Deadline: 8 June 2020
The Office of Citizen Exchanges in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs invites proposal submissions for the FY 2020 Community Engagement Exchange Program (CEE) in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.
The Community Engagement Exchange Program is a bold new global initiative to support approximately 120 passionate emerging community leaders, ages 20-27, from over 100 countries around the world working at the nexus of public, private, and non-profit sectors to address public concerns and improve the quality of community. CEE participants will undertake a two- to three-month U.S.-based civil society exchange program with working placements in public institutions, government offices, social incubators, businesses, or non-profit organizations, working with professional counterparts and seasoned civil society and community leaders on pre-defined substantive issues of mutual interest. The program will include a professional practicum, robust leadership training, service-learning, and opportunities to transform ideas into actionable community projects in participants’ countries.
The program will also support overseas travel for approximately 40 American participants from U.S. host organizations and approximately 30 global leadership professionals, including alumni of U.S. government programs, to work with CEE participants on community engagement projects of mutual interest. The Community Engagement Exchange Program is intended to promote a global civil society eco-system and build a network of young emerging civil society and community leaders in the United States and around the world through international exchanges, civic leadership education, innovative community initiatives, and civil society projects that maximize the program’s reach and amplify impact.
Proposals for the CEE Program must embrace a global program design that incorporates all five thematic areas: 1.) Civic Dialogue and Peace Building; 2.) Open and Participatory Government; 3.) Women and Gender Issues; 4.) Resilience and Sustainable Development, and 5.) Youth Engagement. Proposals can include possible sub-themes or additional thematic areas of concentration provided they are well-grounded and have a strong justification for inclusion in the FY 2020 CEE Program. All five themes should explore the way that technology supports active, informed, and engaged digital citizens.
As a global tool to support engaged and inclusive communities, the Community Engagement Exchange Program seeks to:
- prepare the next generation of decision makers, thought leaders, and community activists, empowering participants to assume greater leadership roles in their institutions and communities and creating a pipeline of global leaders;
- build capacity for civil society and civil society organizations by equipping participants with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and democratic principles necessary to be informed and active members of their communities;
- strengthen participants’ ability to lead collaboratively and ethically, while addressing issues of public concern;
- develop a global network of diverse, multi-disciplinary civil society and community leaders that contribute to a global civil society eco-system and work together to develop multifaceted and innovative approaches to healthy and resilient communities.
Timeline
ECA envisions the approximate dates of FY 2020 the Community Engagement Exchange Program to be as follows:
- September – December 2020: Recruitment and selection of foreign participants.
- January – April 2021: Recruitment of U.S. hosting institutions. Secure U.S.-based hosts and practicum sites.
- Summer 2021: CEE Fellows travel to the United States to attend an arrival orientation before departing for practicum sites.
- Summer – Fall 2021: CEE U.S.-based practicum.
- Fall 2021: CEE Fellows travel to Washington, D.C. for an end-of-program workshop before departing for their home countries.
- Winter – Spring 2022: Recruitment and selection of U.S. Fellows.
- Spring – Fall 2022: Travel for global leadership professionals. Implementation of follow-on community engagement projects, collaborative programming, and alumni activities including innovation hubs.
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $5,000,000
- Approximate Average Award: $5,000,000
- Ceiling of Award Range: $5,000,000
- Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2020
- Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2022
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private non-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.
- Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in an amount (over $130,000) to support program and administrative 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.
- Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, POGI (if applicable), and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); noncompliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process:
- Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal in this competition. If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process. 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.
- Proposals that target only specific countries or fail to include all five thematic areas listed in this solicitation will be deemed technically ineligible.
Eligible Countries
- Africa: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam
- Europe and Eurasia: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, BosniaHerzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine
- Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories
- South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
- Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, United States
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=326233