Deadline: 20-May-22
The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to manage the FY 2022 Overseas Components of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
The YES 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:
- the “YES inbound” program that brings international high school students to the United States, and
- the “YES Abroad” program that sends American high school students to select YES countries.
Goals
The overall goals of the YES programs 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 American host communities and improve realistic understanding of American values in host and alumni communities abroad.
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $16,911,400, pending the availability of funds
- Approximate Average Award: $16,911,400, pending the availability of funds
- Ceiling of Award Range: $16,911,400, pending the availability of funds
- Anticipated Award Date: July 15, 2022, pending the availability of funds
- Anticipated Project Completion Date: September 30, 2025.
Recruitment Targets
- The recruitment targets for each country are tentative, represent recruitment goals only, and may differ from finalist allocations. Finalist allocations are ultimately dependent on the availability of funding, legislative mandate, policy considerations, security situations, applicant pools, and PO placement commitments. For planning purposes, use the following country targets which are based on approximately 800 total inbound participants and are subject to change. The proposal should demonstrate current capacity to recruit these target numbers in these countries.
- Albania (11), Kenya (18), Pakistan (70), Bahrain (9), Kosovo (11), Philippines (27), Bangladesh (26), Kuwait (10), Saudi Arabia (10), Bosnia and Herzegovina (11), Lebanon (27), Senegal (13), Bulgaria (11), Liberia (9), Sierra Leone (9), Cameroon (9), Libya (10), South Africa (14), Egypt (45), Malaysia (36), Suriname (6), Gaza (18), Mali (13), Tanzania (18), Ghana (19), Morocco (20), Thailand (15), India (36), Mozambique (9), Tunisia (36), Indonesia (72), Nigeria (18), Turkey (52), Israel (Arab Communities) (17), North Macedonia (11), West Bank (27), and Jordan (27).
- YES Abroad students should be assigned fairly evenly among host countries, with no fewer than three students initially assigned to each of the following countries:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Philippines, Bulgaria, Jordan, Senegal, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, Ghana, Morocco, Turkey, India, and North Macedonia.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchangeof-persons, and other 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.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338823