Small Grants Program - US Embassy Montevideo | PD MVD NOFO FY2025 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for PD MVD NOFO FY2025 001

The Small Grants Program run through the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo is a U.S. Department of State funding opportunity aimed at supporting projects that align closely with the Embassy's strategic priorities in Uruguay. Rather than funding a single set of activities delivered directly by the Embassy, this opportunity is designed to select one main organization to serve as the program administrator under a cooperative agreement. That main recipient would then run a subawards program, meaning it would solicit, review, select, fund, and oversee multiple smaller grants to local implementers whose projects advance shared U.S.-Uruguay objectives.

The selected primary recipient is expected to manage the full life cycle of the small-grants portfolio in close consultation with the U.S. Embassy. This includes promoting the subaward opportunity to potential applicants, receiving and evaluating proposals, communicating with applicants, issuing subawards, managing payments, maintaining complete financial and program records, and conducting monitoring and evaluation to track progress and results. Because the Embassy is using a cooperative agreement, the relationship is meant to be collaborative, with the Embassy engaged in shaping priorities and oversight while the recipient handles day-to-day administration and compliance. The prime recipient remains fully responsible for subrecipient performance and spending, and must keep clear documentation showing how subawardees were selected, what monitoring occurred, and how each subrecipient complied with award terms and conditions. These records must be available to the Grants Officer if requested.

Programmatically, proposals are expected to demonstrate strong alignment with U.S. strategic interests and to show that the applicant can responsibly administer U.S. government funds in a way that strengthens the bilateral relationship between the United States and Uruguay. The Department of State emphasizes a merit-based selection process, with preference for proposals that can produce measurable outcomes and long-term benefits rather than one-off events without lasting impact.

The Embassy highlights three broad priority areas. Under Economic Prosperity, projects should support trade, U.S. investment, and economic growth; strengthen workforce training and skills in strategic sectors in ways that address underlying drivers of migration; and advance technology development and capacity building, including STEM education and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics. Under Democracy and Leadership, priorities include reinforcing free-market principles, promoting democratic values and civic participation, and supporting academic and professional excellence through exchanges or collaboration with U.S. institutions and experts. Under Security and Safety, the focus includes strengthening local capacity to combat transnational criminal organizations, money laundering, and trafficking in persons; promoting justice, transparency, accountability, and freedom of expression; and improving cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure.

Financially, the overall award ceiling for the cooperative agreement is up to USD 160,000, and the Embassy anticipates making one award to a single primary administrator. That organization would then issue multiple small subawards, generally expected to fall in the range of USD 2,500 to USD 50,000 per subaward, with final subaward sizes set in consultation with the Embassy. In other words, applicants are not primarily proposing one small project; they are proposing a system and approach for running a transparent, compliant, and effective small-grants competition that will fund several projects aligned with Embassy priorities.

Eligibility is broadly open to organizations capable of administering a subawards program, including government bodies and non-governmental or non-profit institutions. The notice specifically references registered Uruguayan non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society groups, NGOs, and cultural or educational associations), Uruguayan governmental entities, and public and non-profit educational institutions. The opportunity is listed as discretionary, uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, and is associated with CFDA 19.040. The funding opportunity number is PD MVD NOFO FY2025 001, posted by the U.S. Mission to Uruguay, with an original closing date of May 18, 2025 (created April 11, 2025).

• The U.S. Mission to Uruguay in the agriculture, arts, business and commerce, education, employment, labor and training, energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Grants Program - US Embassy Montevideo" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-04-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-05-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $160,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for PD MVD NOFO FY2025 001

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