FY2024 U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe: Games for Social Change Program | OSAKA PAS FY24 02 V2

Opportunity Information: Apply for OSAKA PAS FY24 02 V2

The FY2024 U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe: Games for Social Change Program is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Mission to Japan (U.S. Department of State) focused on using games and interactive digital media as a way to explore and communicate social, civic, and regional issues. Through this program, the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe is seeking one organization to design, implement, and oversee a structured workshop and a game jam aimed at Japanese game developers and game development students. The core idea is to provide practical guidance, mentoring, and a collaborative environment where participants can learn how to build games or digital experiences that meaningfully integrate themes and issues that matter to the United States, Japan, and the broader Indo-Pacific region, rather than treating those topics as purely abstract discussion points.

Funding is expected to be provided through a cooperative agreement, which typically means the funder anticipates being more actively involved than in a standard grant, often through coordination, input on program direction, or participation in key moments of the project. The opportunity has an award ceiling of $100,000, and the program expects to make a single award. The funding activity categories span community development, education, environment, health, humanities, and natural resources, reflecting that "social change" game themes can cut across many fields, from civic participation and public health to environmental sustainability and human rights, depending on the workshop curriculum and the creative direction of participants.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities: county and local governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status; and even individuals. This broad eligibility suggests the Consulate is open to proposals from universities with game programs, nonprofit cultural or educational organizations, local government-affiliated innovation groups, and experienced practitioners capable of convening and managing a high-quality training and production event. Regardless of applicant type, the selected implementer would be responsible for end-to-end delivery, which generally implies planning the curriculum and schedule, recruiting participants, arranging facilitators and mentors, organizing the game jam logistics, ensuring the program stays aligned with the grant goals, and overseeing reporting and compliance requirements that come with U.S. government funding.

The competition was announced on February 1, 2024, under funding opportunity number OSAKA PAS FY24 02 V2, with an original application deadline of April 3, 2024. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) listing associated with the opportunity is 19.040, which is commonly tied to public diplomacy and related State Department programming. Overall, the program is designed as a targeted public diplomacy and capacity-building effort: it invests in Japan-based creators and students, equips them with tools and frameworks for impact-oriented game design, and encourages the development of interactive projects that engage with shared challenges and priorities across the U.S.-Japan relationship and the Indo-Pacific context.

• The U.S. Mission to Japan in the community development, education, environment, health, humanities, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2024 U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe: Games for Social Change Program" 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 2024-02-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-03. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for OSAKA PAS FY24 02 V2

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