Webinars:
Sign-up for all webinars on the CDAF Website: https://www.globaltiesus.org/cdaf/
- CDAF Informational Webinar (December 5 at 5:30 p.m. ET)
- CDAF Grant Proposal Writing Webinar (December 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET)
- CDAF Team Networking (January 15 at 12:30 p.m. ET)
- CDAF Open Office Hours (January 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET; January 23 at 4:00 p.m. ET; January 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET; February 3 at 5:30 p.m. ET)
CDAF Grant Writing Tips:
- Register for the 'Applying to CDAF' Alumni Resource Center Course HERE
- Access the CDAF Resource Library HERE