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Status: Open - applications accepted on a rolling basis

Rapid response grants of up to $25,000 are designed to enable organizations to respond and act on unique, time-sensitive, and unforeseen opportunities for advancing more responsible U.S. global engagement. These should be discreet projects with clear short-term deadlines which would likely not occur, or not be as robust, without immediate financial support. Grant requests are therefore considered promptly (within 30 days of submission at the latest), and the rapid response grants do not have to be in line with the funding priorities articulated for the Global Security and Cooperation Initiative. Before applying, please review the Request for Proposals [PDF], which is the main guide for the drafting of a proposal. In short, the RFP calls for projects that must:

-Address an unforeseen and time-bound opportunity for policy change related to the Connect US Fund vision of responsible U.S. global engagement
-Have clear policy objectives, as well as strategies and tactics for meeting them
-Fill an immediate and discrete gap in the organization's ability to implement an effective advocacy campaign, as well as a gap in the community's capacity to act on the issue.

In addition, based on past experience, we have a particular interest in (but are not limited to) projects that:

-Engage or mobilize unusual and/or appropriate messengers/ validators
-Respond to explicit interest from key policy-makers
-Include collaborative strategies, if appropriate

However, please refer to the full RFP when preparing a proposal. It should also be noted that this is a small and very competitive fund, and we are only able to support roughly 5-10% of all applications. As such, please feel free to contact the Connect U.S. Fund prior to submission, in order to assess the likelihood of your project receiving serious consideration.

Questions about the administrative or technical aspects of the grant review process can be raised with the Tides Foundation, at connectus@tides.org. Questions about substantive project or policy issues should be raised with the Connect U.S. Fund Program Officer Francesco Femia at ffemia@connectusfund.org or 202-721-5616.