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International School Manila

The Overseas Schools Security Grant Program

Who We Are

The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) directs the worldwide overseas building program for the Department of State and the U.S. Government community serving abroad under the authority of the chiefs of mission in concert with other State Department bureaus, foreign affairs agencies, and Congress. OBO sets worldwide priorities for the design, construction, acquisition, maintenance, use, and sale of real properties and the use of sales proceeds.

Leadership

Ambassador William H. Moser

Director, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

 

J. Douglas Dykhouse

Principal Deputy Director, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

 

Elizabeth Slaughter

Comptroller, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

 

Richard J. Sullivan

Managing Director for Program Development, Coordination and Support, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

Tracy Thomas

Managing Director for Construction, Facility & Security Management, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

Chelsea M.H. Bakken

Managing Director for Operations, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

Victoria Hartke

Managing Director for Planning and Real Estate, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

 

 

Mission & Vision

OBO’s mission is to provide the most effective facilities for United States diplomacy abroad. These facilities represent American values and the best in American architecture, design, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

 

 


Preservation

Office of Cultural Heritage

OBO’s Office of Cultural Heritage (CH) is solely dedicated to the management of the State Department’s historically, culturally, and architecturally significant properties and assets, including properties designated by the host country as well as those significant to U.S. diplomatic relations. Properties under their care are listed on the Secretary of State’s Register of Culturally Significant Properties and OBO’s List of Significant Properties such as chanceries, office buildings, residences, collections of fine and decorative arts and more.

Please visit our website for more information.

To view a copy of the Secretary’s Register, click here. [11 MB]

 

 

The Fund to Conserve United States Diplomatic Treasures Abroad

The Fund to Conserve United States Diplomatic Treasures Abroad was created as a public-private partnership to promote – through fundraising – the conservation and preservation of the State Department’s heritage collections, as well as its buildings of cultural and architectural significance. These properties and collections represent over two centuries of U.S. diplomacy around the world. They reflect many global traditions, and our respect for the cultures of the countries in which the U.S. has diplomatic missions.

For more information on the The Fund to Conserve, click here 

 


Cultural Diplomacy

Art In Embassies

For over five decades, Art in Embassies (AIE) has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission of vital cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the visual arts and dynamic artist exchange. Today, AIE is an official visual arts office within the State Department, engaging over 20,000 participants globally, including artists, museums, galleries, universities, and private collectors. It encompasses over 200 venues in 189 countries. Professional curators and registrars create and ship about 60 exhibitions per year, and since 2000, over 70 permanent collections have been installed in the Department’s diplomatic facilities throughout the world.

For more information on Art in Embassies, click here.

 

Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies

The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) is a public-private partnership dedicated to providing permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide. For over thirty years, FAPE has contributed to the State Department’s mission of cultural diplomacy by partnering with American artists whose works encourage cross-cultural understanding within the diplomatic community and the international public.

For more information on the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, click here 

 


Bettering Communities

The Overseas Schools Security Grant Program

The Overseas Schools Security Grant Program (OSSGP) is a State Department program that provides reimbursable security grants to eligible overseas schools. Since 2003, the program has provided Federal assistance to enhance the physical and technical security of over 500 schools worldwide. The program is intended for schools that enroll Chief of Mission students from Kindergarten through the 12th grade and provides funding for upgrades to real property. Typical upgrades include perimeter wall or fence construction, safe area construction, installing hardened doors, CCTV systems, and public address systems.

For more information on our Overseas Schools Security Grant Program, click here. [1 MB]

 

U.S. Department of State

The Lessons of 1989: Freedom and Our Future