The U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste, through its Public Diplomacy Section in Dili, is inviting proposals for the Fiscal Year 2025 Program Statement aimed at enhancing bilateral relations and public diplomacy between the United States and Timor-Leste. The program seeks to foster a deeper understanding of U.S. policies, perspectives, and culture by promoting collaboration between American individuals or organizations and Timorese counterparts. The funding opportunity is being administered under the Cooperative Agreement mechanism and falls within the Community Development funding category.

The overarching objective of this funding opportunity is to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Timor-Leste by encouraging programs that connect, inform, inspire change, and persuade public audiences in alignment with U.S. priority goals and objectives. Proposed initiatives must incorporate an American element, such as partnerships with U.S. experts, institutions, or organizations, and should focus on increasing understanding of U.S. perspectives, promoting bilateral cooperation, and reinforcing people-to-people relationships. Additional focus areas include enhancing economic and technological partnerships or reducing the recipient country's vulnerabilities to economic coercion and exploitation.

Eligible applicants for this opportunity are limited to individuals. Proposals must demonstrate a clear connection to American resources or expertise and articulate how the project contributes to the U.S. Mission’s public diplomacy goals. All submitted programs are expected to include measurable outcomes and evaluation methods aligned with the mission’s objectives.

The funding parameters for this opportunity specify a minimum award of $2,500 and a maximum of $25,000 per proposal. While the total available funding has not been specified, applicants should note that cost sharing or matching is a required component of the application. This indicates that selected applicants must contribute financially or in-kind to support the proposed activities.

The application process is conducted through Grants.gov, and the opportunity is currently open with applications being accepted until August 31, 2025. The notice was originally posted on April 23, 2025, and last updated on April 24, 2025. There are no pre-application deadlines indicated. Although there is no explicit reference to a recurring cycle, applicants should monitor the embassy or Grants.gov for future updates.

Applicants who encounter difficulties accessing the full announcement or require additional information may contact the grant administrator via email at braunschweigdfe@state.gov. Additional details and application materials are available through the opportunity's listing on MyGrants.