Reconciling the Past: The Power of Art to Heal | C NOFO 23 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for C NOFO 23 002

Reconciling the Past: The Power of Art to Heal is a U.S. Department of State grant opportunity offered through the U.S. Mission to India that supports a cultural and educational project built around the idea that art, museums, and exhibitions can help communities grapple with difficult history. The central aim is to help Indian community leaders and art communicators better understand how museums and other cultural institutions in the United States influence national identity and public memory, especially when societies are dealing with social conflict, questions of inclusion, and the challenge of building cohesion across differences. By engaging with U.S. approaches to interpreting and presenting contested history, participants are expected to reflect on similar issues in India and use those insights to think more openly about the complexities of their own pasts.

The program is designed with clear audience and professional exchange outcomes to be achieved by June 2024. First, it targets broad public engagement: at least 10,000 Indian visitors who attend exhibits displayed at American Spaces across India are expected to come away with a stronger understanding of how the United States defines the "American experience," including the country s ongoing struggles around identity, belonging, and inclusion. The grant emphasizes that this learning should not remain abstract; visitors should be encouraged to apply what they learn to the Indian context as they consider how nations reckon with historical and social tensions. Measurement is built into the project design, with the expectation that polls and surveys of exhibit visitors will document shifts in awareness and understanding.

Second, the opportunity emphasizes professional development and dialogue among those who shape cultural narratives. Through related programs organized in connection with the exhibit, at least 50 Indian art communicators are expected to gain space to share how they tell India s story on themes of identity and inclusion, and to connect with American art communicators in order to exchange practices and perspectives. This component is meant to strengthen networks and promote practical learning about how cultural practitioners handle sensitive or contested topics in public-facing settings like museums, galleries, or cultural centers. Success for this portion is also expected to be documented through post-event surveys and reporting that capture what participants learned, what connections were made, and how the exchange influenced their work.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means the funding agency expects to stay actively involved during implementation rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The opportunity number is C NOFO 23 002, and it falls under an education and humanities focus (with cultural affairs framing under CFDA), listed as CFDA 19.040. The award ceiling is USD 200,000, with one award expected, indicating a single lead implementer will likely be responsible for delivering the exhibition and associated programming at scale. Eligible applicants include U.S. and India-based organizations that fit the listed categories: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category). The notice was created April 11, 2023, and the original application deadline was June 9, 2023.

Overall, the opportunity funds a project that uses curated exhibitions and related public programs as a structured way to discuss how countries narrate their histories, how institutions influence those narratives, and how art can create room for dialogue, learning, and reconciliation in the face of social divisions. The intended impact is both public-facing (large numbers of visitors across American Spaces) and field-building (skill and network development for art communicators), with evaluation tools built in to demonstrate reach and learning outcomes.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to India in the education, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reconciling the Past: The Power of Art to Heal" 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 Apr 11, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 09, 2023. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for C NOFO 23 002

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: