Exchange program for historical sites preservation experts | STX 100 FY20 0002

Opportunity Information: Apply for STX 100 FY20 0002

The Exchange program for historical sites preservation experts is a U.S. Department of State funding opportunity run by the U.S. Mission to Turkmenistan that supports a professional exchange in the United States for five specialists from Turkmenistan's National Department of Protection, Research, and Restoration of Historical and Cultural Sites under the Ministry of Culture. The program is designed around an urgent preservation problem in Turkmenistan: many antique and medieval sites are built largely from unbaked brick, which makes them especially vulnerable to weathering and natural deterioration. While the National Department has significant local experience and has already accomplished a lot, the opportunity is built on the premise that the agency needs more resources, more specialized expertise, and more exposure to international best practices to carry out preservation and restoration work more efficiently and sustainably. A second major need the program targets is the lack of practical experience in turning historic sites into well-managed tourist destinations in a way that generates revenue while still protecting fragile cultural heritage.

The core goal is practical, near-term impact after the exchange ends. Within 10 months of completing the program, participants are expected to begin applying what they learned directly to preservation and restoration projects back home, and to incorporate U.S. approaches to "capitalizing" on historical sites, meaning developing tourism potential, improving promotion, and strengthening visitor services without compromising conservation. Progress toward this goal is intended to be checked through follow-up interviews with participants and other National Department staff, which makes post-program implementation a key part of how success is judged rather than treating the exchange as a stand-alone study tour.

The objectives spell out what the participants should gain from the U.S. experience. They include learning U.S. methods for historic-site preservation, understanding how American institutions market and promote heritage sites as tourist attractions, and studying operational strategies for managing large visitor flows while preventing damage caused by increased tourism. The program also emphasizes public outreach and education, focusing on how U.S. organizations raise public awareness about why preservation matters and how communities can support it. Finally, the exchange is meant to be two-way: participants are expected to share Turkmenistan's experience with U.S. colleagues and build professional relationships that can continue as partnerships after the program ends.

Planned activities combine expert engagement with hands-on observation. Participants would take part in meetings and discussions with U.S. preservation professionals, including opportunities to compare approaches and talk through challenges that are especially relevant to earthen and brick-built sites. The itinerary is expected to include visits to active preservation and restoration projects where participants can see technologies, materials, and field practices in context. Another track focuses on tourism development, with meetings that look at how heritage sites are positioned to the public, how visitor experiences are designed, and how revenue and management models work. Participants would also visit high-traffic historical locations to examine real-world practices for crowd management, site operations, interpretation and signage, visitor safety, and protective measures that reduce wear and vandalism. The notice lists preferred locations in the U.S. Southwest, including Albuquerque, Acoma Pueblo, Mesa Verde, and Santa Fe, while also allowing additional sites as appropriate.

The direct participants are the five National Department experts traveling to the United States, but the intended audience extends beyond them. Direct beneficiaries also include officials and experts in related Turkmen institutions such as the Institute of History and Archaeology, the Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of Culture. Indirect beneficiaries are broader: the Turkmen government, international institutions involved in archaeology and history, tourism companies that may develop heritage offerings, and tourists who would benefit from improved preservation and visitor services. The performance period for the award is flexible, lasting between 6 and 12 months, with an anticipated program start date of March 2021.

Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which signals that U.S. embassy or bureau staff will play an active role in implementation. The post expects to help solicit and identify participants, coordinate program dates, and select some U.S. sites and venues. The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number STX 100 FY20 0002 with an award ceiling of $55,000 and an expectation of one award. Eligible applicants are U.S. not-for-profit organizations (including NGOs, civil society groups, and think tanks) and U.S. public or private educational institutions. Cost sharing is not mandatory, but it is treated as a competitive advantage and can add points to an application score depending on the level of match.

To apply, organizations must meet standard U.S. federal assistance eligibility requirements, including having a unique entity identifier (historically a DUNS number), an NCAGE/CAGE code, and an active SAM.gov registration, renewed annually. Applications must be submitted in English, with budgets in U.S. dollars, and must follow formatting rules (8.5 x 11 pages, Times New Roman 12-point, single-spaced, 1-inch margins, and numbered pages). Required components include federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B), a cover-style summary page, a full proposal narrative that clearly explains the problem, goals and measurable objectives, activities, methods and design (with a logic model if appropriate), schedule and timeline, key personnel, partners, and a monitoring and evaluation plan, plus a sustainability or future funding section. Applicants must also include a budget justification narrative and attachments such as short resumes for key staff, partner letters of support, and an indirect cost rate agreement if they plan to charge those costs. The funding announcement also notes compliance expectations with relevant federal regulations and standard Department of State award terms, and it specifies that award funds cannot be used in countries other than the United States and Turkmenistan. Applications are submitted by email to the U.S. Mission in Ashgabat at AshgabatCulturalAffairs@state.gov, and the original closing date listed for the opportunity was August 10, 2020.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Turkmenistan in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Exchange program for historical sites preservation experts" 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 Jul 13, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 10, 2020. (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 $55,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for STX 100 FY20 0002

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