U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship Program for Okinawa High School Students

Deadline: 31-Mar-21

The U.S. Consulate General Naha Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Grants Program to implement its U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship Program for Okinawa High School Students.

PAS Naha invites proposals from parties interested in implementing its U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship for Okinawa High School Students sends between 5 and 10 Okinawan high school students to spend an academic year studying at a U.S. high school. The goal of this high school exchange program is to educate and inform future leaders of Okinawa about the United States, to build strong friendships through people-to-people exchanges, and to promote mutual understanding between Okinawa and the United States.

Objectives

The U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship program is designed to provide an exchange experience for high school students from Okinawa who will live with an American family while they study for one academic year in the United States.
By attending a U.S. high school and living with a host family, Okinawan students who participate in the program will deepen their knowledge of the United States and build close relationships with their U.S. families and friends.

Funding Information

Length of performance period: Up to 24 months;
Number of awards anticipated: 1 award;
Award amounts: maximum $110,000;
Total available funding: $110,000;
Funding Instrument Type: Grants, Fixed Amount Awards;
Project Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed within in 2 years.

Participants and Audiences

Proposals must address the following: recruitment and selection of students (to include making sure students meet the requirements of the program, have the English language ability and emotional and intellectual ability to thrive in the program), the ability to monitor and ensure the safety of students while they are in the US, and the ability to create and maintain a longstanding alumni networks is of paramount importance.
The successful applicant must also demonstrate how they can intervene in times of crisis (for example, taking immediate action when students need medical or psychological care or quickly acting when students need to return to Japan). For all these reasons, the successful applicant should be an organization with a local branch in Okinawa or the capacity to organize, implement, and administer this program from Okinawa.

Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations.
- Public and private educational institutions.
- Public international organizations and governmental institutions.
- Individuals.
For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.