U.S. grants to India under Public Diplomacy Programs support cultural exchange, education, and diplomacy efforts.
New Delhi: Since 2016, the U.S. Department of State has allocated a total of $1.03 million in grants under its Public Diplomacy Programs in India. These grants, issued under Project Grant (B), are awarded to individual recipients to support projects that align with U.S. foreign policy goals. The grants have been directed toward initiatives in areas such as cultural exchange, education, and public diplomacy, with a focus on enhancing international relations between the U.S. and India.
A total of 256 grants to individuals in India, mostly under the head “2 CFR 200 – 19.040: Public Diplomacy Programs,” which refers to U.S. federal grants and cooperative agreements that support public diplomacy efforts, have been distributed from 2016 to 2024, as per the data analysed by The Sunday Guardian, hosted on ‘USAspending.gov’- a government source for data on federal grants, contracts, loans, and other financial assistance. The website enables searching of federal awards from 2008 and is used by members of Congress and their staff.
According to the analysis, the grants have been distributed across various cities in India, including Bhandara (Maharashtra), Hyderabad, Delhi, and Chennai. The administrative agencies under the State Department that handled these grants are the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Significantly, the purposes for which the grants were given have not been disclosed, nor have the identities of the recipients, all of whom are Indian citizens.
A total of 256 grants have been issued since 2016, with the distribution of grants across the years as follows: 47 grants in 2024, 42 grants in 2023, 15 grants in 2022, 16 grants in 2021, 28 grants in 2020, 36 grants in 2019, 57 grants in 2018, 12 grants in 2017, and 2 grants in 2016.
The descriptions of the specific projects and the identities of the individual recipients have been redacted for privacy reasons, with the recipient’s identity marked as “Description masked for PII purposes”. PII refers to Personally Identifiable Information.
The masking of information is typically done to ensure that sensitive personal information remains protected, particularly when recipients are involved in projects that may concern areas such as diplomacy, national security, or other subjects requiring confidentiality. The redaction also helps prevent the exposure of recipients to any potential risks associated with their involvement in such initiatives.
Similarly, all these grants have been issued to the said individuals under Project Grant (B), but the specifics of Project Grant (B) have not been disclosed.
In response to The Sunday Guardian’s queries regarding what Project Grant (B) entails and why the names of the recipients are masked, the relevant offices directed the newspaper to “2 CFR 200 (Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200),” which is a U.S. government regulation outlining Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. It applies to non-federal entities (such as state governments, local governments, non-profits, and educational institutions) that receive federal funding.
The relevant office also referred to the ‘Foreign Affairs Manual’ concerning the question of PII.
The document, ‘5 FAM 460’, is part of the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), which contains policies and procedures for the U.S. Department of State. It specifically addresses privacy policies, focusing on how the State Department PII.