Freedom250 in Cte dIvoire American Spaces

The Freedom250 in Cote d’Ivoire American Spaces funding opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy Abidjan Public Diplomacy Section under funding opportunity number PDS-Abidjan-FY26-0001-ASSF. The program is designed to strengthen workforce readiness, English-language capacity, and technology skills among youth in Cote d’Ivoire while supporting broader U.S. foreign policy and economic engagement priorities in West Africa. The initiative is aligned with the global Freedom 250 celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States and seeks to promote American leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and democratic values through practical training and engagement activities. The opportunity specifically supports the use of American Spaces as hubs for workforce development and professional advancement activities. The NOFO states that the program will target university students, educators, and early-career professionals between the ages of 17 and 40 in several key cities, including Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, and Korhogo. The initiative is intended to create a pipeline of skilled, English-capable Ivoirian youth who can support U.S. trade, investment, and innovation partnerships. Proposed activities may include workforce readiness training, employability development, digital and technical skills training, coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, immersive technologies, entrepreneurship support, and English-language instruction. The program also encourages engagement with U.S. institutions, American experts, and private sector partners connected to U.S. commercial interests and innovation ecosystems. The embassy emphasizes integrated and market-driven programming models rather than purely theoretical approaches. The funding opportunity anticipates two awards with funding ranging from a minimum of 10,000 dollars to a maximum of 19,000 dollars, with total available funding of 25,000 dollars pending availability of funds. The project performance period is expected to last between 12 and 18 months, and the funding instrument will be a Fixed Amount Award. Continuation funding may be considered on a non-competitive basis depending on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and the interests of the Department of State. Cost sharing or matching is encouraged but is not required. The NOFO also specifies several unallowable activities and expenses, including construction projects, charitable or humanitarian assistance, direct social services, partisan political activities, fundraising campaigns, lobbying, commercial projects, scientific research, and illegal activities. Alcoholic beverages and entertainment expenses are also prohibited. Pre-award costs are generally not allowable unless specifically approved in advance by the Grants Officer. Eligible applicants include U.S. and foreign nonprofit organizations, U.S. and foreign public and private educational institutions, and U.S. and foreign individuals. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply directly, although subcontracting relationships are permitted if clearly described in the proposal. Organizations must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and maintain active SAM.gov registration unless an approved exemption is granted. Only one proposal per organization may be submitted. The application package requires several mandatory federal forms, including SF-424 or SF-424-I, SF-424A, and SF-424B where applicable. Applicants must also submit a proposal narrative of no more than two pages that includes a proposal summary, organizational background, problem statement, program methods and deliverables, implementation timeline, key personnel information, project partners, and a Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Monitoring Plan. Additional required components include a detailed line-item budget, budget justification narrative, resumes or position descriptions for key staff, partner support letters, proof of nonprofit status where applicable, and organizational registration documents. Applications must be submitted in English and budgets must be prepared in U.S. dollars. The NOFO allows submission by email to usembgrants@state.gov and requires the funding opportunity title and funding opportunity number to be included in the email subject line. The application deadline is June 15, 2026 at midnight GMT. The anticipated project start date is September 15, 2026. The embassy notes that applicants generally will be notified within 120 days after the application deadline regarding review outcomes. Proposals will first undergo a technical eligibility review before evaluation by a review panel. Applications missing required forms or documentation will be considered ineligible. The review process evaluates proposals according to five weighted criteria. Quality and feasibility of the program idea accounts for 35 points and emphasizes innovation, clear alignment with U.S. foreign policy priorities, and realistic implementation plans. Organizational capacity and record on previous grants accounts for 30 points and considers expertise, financial management systems, staffing, prior compliance history, and experience managing subawards. Project planning and ability to achieve objectives accounts for 15 points, budget quality accounts for 10 points, and monitoring and evaluation planning accounts for the remaining 10 points. Preference may be given in tie-breaking situations to applicants with lower indirect cost rates. Selected applicants may also be subject to additional Risk Analysis Management vetting requirements, including submission of personal identifying information for key individuals associated with the organization. The NOFO includes extensive post-award compliance and reporting requirements. Recipients will generally be required to submit quarterly programmatic and financial reports, including monitoring and evaluation data, within 30 days after each reporting period. Final reports are due 120 days after the project closes. Recipients must also comply with Department of State branding requirements and incorporate Freedom 250 logos into program materials and communications. The embassy may impose additional monitoring requirements on organizations determined to be high risk, including monthly narrative reporting, additional documentation requests, or withholding a portion of award funds until final approvals are complete. Questions regarding the application process may be directed to usembgrants@state.gov.

Align project activities clearly with U.S. foreign policy priorities and Freedom 250 themes. Demonstrate measurable workforce and English-language outcomes. Provide strong monitoring and evaluation metrics with realistic implementation timelines. Include detailed budgets tied directly to activities and outcomes. Clearly define partner roles and organizational capacity.