Pax Silica Artificial Intelligence Assistance Project

The Pax Silica Artificial Intelligence Assistance Project is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs. Pax Silica is the Department's flagship programmatic and policy initiative for strengthening global artificial intelligence supply chain security and building a secure, resilient, innovation-driven technology ecosystem spanning critical minerals, energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics. Through the Pax Silica Fund, including International Technology Security and Innovation Fund resources, the Department supports pilot projects intended to reduce coercive dependencies, secure global technology supply chains, protect sensitive technologies, support joint investment, and build trusted digital infrastructure. This opportunity, DFOP0019193, specifically seeks to establish a trusted supply chain credentialing and provenance platform for the AI supply chain. The project will begin with a Phase 1 pilot in Panama and is envisioned to expand in Phase 2 to other likeminded partner economies. Its specific aims include enabling participants to verify the origin, custody, and compliance status of goods, components, and technologies critical to AI supply chains; tracking credentials across relevant supply chains for AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and critical minerals; and accelerating logistics and compliance through cryptographic cargo verification, AI-expedited risk assessment, and pre-approved expedited Fast Lane processing. The envisioned Silicon Highway will integrate with existing customs and shipper tracking platforms. Objectives include an AI-powered customs data submission system, AI-assisted anomaly detection and risk insights, AI-accelerated preclearance using physical inspection data, and an end-to-end cryptographically signed product pedigree and chain-of-custody system. Training participating customs, tax, and port stakeholders to independently use the tool is also part of the project. Approximately $50,000,000 in total funding is available, subject to availability of funds. The Department anticipates making between one and three cooperative agreement awards, with individual awards ranging from approximately $1,000,000 to $50,000,000. The preferred performance period is 24 months, with three months of scheduling room if events are postponed. Projects with extremely strong justification may receive up to 36 months if sufficient need and funding are available. The project is envisioned as a pilot that will be sustained with non-U.S. Government funding after successful completion. Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not required. However, a project providing at least $25,000 in allowable cost sharing, matching, or cost participation receives five review points; the points do not increase for contributions above $25,000. Federal funding is subject to applicable Department and federal requirements, and prohibited costs and activities include projects primarily for applicant institutional growth, personal use, profit-making project administration, unauthorized costs outside the award period, certain political advocacy, alcoholic beverages, and unallowable entertainment costs. Eligible applicants are U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses, U.S.-based nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, and U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education. Applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier and valid SAM.gov registration, subject to the stated exemption procedures. An organization may submit one application in response to the NOFO; if more than one is submitted, only the final application received and time stamped by Grants.gov will be reviewed for eligibility. One application may contain multiple standalone projects, which will be evaluated independently. All application materials must be submitted through Grants.gov, except that a U.S. government entity seeking an Inter-Agency Agreement submits its proposal to the stated Department email address. The application package requires SF-424 and SF-424A forms, with SF-424B and SF-LLL identified as optional or applicable forms. Required proposal materials include a one-page Summary Page, Key Personnel information, a two-component Monitoring and Evaluation submission consisting of a narrative and plan or tracker, a Consolidated Project List, and a Project Narrative of no more than 15 pages for each proposed project. The Project Narrative addresses the unique project identifier, project summary, applicant organization, project title, problem statement, goals and objectives, activities and deliverables, methods and design, outcomes, risk analysis, schedule and timeline, partners, sustainability or future funding, country of impact, economic and national security objective, project budget, and project point of contact. Applicants must also provide detailed line-item budget and budget narrative documents for each project as applicable. Evaluation attachments include key personnel CVs or resumes, the latest NICRA when applicable, a past performance statement covering up to ten recent U.S. Government funded awards active during the preceding 24 months, and official permission letters when required. Applications first undergo a Technical Eligibility Review for applicant eligibility and required documents. Eligible applications advance to a Merit Review Panel and are scored on a 100-point scale. Quality and feasibility of the project idea is worth 25 points. Organizational capacity and record on previous awards, project planning and ability to achieve objectives, financial capacity and cost effectiveness, and monitoring and evaluation are each worth 15 points. Sustainability is worth 10 points, and qualifying cost sharing is worth 5 points. Equivalent scores may be resolved in favor of the applicant with the lower indirect cost rate. The Department also conducts a risk review considering financial stability, management systems and standards, performance history, audit findings, implementation capability, and comprehensiveness of the monitoring and evaluation plan. Final decisions also consider programmatic goals, foreign policy priorities, and geographic distribution. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 20, 2026. Questions concerning the application process may be submitted to PaxFund-NOFO-DL@state.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 12, 2026, with Department responses posted as an attachment to the NOFO in Grants.gov every Friday through August 14, 2026. The anticipated project start date is September 30, 2026. Unsuccessful applicants are expected to be notified by email by November 30, 2026. The award will be written, signed, awarded, and administered by the Grants Officer, and recipients may incur project expenses only beginning on the start date in the signed award document. Cooperative agreement payments will be made through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System. Post-award requirements include financial and narrative progress reporting generally on a quarterly basis, monitoring and evaluation tracking, and final financial and progress reports no later than 120 calendar days after the award expiration date.

Align proposal clearly with stated objectives emphasize measurable outcomes include strong M&E plan and ensure cost effectiveness while minimizing administrative costs