Deadline: 3-Jun-22
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, Office of Regional Sustainable Development (USAID/LAC/RSD) have announced the LAC Regional Higher Education Scholarships for Youth Workforce Development Addendum to the Higher Education for Leadership, Innovation, and Exchange (HELIX), New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Annual Program Statement (APS).
The purpose of this new LAC Regional Higher Education Scholarships for Youth Workforce Development Activity is to increase the access, retention, and completion of market-relevant quality higher education and training for youth from disadvantaged populations, and to improve their opportunities for employment.
The Activity will help mitigate growing divides in higher education exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ultimate goal of the Activity is to have a cadre of young professionals with the academic competencies, soft skills, behaviors, and attitudes that enable them to participate in society as productive workers and responsible citizens.
Objectives
Proposed interventions under this Activity should address the following three key objectives:
- Increased access, retention, and completion of postsecondary education for the most marginalized and vulnerable youth in the targeted geographic areas.
- Improved capacity of local HEIs, youth-led and youth-serving organizations, and other relevant organizations to provide student support services (e.g. academic support/college prep, remedial services, career, communications, internships, community service, mental health and psychosocial support) in the target geographic areas.
- Improved HE Sector capacity to provide sustainable financial support services (i.e. loans, grants, scholarships, etc.) for marginalized youth beyond the implementation of the LAC Regional Higher Education Scholarships for Workforce Development Activity in partnership with the private sector.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $20,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $20,000,000
- Award Floor: $1
Geographic Focus
USAID has selected Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay as the initial target countries for this activity. During the Process of co-creation and/or post-award, this list of countries is subject to revision, and/or other Latin America and Caribbean countries may be included based upon factors including funding availability, technical considerations and through mutual agreement between implementing partner(s) and USAID.
Target Countries: Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay
Eligibility Criteria
- USAID defines “Implementing Partners” as U.S. and non-U.S. non-governmental organizations that can design and implement assistance activities outside the United States. All Implementing Partners must be legally registered entities under applicable law and eligible under the relevant laws to receive funding from a foreign source. Individuals, unregistered, or informal organizations are not eligible to be Implementing Partners.
- U.S. and non-U.S. public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, as well as higher education institutions (especially minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Public international organizations, and non-governmental organizations are eligible to submit a concept note. Further, the organization must be a legally recognized organizational entity in the country where it operates.
- USAID values the participation of the U.S. higher education community in this activity. U.S. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are key partners for developing solutions to development challenges, by serving as intellectual hubs for knowledge, research support, and innovation. MSIs and HBCUs have played an important role in both American history and global affairs and are uniquely positioned to contribute to higher education and youth development efforts.
- Eligibility for this addendum is not restricted. Please refer to the HELIX APS for additional information on eligibility requirements, including NPI requirements, for Addendum under the APS.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=340058