FY 2016 Communities Connecting Heritage Program | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The FY 2016 Communities Connecting Heritage Program is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (DOS-ECA) funding opportunity designed to advance U.S. foreign policy goals through international, people-to-people exchange work centered on cultural heritage. The core idea is to use shared exploration of cultural heritage as a practical way to connect communities in the United States with communities abroad, build lasting partnerships between cultural organizations, and strengthen community engagement through outreach and public education. This opportunity is framed as a new initiative for FY 2016, with an emphasis on demonstrating fresh collaborations and models that can be showcased as examples of effective community-based cultural heritage programming.

The program focuses on collaborative international exchange projects that bring together U.S. and foreign cultural organizations and, importantly, the communities those organizations serve. While cultural heritage is the central theme, projects are expected to connect heritage work to broader community needs and social outcomes. The announcement highlights participant groups that are especially encouraged to be included, such as youth, women, ethnic minorities, and other underserved populations. In practice, that means projects should be designed with equity and access in mind, using heritage activities to expand participation, representation, and local ownership rather than limiting engagement to professionals or elite institutions.

In addition to heritage exploration, proposed activities may integrate related social issues when they naturally fit the project goals. The opportunity specifically mentions social inclusion, interfaith tolerance, womens empowerment, and youth development as examples of complementary themes. This signals that competitive projects likely pair heritage content with clear community benefits, such as creating spaces for dialogue across religious or ethnic lines, supporting the leadership development of young people, or empowering women as cultural practitioners, storytellers, conservators, or community organizers. The exchange format is intended to be collaborative, meaning projects should emphasize joint learning, co-creation, and sustained relationships rather than one-directional training or short-term cultural visits.

From a structure and scale standpoint, the program anticipates supporting a small set of exchange initiatives, described as six to eight international exchange projects. The goal is not just to fund isolated activities, but to develop and showcase new partnerships between U.S. and foreign cultural organizations, with visible community-facing results. Successful projects would likely include public education components, community outreach strategies, and tangible outputs that demonstrate how heritage can be leveraged to strengthen civic life, mutual understanding, and inclusive participation. The program description suggests that the Department of State wants projects that can serve as strong examples of cultural diplomacy in action, where heritage becomes a shared platform for problem-solving and connection.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. A cooperative agreement typically implies a more involved relationship with the funding agency than a standard grant, often including agency collaboration, input, or oversight during implementation. The opportunity falls under CFDA number 19.415 and is listed under an “Other” funding activity category, indicating that it does not fit neatly into a single conventional activity area and should be interpreted based on the narrative description focused on exchanges and cultural heritage engagement.

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions). The listing also includes an “Others” category with a note to consult the full announcement for additional eligibility details, which commonly means there may be further clarifications, restrictions, or allowances depending on organizational type, partnerships, or program design. The agency is DOS-ECA, and the opportunity number is ECA ECAPEC 16 047.

Key dates and funding parameters are straightforward. The opportunity was created and posted on April 22, 2016, and the application deadline was May 27, 2016. The award ceiling is $800,000, indicating the maximum anticipated funding amount per award, though the notice does not specify an exact number of awards in the source data beyond the program narrative’s estimate of six to eight projects overall. Anyone seeking to understand required activities, allowable costs, cost sharing expectations (if any), project duration, evaluation requirements, and specific application components would need to refer to the full announcement referenced in the description, but the summary intent is clear: to fund a limited number of high-impact exchange partnerships that use cultural heritage as a bridge between communities, with a strong emphasis on inclusion and community-centered public engagement.

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