Deadline: 17-Aug-20
The Public Diplomacy Section of the Palestinian Affairs Unit (PAU-PD) of the U.S. Department of State, in fulfillment of its mission to build lasting connections between Palestinians and Americans, has announced an open competition for organizations to submit applications to develop and implement an English language conversation course for adults built around discussion of U.S. culture, society, history and current events, as well as other foundational English skills, targeting an age range of approximately 30-45 years old
Program Objectives
- English language courses and activities are a cornerstone of the cultural programming supported by PAU-PD in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. This specific program hopes to model some of the successful elements of the Access English Language Microscholarship program for high school students by encouraging conversation skills, confidence and critical thinking. In targeting an older audience, projects funded under this NOFO should reach adults who want to improve their English but no longer have access to the opportunities available in secondary school or university.
- All successful proposals funded under this NOFO must advance the PAU-PD mission goal stated above and the following specific objectives:
- Measurable improvement of the English skills of the participants, particularly with regard to discussing more complex topics related to culture, society, history, and current events in a way that improves their ability to engage effectively on such topics with American and other native English-speaking interlocutors.
- Increases the willingness of the participants to engage with Americans on issues of culture, society, current events, and values.
- Develops participants’ confidence in their English skills and ability to advance in their careers or to improve their employment prospects.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: Award amounts may range from a minimum of $20,000 to a maximum of $80,000 each.
- Length of performance period: 12 to 24 months depending on the structure of the course.
Participants and Audiences
Proposed projects should target Palestinians who are approximately 30-45 years of age and live in the West Bank, Gaza or Jerusalem. Ideally participants will come from a wide variety of professions and backgrounds. All participants must already have a functional capacity in English conversation, though that level can be defined and determined by the provider. Providers should consider trying to reach Palestinians in environments that have less access to English programming or exposure to U.S. culture and indepth, factual information about the United States.
Priority Regions
The target audience for projects funded under this NOFO are Palestinians across Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Interested parties may submit proposals for a single course in a single location, multiple courses/sections in a single location or multiple courses/sections in multiple locations. The proposal should cover sites where the provider is confident it can deliver a clean, safe space with qualified administrative and teaching staff for the duration of the program.
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply: Proposal may be submitted by Palestinian, American, or international non-profit organizations.
Evaluation Criteria
- Quality and Feasibility of the Program Idea: The program idea is well developed, with detail about how program activities will be carried out. The proposal includes a reasonable implementation timeline.
- Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants: The organization has expertise in its stated field and has the internal controls in place to manage federal funds. This includes a financial management system and a bank account.
- Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives: Goals and objectives are clearly stated and program approach is likely to provide maximum impact in achieving the proposed results and the goals and objectives of PAU-PD and this NOFO.
- Budget: The budget justification is detailed. Costs are reasonable in relation to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The budget is realistic, accounting for all necessary expenses to achieve proposed activities.
- Monitoring and evaluation plan: Applicant demonstrates it is able to define, measure, and report achievement of key indicators to evaluate program success and provides milestones to indicate progress toward goals outlined in the proposal. The M&E plan contains specific outputand outcome-based indicators with baselines and targets, data source, and frequency of data collection.
- Sustainability: Program activities will continue to have positive impact after the end of the program.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=328009