Deadline: 13-Jan-22
The Study of the U.S. Branch (ECA/A/E/USS), Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), are inviting proposals for 2022 Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSi) for Young Women Leaders to provide young women leaders from around the world with an in-depth examination of a specific field of study, build knowledge, capacity, and networks among emerging women leaders, and strengthen their understanding of the history and evolution of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions.
The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Young Women Leaders provide multinational groups of undergraduate female students with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions while simultaneously developing their leadership skills.
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Young Women Leaders are intensive academic programs that provide groups of foreign female undergraduate students with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions while developing their leadership skills. Institutes should include classroom-based lectures, discussions, and skills-building workshops; site visits and educational travel; leadership training, community service activities, and opportunities to interact with a wide variety of Americans.
Themes
The program should examine the participation of women in the following four Institute themes:
- Civic Engagement: topics may include, but are not limited to, active citizenship and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy, civil rights and protections, voting, social justice, gender equity, community-building, grassroots and youth activism, political leadership, media literacy, preventing disinformation, and volunteerism. One Institute.
- Economic Empowerment: topics may include, but are not limited to, an overview of the U.S. economic system and structures, economic prosperity and opportunity, building sustainable economies, inequities in economies, financial access, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems, social capital development, financial literacy, and organizational development and management. One Institute.
- Environmental Issues: topics may include, but are not limited to, climate change, sustainable development, clean energy, conservation, environmental justice, ocean protection, pollution, ecotourism, water access, climate entrepreneurship, sustainable agricultural practices, public health, and the impact of climate change on underserved, youth, and minority populations and communities including women. One Institute.
- Public Policy: topics may include, but are not limited to, women in public service, the roles of government, private sector, civil society, and media in the policymaking process, and public policy as it relates education, public health, economic issues, technology and privacy, and diversity and inclusion, among others. One Institute.
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $4,200,000. These figures represent base year plus two NonCompetitive Continuation years, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Approximate Average Award: $1,400,000, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Ceiling of Award Range: $1,400,000 for FY 2022 base year (or $4,200,000 for the base year plus two Non-Competitive Continuation years), pending the availability of funds.
- Anticipated Award Date: April 1, 2022, pending the availability of FY 2022 funds.
- Anticipated Project Completion Date: September 30, 2025.
Participants
The SUSIs for Young Women Leaders will be comprised of students from South and Central Asia, the Near East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the East Asia Pacific region. Each Institute will host approximately 20 participants for a total of 80 participants. Participants will be highly motivated undergraduate students who represent diverse backgrounds, with emphasis on representation of underserved and disadvantaged groups, and who have limited to no international experience. All participants will be women. The recipient will NOT participate in the recruitment or selection of participants; a final list of participants will be sent to the award recipient in spring 2022.
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:
- 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 of $1,400,000 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, POGI (if applicable), 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. It is ECA’s intent to award one (1) cooperative agreement to one applicant organization to administer a total of four (4) Institutes under this competition.
- 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.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336547