U.S. Embassy Dublin Investment Screening Exchange Program | OFOP0001379

Opportunity Information: Apply for OFOP0001379

The U.S. Embassy in Dublin is offering a discretionary grant to support an Investment Screening Exchange Program designed to help Ireland implement its new investment screening legislation, passed by the Irish parliament in October 2023 and expected to take effect in 2024. The central idea is to create a structured, practical exchange of best practices between the United States and Ireland, drawing on U.S. lessons learned in reviewing foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process. The program is intended for Irish policymakers, legal professionals, and academics, and it should bring in U.S. government, legal, academic, and private sector perspectives so Irish stakeholders can better understand how a national security-based screening system can be designed in a way that protects security interests without unnecessarily discouraging investment.

The funded project is expected to organize and deliver two-way engagement: travel and programming for up to five Irish participants and up to five American participants to travel between Ireland and the United States, with grant funds covering the costs of the associated meetings and events. In addition to bilateral U.S.-Ireland exchanges, the opportunity also anticipates supporting Irish participants in attending relevant investment screening trainings in third countries, recognizing that Ireland may benefit from exposure to additional models and international practice beyond the U.S. framework. The award is noted as being subject to the availability of funds, and the Embassy expects to make a single award under this competition.

Substantively, the exchange program should focus on how the United States reviews and manages foreign investment from a national security standpoint, including how decisions are made, what criteria are considered, and how different institutions contribute to the overall process. The Embassy indicates that a strong program may include meetings with U.S. officials at agencies involved in CFIUS-related work such as the Departments of the Treasury, State, Commerce, and Energy, among others, to provide an inside view of interagency coordination and review mechanics. It may also include discussions with congressional staff to understand how CFIUS-related legislation was developed and passed and to explore current policy debates around investment screening. To complement government perspectives with real-world experience, the program may also arrange sessions with private sector representatives whose companies have gone through the CFIUS process, as well as with law firms and consultancies that advise clients during CFIUS reviews, giving participants a clearer sense of compliance expectations, transaction planning, risk mitigation, and practical challenges.

The project objectives are straightforward and policy-focused. First, it aims to facilitate the sharing of U.S. knowledge and expertise on investment screening with Irish counterparts who will be working within Ireland's new legal framework. Second, it seeks to examine multiple approaches to screening investments by engaging counterparts across government, academia, and the private sector, rather than relying on a single viewpoint. Third, it emphasizes understanding the U.S. experience in maintaining a high-threshold, national security-based screening system that is designed to attract investment rather than deter it, highlighting the balance between openness to FDI and the protection of sensitive sectors, technologies, and infrastructure.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number OFOP0001379 under CFDA 19.040, categorized under Business and Commerce, and uses a grant funding instrument. Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The Agency is the U.S. Mission to Ireland, with an application deadline of 2024-08-30. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $120,000, and the Embassy anticipates making one award. Questions about the opportunity can be directed to dublingrants@state.gov.

• The U.S. Mission to Ireland in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Dublin Investment Screening Exchange 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 2024-07-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-30. (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 $120,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for OFOP0001379

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: