Deadline: 4-Jun-21
The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has announced a FY 2021 open competition for the global TechGirls program.
U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to implement the program, which includes one (or two) four-week, U.S.-based exchange(s) focused on the in-depth exploration of applied technology and STEM topics to be conducted in summer 2022 for a total of approximately 111 foreign young women (ages 15-17) from select countries in the six world regions, and approximately 25-30 competitively selected American peers.
Purpose: Launched in 2012, the TechGirls program is an intensive, educational youth exchange program designed to empower and support young women (ages 15-17) to pursue higher education and careers in in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields through hands-on skills development.
The TechGirls program will provide participants who have a demonstrated aptitude and strong interest in STEM fields the opportunity for an in-depth exploration of applied technology through one or two intensive, four-week summer exchange(s) in the United States. Following the exchange(s), the participants will implement required follow-on service projects in their home communities to further the overall impact of the program. Follow-on projects should be participant-driven.
Goals
The goals of the program are to:
- Provide a program for in-depth exploration applied technology for young women (ages 15- 17) who already have a demonstrated aptitude and strong interest in STEM;
- Empower and encourage participants to pursue higher education and careers in STEM fields;
- Build participants’ understanding of technology’s integral relationship with the professional world;
- Develop participants’ technical skills in current technologies that are relevant and adaptable to the participants’ home countries;
- Connect and support the next generation of women who share interests and abilities;
- Promote problem-solving and critical thinking;
- Build participants’ self-confidence;
- Equip participants with leadership skills to influence positive change in their communities;
- Encourage and support the development of meaningful cross-regional relationships and friendships; and
- Foster connections and deepen trust and mutual understanding among the youth of the United States and participating countries around the world, creating greater potential for future collaboration and networks between Americans and overseas counterparts.
Objectives
The objectives of the program are for participants to:
- Enhance their understanding of various technological tools and their specific uses and applications in their countries, as well as how technology is used on a global scale;
- Develop a specific process and step-by-step action plan for designing and implementing follow-on projects in their home communities, utilizing available technologies; and
- Explain and present their community follow-on projects and exchange experiences to broader audiences, such as classmates, community members, among others, in their home communities.
- Approximate Average Award: $1,660,000.
- Ceiling of Award Range: $3,320,000.
- Anticipated Award Date: On or about September 1, 2021.
- Anticipated Project Completion Date: March 31, 2024.
Eligible Countries
The Bureau anticipates that the TechGirls participants will be competitively recruited and selected from the following regions/countries and territories (3 participants per country):
- Sub-Saharan Africa (AF) – Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
- East Asia and Pacific (EAP) – Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Vietnam
- Europe and Eurasia (EUR) – Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Turkey
- Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia
- South and Central Asia (SCA) – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
- Western Hemisphere (WHA) – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Suriname
- 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.
- All applicants must also have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and be registered in SAM.gov.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=332627