Workshops on Confronting Air Pollution at its Source | ND NOFO 18 107

Opportunity Information: Apply for ND NOFO 18 107

The U.S. Department of State, through the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, offered a discretionary grant opportunity called "Workshops on Confronting Air Pollution at its Source" (Funding Opportunity Number: ND NOFO 18 107). The project is designed to address key contributors to fine-particulate air pollution in and around India s National Capital Region (NCR) by bringing sector leaders into practical, solution-focused workshops that highlight how comparable activities are handled in the United States with much lower emissions. Rather than targeting the general public, the program is aimed at organizations and decision-makers whose day-to-day operations directly affect air quality, with the idea that changing practices at the source can produce measurable improvements.

The selected grantee is expected to plan and deliver three separate two-day workshops held at the American Center in New Delhi. Each workshop must focus on one major theme linked to high particulate pollution: construction dust, crop rotation (with the broader context of agricultural practices that contribute to seasonal pollution episodes), and vehicular movement, including road dust. The workshops are intended to be hands-on and operational in nature, giving participants clear guidance, examples, and workable approaches drawn from U.S. experience, standards, and methods that reduce fine particulate emissions while still allowing the underlying economic activity to continue.

Participant recruitment is a core responsibility of the grantee. Each workshop must include at least 15 participants, and those participants should be chosen specifically because they are both involved in pollution-generating activities and positioned to influence how their sector operates. The announcement emphasizes leadership and real decision-making authority, whether formal or informal, and gives examples such as large construction firms, heads of farmer cooperatives, and municipal agencies. For two of the workshops, participants should come from the NCR region; for the crop rotation workshop, the target audience shifts to agriculture-sector leaders from Punjab and Haryana, reflecting where relevant farming decisions and practices are concentrated.

A key feature of the project is direct engagement with American expertise. The grantee must recruit and secure the participation of U.S. experts or resource persons, with at least one American expert supporting each workshop. These speakers are not automatic selections; the Public Affairs Section in New Delhi retains final approval of the American presenters, which signals that the Embassy wants to ensure the content aligns with U.S. best practices and the program s public diplomacy objectives.

After completing all three workshops, the grantee must produce a written report that is shared with all participants. The project also includes a final session where participants reconvene to discuss follow-on activities sparked by the workshops and, where possible, any early results or changes implemented. This closing component is meant to move the program beyond discussion and toward real-world adoption by encouraging accountability, peer learning, and documentation of what participants actually tried in their organizations or sectors.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was issued by the Department of State, U.S. Mission to India, under the education funding activity category (CFDA 19.040). Eligible applicants included U.S.-style nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education. The grant had an award ceiling of $75,000, with the expectation of a single award. The opportunity was posted on April 25, 2018, and originally closed on June 25, 2018.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to India in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Workshops on Confronting Air Pollution at its Source" 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 25, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2018. (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 $75,000.00 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 ND NOFO 18 107

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