Global Sports Mentoring Program – United States

Deadline: 29-May-2024

The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Sports Diplomacy Division (ECA/PE/C/SU), in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for the implementation of the FY 2024 Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP).

Purpose

Sports Diplomacy enhances cross-cultural understanding, provides a platform for promoting democratic values, and opens avenues of dialogue and collaboration between individuals and nations. Using this two-pronged mentorship model, the GSMP is an integral component of the ECA’s sports diplomacy and professional development initiatives. As an intensive mentorship, innovation-focused, and business skill-building exchange, the GSMP galvanizes the efforts of leaders in the sports sector to positively and sustainably influence the lives of women, girls, and people with disabilities worldwide. With women’s empowerment and disability rights as key themes, the GSMP curriculum emphasizes and underscores U.S. competitiveness and leadership in the promotion of equality domestically and worldwide.
The espnW GSMP advances the U.S. Department of State’s foreign policy priority to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls worldwide. Studies by the United Nations and other organizations prove that girls who play sports are more likely to attend and finish school, have better health, earn higher wages, and reach their full potential as contributors to society. The Sport for Community GSMP on disability rights enters its ninth year in 2024 and is a unique platform to highlight the U.S. foreign policy goal of removing barriers and creating a world in which all people enjoy dignity and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of society. By successfully implementing the Sport for Community GSMP on disability rights and the espnW GSMP on women’s empowerment, ECA directly supports the advancement of the rights of people with disabilities, women, and girls through sports.

Goals

The goals of the GSMP are to:
- Develop a cadre of leaders from public, private, and non-profit sport-based organizations in countries worldwide who possess the knowledge, skills, and networks to generate positive and long-lasting community-based change through sports.
- Provide representatives from U.S. host organizations with the opportunity to work with and support delegates and local organizations that promote programs and policies engendering greater sports opportunities for underserved populations.
- Promote American competitiveness, highlight the positive effects on American society that have resulted from Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and showcase American leadership in social entrepreneurship and innovation.
- Promote mutual understanding and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships between the people of the United States and countries around the world.

Program Specific Guidelines

Sport for Community GSMP Basics
- Pairing international emerging leader participants with American mentors at U.S. companies, organizations, or universities in the disability sports sector, the Sport for Community GSMP focuses on increasing sports opportunities for marginalized youth and people with disabilities worldwide. The 2025 spring exchange will provide training, tools, and networks for international participants as they develop action plans to create opportunities for vulnerable communities back home. In turn, international participants will involve their American mentors and local U.S. communities in a substantive and meaningful way. The mentorship will last approximately five weeks, including three weeks at the mentor site with roughly one week each of opening and closing activities in Washington, DC and/or another strategic location in the country.
espnW GSMP Basics
- In 2012, the U.S. Department of State and ESPN/espnW launched a public-private partnership on the espnW GSMP in a shared effort to promote gender equality through sports at home and abroad. Entering its 12th year in 2024, the espnW GSMP has become the Department’s flagship professional development exchange to empower women through sports. The recipient must work closely with ECA, espnW and the FY 2021 award recipient on this exchange ensuring that communication and coordination on program activities are seamless. With ECA input, espnW takes the lead to recruit and secure American mentors from U.S. companies, organizations, and universities in the sports sector. The recipient must manage complex logistics, meet strict timelines, manage the needs of private sector partners and mentors, and promote the program through social media.
Reciprocal Exchange Basics
- espnW GSMP Academies of Women Changemakers in Sports
  - For the espnW outbound reciprocal exchange, approximately five American mentors will travel to one to three countries with significant GSMP alumni (such as Kenya, Brazil, India or Nigeria) to offer social entrepreneurship courses and bring together local NGOs, universities, and local mentors for speed mentoring, pitch competitions, and social entrepreneurship fairs. Countries will be selected in consultation with ECA and espnW.
- Sport for Community Reciprocal Exchange
  - For the outbound reciprocal exchange, approximately five American GSMP supporters will travel to a strategic alumni community to support, engage, and learn from the local contexts. Timing of the reciprocal trip will depend on participant, mentor, and recipient availability with an approximate duration of one to two weeks. The Americans will work with the participants in the implementation of action plans and be prepared to conduct/participate in seminars, workshops, and other on-site consultancies with the goal of reinforcng the GSMP network and supporting action plan activities.
Alumni Engagement
- Together, the Sport for Community GSMP and espnW GSMP have a distinct target population, mentors, timelines, and regional focus. The existing international alumni cohort includes over 260 individuals in every region of the world. On an ongoing basis, the recipient will remain supportive of the GSMP alumni through surveying and tracking, support of action plans, virtual communication, follow-on grant allotments, and social media storytelling updates.
Embassy Involvement
- U.S. Embassies and Consulates, in coordination with ECA/PE/C/SU, will be responsible for recruitment and nomination of emerging leader participants for both the Sport for Community GSMP and the espnW GSMP, collaborating with the U.S. recipient organization in providing predeparture briefings and overseeing alumni follow-on activities. In as much as this program involves American citizens for the reciprocal exchange, the U.S. Embassies and ECA/PE/C/SU will remain informed on the plans of the reciprocal exchange overseas, represent the U.S. Government during the overseas exchange, and assist program staff and participants in the event of an emergency.
Organizational Capacity
- Applicants must demonstrate knowledge, experience, and capacity in the following areas:
  - delivery of successful international sports exchange and social entrepreneurship programs;
  - creation and facilitation of mentoring relationships between participants and individuals in the private sector, non-profits, or universities;
  - technical knowledge and significant experience in sports diplomacy and/or sport for development programs, especially those targeting women, girls, people with disabilities, and youth from marginalized populations;
  - monitoring and evaluation of both international and American participant experiences and follow-on project implementation data; and
  - high quality digital production to include photos, videos, website content, social media, and public-facing written content for social media use.

Funding Information

Approximate Total Funding: $3,420,000. This figure represents base year plus two NCC years, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
Approximate Number of Awards: One
Approximate Average Award: $1,140,000, pending the availability of funds
Minimum “Floor” of Award: $1,140,000
Maximum “Ceiling” of Award: $1,140,000
Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2024, pending the availability of funds.
Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2027. This date reflects the anticipated duration of the award – one base year plus two NCC years.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the recipient organization are as follows:
- In consultation with ECA, the recipient is expected to design, plan, implement, and follow-up on two approximately five-week U.S.-based mentorship programs and one reciprocal international mentor exchange, providing timely reporting of progress to ECA, and complying with financial and program reporting requirements;
- Develop an opening orientation and closing with at least one leg in Washington, DC totaling approximately one week for both mentorship programs and providing emerging leaders with a significant introduction to the respective themes of each mentorship (i.e. women’s rights and Title IX, social entrepreneurship, disability rights and ADA, and empowerment of underserved populations).
- Recruit, in coordination with ECA, mentor host sites for the Sport for Community GSMP. As for the espnW GSMP, recruitment of mentors and mentor organizations is covered through the public-private partnership with ESPN/espnW but an ability to manage complex communication flows, mentor relations, and complex logistics are paramount.
- Strategically match emerging leader participants with American mentors (for both programs) at least two months in advance of program implementation while facilitating and supporting the relationship through, but not limited to, the following:
  - Interviews and selection
  - Virtual introductions and orientations for international participants
  - Provision of program materials for pre, mid, and post activities d. A mentor orientation workshop for Americans for each GSMP
  - Development of a leadership curriculum and action plan framework
  - Briefing and clarification of expectations for international delegate and mentor

Eligibility Criteria

U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other notfor-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:
- ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations demonstrate at least four years of experience in conducting international exchanges to be eligible for awards exceeding $130,000 in ECA funding. As noted in section B above, ECA anticipates issuing one cooperative agreement, for approximately $1,140,000. Therefore, organizations that do not demonstrate four years of experience in conducting international exchanges in your proposal are ineligible to apply under this competition.
- All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, POGI (if applicable), and the PSI; non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
- In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov.
- 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.
Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the PSI document.

For more information, visit Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).