Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Embassy Regional Grants | EAP07272018

Opportunity Information: Apply for EAP07272018

The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Embassy Regional Grants opportunity is a U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) funding program that supports small-scale, practical projects across mainland Southeast Asia. It is an open competition that provides grant awards ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 for activities that respond to local or regional needs, especially where issues cross borders and require coordinated approaches. The program has been running in the region since FY2014 and is funded through EAP Regional foreign assistance funds, with grant management handled by the Office of the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (OES) Regional Environment Officer (REO) based in Bangkok, under the U.S. Mission to Thailand.

Projects must take place in one or more of the eligible countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. While single-country projects are allowed, the program signals a clear preference for proposals that are transboundary in nature, meaning they address shared challenges across borders (for example, river basin management, regional supply chains, cross-border public health concerns, shared environmental resources, or connectivity and trade facilitation). EAP also welcomes proposals that directly support ASEAN regional integration, aligning project outcomes with broader regional cooperation goals.

The grant focuses on advancing equitable, sustainable, and inclusive growth while tackling trans-boundary policy and development challenges. Proposed activities should fit into one or more priority sectors, including agriculture and food security, sustainable economic development, connectivity (whether infrastructure-based, institutional, or people-to-people), education, energy security, environment and water, health, and gender equality and womens empowerment. The opportunity also highlights interdisciplinary themes such as the water-energy-food-environment nexus and human development and connectivity, reflecting an interest in projects that connect multiple systems and produce benefits across sectors rather than operating in isolation.

A strong proposal under this program is expected to be grounded in real needs on the ground and to be designed and implemented with meaningful local involvement. The solicitation emphasizes using local expertise and know-how, not only as participants but as contributors to the design and implementation approach. Just as important, projects are expected to include built-in monitoring and evaluation, with clear, time-bound milestones that define what progress looks like and when results should be achieved. This suggests the program is looking for projects with measurable outputs and outcomes, realistic workplans, and credible ways to track performance.

Budget rules are straightforward: requests above $50,000 will not be considered, unless the amount beyond $50,000 is explicitly presented as cost-share contributed by the applicant organization or a partner. In other words, the U.S. government share is capped at $50,000, but applicants can propose larger total project budgets if they bring additional resources. The program is also flexible about project structure and allows grants to fund discrete phases of larger initiatives, such as piloting one component of a multi-country program, running a public education phase of a broader policy effort, conducting a targeted environmental study as part of a wider river quality program, or implementing region-specific activities within a national initiative.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations and individuals. Eligible applicants include nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), public and private higher education institutions, public school districts, federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations, individuals, for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits that are not small businesses). The funding instrument is a grant, the opportunity category is discretionary, and the statutory authority is the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. The opportunity is listed under CFDA number 19.124 and covers a wide range of activity categories, from agriculture and environment to education, health, energy, regional development, and research and development.

Key administrative details from the notice include the funding opportunity number (EAP07272018), an award ceiling of $50,000, and an original closing date of July 27, 2018, with the opportunity created on June 13, 2018. Overall, the LMI Embassy Regional Grants program is designed for relatively modest, high-impact projects that can demonstrate clear results, leverage local capacity, and ideally contribute to cross-border solutions and ASEAN-oriented regional integration across the Lower Mekong sub-region.

• The U.S. Mission to Thailand in the agriculture, business and commerce, community development, education, employment, labor and training, energy, environment, health, natural resources, regional development, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Embassy Regional Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.124.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-06-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-07-27. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for EAP07272018

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