PrintFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. May I apply as an individual?
2. What types of institutions are eligible for support? Do they need to be in the United States?
3. Should I apply to the Priority Grant Competition or the Annual Grant Competition?
4. What is the deadline for the Priority Grant Competition?
5. Are the application forms for the Annual Grant Competition and Priority Grant Competition interchangeable?
6. When will the final decision be made on the Annual Grant Competition applications?
7. If I submit an application to the Priority Grant Competition, when will I learn of its outcome?
8. What types of projects are eligible?
9. Does the Grant Program have a specific funding Priority area?
10. Can my organization submit more than one application to the same grant cycle?
11. May I submit a draft proposal for review prior to the Annual Grant Competition application deadline?
12. May I resubmit a proposal that was unsuccessful in an earlier USIP grant competition?
13. May I submit a request for funding for my organization's core activities?
14. How do I prepare a budget?
15. How much can I request?
16. Am I required to show support needed for the project from other donors other than the request to USIP?
1. May I apply as an individual?
No. Applications from individuals will not be accepted in the Annual Grant Competition (AGC).
Applications must be affiliated with a nonprofit or public institution when they are submitted.
2. What types of institutions are eligible to apply for funding? Do they need to be based in the
United States?
Non-profit, civil society, public and academic institutions in the U.S. or abroad are eligible.
At the time they apply for funding, U.S. non-profit organizations should have already obtained their 501(c)(3) status. Foreign organizations should submit proof of non-profit registration with their application.
3. Should I apply to the Priority Grantmaking or the Annual Grant Competition?
In the Priority Grant Competition (PGC), only the projects on the themes and countries identified on
our website are eligible. For the priority programs that are country specific, the programs are
intended to support the following: civil society country-based organizations in Afghanistan, Iraq,
Pakistan, and Sudan. In the case of Iran, USIP supports non-country based organizations. If your
organization is not registered as a local non-profit organization in one of these countries, you
should apply to the Annual Grant Competition.
4. What are the deadlines for the Annual and Priority Grant Competitions?
Annual Grant Competition applications must be submitted online by 5:00pm EDT on October 3.
No exceptions will be made for this deadline.
Priority Grant Competition proposals and inquiries may be submitted to the designated program
officer. The proposal development and review process is ongoing with final decisions made by USIP's
Board of Directors approximately five times per year.
5. Are the application forms for the Annual Grant Competition and Priority Grant Competition
interchangeable, and may I use one application to apply to either initiative?
No. You must use the proper application form for each competition. The Annual Grant Competition
application is an online form.To inquire about the Priority Grant Competition, you should contact
the designated program officer.
6. When will the final decision be made on my Annual Grant Competition application?
Notification will be sent by email no later than March 31, six months after the October deadline.
7. If I submit an application to the Priority Grant Competition when will I learn of its outcome?
The staff member listed as the contact person will be in touch with you regarding your application
and will determine if USIP will accept it into the competition and when you might hear from USIP
regarding its disposition.
8. What types of projects are eligible?
In the Annual Grant Competition, a wide variety of projects are eligible, including policy-oriented
research, dialogue, education and training projects, conferences, workshops, Track II mediations,
library development and media projects (such as documentary films, TV and radio programs, as well
as print media projects). All such projects are eligible as long as they fit USIP's mandate as
described in the application form.The Priority Grant Competition has specific themes or topics and
areas of interest for each country, as described on the Priority Grant Competition web page.
9. Does the Grant Program have a specific funding priority area?
The answer to this question is both yes and no.
In the Annual Grant Competition, any project that meets the Institute's general mandate as
described in the application guidelines is eligible. There are no funding priorities.
In the Priority Grant Competition, USIP has identified priority countries and themes and will accept
proposals that meet the scope of activities and focus outlined for each program.
10. Can my organization submit more than one application to the same competition?
Yes, as long as your organization does not submit more than three proposals to any given competiton
and there is no overlap in the projects or the project personnel. No limits apply to the number of
applications submitted by colleges or universities.
11. May I submit a draft proposal for review prior to the Annual Grant Competition application
deadline?
Yes. Because of a limited number of staff available to provide feedback, please submit no more than
a three page pre-proposal by August 1. Pre-proposal feedback will be provided to applicants in the
order in which they are received on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-proposals can be sent to grants@usip.org. Pre-proposals received after August 1 may not be reviewed.
Pre-proposals are required in the Priority Grant Competition and may be submitted at any time
throughout the year.
12. May I resubmit a proposal that was unsuccessful in an earlier USIP grant competition?
We do not recommend that you resubmit a proposal without first consulting the Grant Program staff,
who are available to share information with you about the evaluation of your proposal. If you are
considering a resubmission, it is important to allow sufficient time for staff to review your file
and provide some feedback, and for you to revise the application for submission by the deadline.
We will not accept the resubmission of a previously rejected proposal unless it has been
substantially revised.
13. May I submit a request for funding for my organization's core activities?
No, typically USIP does not provide core or organizational support. It also does not provide funding
for the sole purpose of furthering or maintaining an organization's existing programs,
to purchase equipment, or for institutional infrastructure costs.
14. How do I prepare a budget?
Your budget request should be an estimate of the funds needed to complete the project you have
submitted to USIP within the time frame you have provided on the cover sheet.USIP does not have
guidelines for how much activities are likely to cost. This differs from one project to the next.
Grants range from $50,000 - $120,000 in the Annual Grant Competition, regardless of the number of
individuals working on the program or the length of the project. Applicants with request outside
this range should consult the Grant Program for guidance.
In the Priority Grant Competition, the amount of an award will be based on the proposed budget and work plan, and on negotiations with successful applicants.
16. Am I required to show support needed for the project from other donors other than the request
to USIP?
The budget for the project should reflect the total amount you will need to complete the project
that you are submitting for consideration. If the funds you are requesting from USIP are enough to
complete the project, you do not need to list other funding sources. If, however, your request to
USIP is a portion of the funding needed to complete the project, you must provide information about
the other sources-both those that have already committed funding and those donors to whom you plan
to submit (or have already submitted) applications for additional funding for the project.