Notice of Funding Opportunity 2026 – Lebanon

The U.S. Department of State’s Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for fiscal year 2026. This open competition seeks to fund projects that strengthen ties between the United States and Lebanon, specifically focusing on advancing digital literacy and utilizing artificial intelligence to identify and counter false adversarial narratives that threaten Lebanon's stability. PDS anticipates awarding approximately two grants ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, with a total available funding pool of $500,000. Eligible applicants are limited to Lebanese not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations. Proposed projects must incorporate an American element or connection and must be completed within a performance period of 9 to 18 months. Applications must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, if applicable), a detailed narrative proposal of up to eight pages, a comprehensive budget justification narrative, and a monitoring and evaluation plan. Additionally, applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration in SAM.gov. The firm deadline for proposal submissions is August 7, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Beirut Time, with a question deadline on July 20, 2026. Submissions will be evaluated based on the quality of the program idea, organizational capacity, project planning, budget reasonableness, and the strength of the monitoring and evaluation framework.

The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Department of State, has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under assistance listing number 19.040. This open competition seeks to fund projects that strengthen ties between the United States and Lebanon, promote U.S. priorities, and highlight U.S.-led peace and stabilization efforts. The program’s specific objective is to advance digital literacy and leverage artificial intelligence tools to identify and counter false adversarial narratives that undermine Lebanon's stability. Eligible applicants are limited to not-for-profit Lebanese organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations. PDS anticipates awarding approximately two grants ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, with a total available funding pool of $500,000, pending the availability of funds. The performance period for funded projects is 9 to 18 months, with an anticipated start date no later than September 30, 2026. All proposals must incorporate an American element or connection, such as collaboration with American experts or institutions. Applications must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B), a detailed proposal up to eight pages, a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan, and a detailed budget narrative. Applicants must possess an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of submission. The application deadline is August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM Beirut Time, and submissions must be sent electronically to PDBeirutGrants@state.gov. All questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by July 20, 2026.

The U.S. Department of State’s Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for fiscal year 2026. This open competition seeks to award up to $500,000 across approximately two grants, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, for projects lasting 9 to 18 months. Eligible applicants are limited to Lebanese non-profit organizations and think tanks. The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to strengthen local public understanding of U.S.-led peace and stabilization efforts in Lebanon. Specifically, the program aims to advance digital literacy, utilize artificial intelligence tools, and establish forums to identify and counter false adversarial narratives that undermine regional stability. Successful proposals must incorporate an American element, such as collaboration with U.S. experts, organizations, or institutions, to promote a better understanding of U.S. policies and perspectives. Applications are due by August 7, 2026, and must be submitted electronically to PDBeirutGrants@state.gov. Submissions must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B), an eight-page project proposal, a detailed budget justification narrative, key personnel resumes, and proof of active registration in SAM.gov with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Projects will be evaluated based on the quality of the program idea, organizational capacity, planning feasibility, budget accuracy, and the robustness of the proposed Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan. Funding cannot be used for partisan, religious, commercial, or direct humanitarian and social services.

The U.S. Embassy Beirut Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO number: LBN-PDS-2026-NOFO) to award up to $500,000 in FY26 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds. The program's primary goal is to strengthen local public understanding of U.S.-led peace and stabilization efforts in Lebanon. Specifically, it seeks projects that advance digital literacy, leverage artificial intelligence tools, and utilize other forums to identify and counter false adversarial narratives and claims. The Embassy anticipates making approximately two grant awards ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, with a project performance period of 9 to 18 months. Eligible applicants are limited to Lebanese not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations. For-profit entities and individuals are excluded from applying. All applicant organizations must possess an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of submission. Proposals must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A), a narrative proposal of up to eight pages, a detailed line-item budget, a budget justification narrative, and a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan featuring a Theory of Change diagram. Applications will be evaluated based on the quality and feasibility of the program idea (30 points), project planning (25 points), organizational capacity (15 points), budget detail (15 points), and the M&E plan (15 points). The firm deadline for electronic submissions to PDBeirutGrants@state.gov is August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM Beirut Time.

The U.S. Embassy Beirut Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (LBN-PDS-2026-NOFO) to advance digital literacy and counter false adversarial narratives in Lebanon. With a total budget of $500,000, PDS expects to issue approximately two grants ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 for projects lasting 9 to 18 months. Eligible applicants are limited to Lebanese non-profit and non-governmental organizations, including think tanks and civil society groups. Proposed projects must incorporate an American element and focus on building public understanding of U.S.-led stabilization efforts, utilizing artificial intelligence tools to identify false narratives, or promoting the U.S. as a credible security partner. Funding cannot support partisan politics, construction, direct social services, or religious activities. Applications must be submitted in English via email by August 7, 2026. Submissions require standard federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A), a narrative proposal (maximum eight pages), a detailed line-item budget with justification, and a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan featuring a Theory of Change diagram. All applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of application. Proposals will be evaluated based on program quality and feasibility, organizational capacity, project planning, budget accuracy, and M&E design. Selected recipients must comply with federal post-award administration policies, branding guidelines, and quarterly financial and programmatic reporting requirements.

The U.S. Embassy Beirut Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO number LBN-PDS-2026-NOFO) for fiscal year 2026. The program aims to strengthen ties between the United States and Lebanon, highlight U.S.-led peace and stabilization efforts, and advance digital literacy to identify and counter false adversarial narratives. With total available funding of $500,000, PDS anticipates making approximately two grant awards ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. Eligible applicants are limited to Lebanese not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations. For-profit entities and individuals are excluded. Projects must have a performance period of 9 to 18 months, start no later than September 30, 2026, and incorporate an American element or connection. Proposals must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A), an eight-page maximum narrative proposal, a detailed line-item budget with justification, a robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan, and proof of non-profit registration. Applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) prior to submitting. Submissions must be emailed to PDBeirutGrants@state.gov by August 7, 2026. Applications will be evaluated out of 100 points based on the quality/feasibility of the program idea (30 points), project planning (25 points), organizational capacity (15 points), budget (15 points), and M&E plan (15 points). Funding cannot support partisan politics, construction, religious activities, or direct social and humanitarian services.