Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary (APS 2025)

Commemoration of America's 250th Anniversary 

On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout 2026, the U.S. Mission to France will commemorate this milestone, highlighting the historical and future connections between France and the United States.

The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Mission to France is pleased to announce this funding opportunity as part of this celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary. This is an Annual Program Statement (APS 250) that invites proposals for our year-long campaign to tell the story of America in France. It aims to support organizations in creating and developing public programs that celebrate the people, events, ideas, and legacies related to the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the 250 years of diplomacy and shared prosperity with France that followed. 

Proposed programs must:

• Include French audiences.
• Strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and France.
• Promote increased understanding of the United States among the French public.
• Demonstrate a clear connection to the 250th anniversary.

Programs should focus on themes of innovation, American history, and/or the Franco-American partnership. All programs must include a clear U.S. element or connection, which could involve cooperation with experts, private or public organizations, or institutions from the United States. Programs with a countrywide reach will be considered favorably.

We seek innovative public diplomacy initiatives that showcase the full extent of American excellence and U.S.-French cooperation, past, present, and future. This will be achieved through various public diplomacy outreach and experiential learning, highlighting achievements, legacies, and contributions, and translating these historical moments into lessons for the future.

Priority themes for the U.S. Mission to France include:

• Innovation - American Ingenuity Across Borders.
• American History - Reflecting on Our Past, Shaping Our Future.
• Partnership 250 Years of Diplomacy and Shared Prosperity.

All application materials must be submitted in English and U.S. dollars to [email protected] by:

• Round #1 - September 2, 2025, at 18:00 CET.
• Round #2 - January 5, 2026, at18:00 CET.

Applications forms are available at the website of the U.S. Embassy in France (grant programs) and on www.grants.gov (related documents)

Questions can be directed to [email protected]. We do not provide any pre-consultation for application related questions that are addressed in the Annual Program Statement. Once an application has been submitted, the Public Diplomacy Section staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process is completed.

For more information, eligibility, and deadlines please read the Annual Program Statement PDS- France-FY2025-02.