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Freedom 250 Outreach Across India (OFOP0002512) - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Freedom 250 Outreach Across India grant opportunity?

The Freedom 250 Outreach Across India opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number OFOP0002512) is a discretionary program of the U.S. Department of State, administered through the U.S. Mission to India (Embassy New Delhi). It supports the design, administration, and delivery of high-visibility public engagement activities across India under Mission India's Freedom 250 Public Engagement Initiative.

Which U.S. government entity is running this program?

The program is run by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Mission to India (Embassy New Delhi).

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The core purpose is to showcase the historical legacy of American excellence, highlight U.S. innovation and leadership, and celebrate the long-standing cultural, economic, and strategic ties between the United States and India through public-facing engagement activities.

What type of activities is the program looking to fund?

Applicants are asked to propose creative, high-impact, humanities-oriented public engagement activities designed to reach diverse audiences across multiple locations in India. The programming is expected to be public-facing, well-produced, and capable of traveling and scaling rather than being limited to small, localized events.

Is this opportunity focused on local community events or large-scale outreach?

It is framed as a large-scale outreach effort. The emphasis is on programming that can travel, scale, and generate broad attention across India, rather than small, localized activities.

How many awards does the program expect to make?

The opportunity anticipates making one to five awards in total.

What is the maximum funding amount per award?

The award ceiling is USD 500,000 per award.

What type of award will be used (grant or cooperative agreement)?

Awards will be made as cooperative agreements.

What does it mean that awards are cooperative agreements?

In this context, a cooperative agreement generally means the U.S. government expects to have substantial involvement during implementation. Examples mentioned include coordination on messaging, branding, major deliverables, or key engagement moments.

What is the geographic focus of the activities?

The activities are intended to take place across India and reach audiences in multiple locations.

How long is the overall outreach effort expected to run?

The initiative is described as running through December 31, 2026.

What is the focus area or category for this opportunity?

The activity category is Humanities, signaling an emphasis on public diplomacy and cultural and educational engagement, storytelling, and programming that connects history, ideas, innovation, and society.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 19.040.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations), public and private educational institutions, public international organizations, and governmental institutions.

What kind of organizations are encouraged to apply?

Mission-aligned organizations with the capacity to execute complex, multi-site public engagement programming in India are encouraged to apply.

What are the key dates for this funding opportunity?

The opportunity creation date is February 9, 2026. The original application closing date is March 10, 2026.

What kind of outcomes does the program want to see?

The program seeks ambitious, innovative outreach that is recognizable to the public, can be executed at scale, strengthens mutual understanding, and reinforces a narrative of U.S.-India partnership while spotlighting American excellence and innovation.

Does the program expect activities to be high visibility?

Yes. The solicitation specifically calls for high-visibility public engagement activities and emphasizes broad attention and recognizable public-facing initiatives.

Is the programming expected to support a specific theme?

Yes. Proposed activities should align with the Freedom 250 Public Engagement Initiative goals of highlighting American excellence and innovation and celebrating the depth of U.S.-India cultural, economic, and strategic ties.

Does the opportunity specify how implementers will work with the U.S. government on content and branding?

It notes that, because awards are cooperative agreements, the U.S. government expects substantial involvement during implementation, including potential coordination on messaging, branding, major deliverables, and key engagement moments.

What makes a proposal a strong fit based on the description provided?

Based on the description, strong-fit proposals would be creative and humanities-oriented, designed for multiple locations across India, built to travel and scale, and structured to generate broad public attention while advancing the stated U.S.-India partnership narrative through the end of 2026.