Deadline: 27-Nov-23
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to manage the FY 2024 Organizational Components of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program.
The FLEX program advances the U.S. foreign policy goals of engaging youth populations and building civil society by providing in-person, academic-year exchanges, and building lasting ties between foreign and U.S. high school students and the communities that host them.
The program consists of two exchange programs: (1) the “FLEX inbound” program that brings international high school students to the United States, and (2) the “FLEX Abroad” program that sends American high school students to select FLEX countries.
Purpose
- The primary goal of the FLEX program is to improve mutual understanding and develop and strengthen long-term relationships between citizens of the United States and other peoples and countries. Participants develop leadership skills, develop ties in other countries, and learn about a new culture by living with a host family and attending a local high school. They also teach people in the host community about their country, culture, and traditions.
FLEX Program Goals
- The overall goals of the FLEX program are to:
- Promote better understanding by participating youth from the United States and selected countries about host society, people, institutions, values, and culture;
- Foster lasting personal and professional ties;
- Advance mutual understanding, respect for diversity, leadership skills, and understanding of civil society during the exchange experience and beyond; and
- Enhance understanding of other countries and cultures among host communities and improve realistic understanding of values in host and alumni communities.
Outcomes
- The following outcomes will indicate a successful exchange:
- FLEX inbound participants will develop an appreciation for U.S. culture, an understanding of the underlying values and diversity of U.S. society, and increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and beliefs. Conversely, FLEX Abroad participants will develop an appreciation for their host cultures and increased tolerance and respect for others with differing views and beliefs.
- FLEX and FLEX Abroad participants will share with their hosts and others about the cultures of their home countries.
- FLEX and FLEX Abroad participants will interact with their host communities and generate enduring ties.
- FLEX inbound participants will acquire an understanding of important elements of a civil society. This includes concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that U.S. citizens can and do act at the grassroots level to deal with societal problems, and an awareness of and respect for the rule of law. FLEX Abroad participants will share and demonstrate these ideals of U.S. civil society in their host communities.
- FLEX and FLEX Abroad participants will gain leadership skills that will enable them, as FLEX and FLEX Abroad alumni, to initiate activities in their home countries that focus on development and community service.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
- The following additional eligibility requirements apply to this NOFO announcement:
- ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in ECA funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in an amount of $13,000,000 to support all costs required to implement this exchange program. Therefore, organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition.
- All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
- In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued.
- Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.
- Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document.
For more information, visit Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).