Deadline: 3-Jun-21
The J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative (Stevens Initiative), developed in partnership with the Stevens Family Foundation is a multilateral public-private partnership that will strengthen engagement between young people in the Middle East and North Africa (NEA) and in the United States.
The Stevens Initiative will use technology and online tools to facilitate structured online engagements between youth at various education levels. The Initiative will increase mutual understanding and equip more than one million youth with the skills and aptitudes they need to succeed in the 21st century.
A key objective for the Stevens Initiative program is to encourage public-private partnerships and sustainability by soliciting independent funding from private/philanthropic foundations and foreign governments. As such, proposals should outline how the applicant will incorporate a possible addition of funding to the Stevens Initiative from non-U.S. government sources.
Purpose
The introduction of technology into the lives of young people is changing the way they engage with the rest of the world. Increased connectivity is inspiring global citizenship, driving young people to seek connections with peers outside of their local communities, and encouraging them to tackle local and global challenges.
Yet virtual connections made in the unmediated space of the Internet – in a chat room or on a blog site, also have the potential to fuel misunderstanding and division, rather than foster mutual respect and cooperation. Developing young people’s understanding of other cultures and diverse perspectives, and equipping them with the tools they need to communicate and cooperate with confidence, is critical to ensuring that the power of global connectivity is harnessed for good and lays the foundation for a safer and more secure world.
Federal Award Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $15,000,000.
- This figure represents base year plus two Non-Competitive Continuation years, pending the availability of funds and successful performance.
- Approximate Number of Awards: 1
- Approximate Average Award: $5,000,000
- Floor of Award Range: None
- Ceiling of Award Range: $5,000,000
- Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2021
Eligibility Information
- Eligible applicants
- 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
- Other Eligibility Requirements
- 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 award, in an amount of $5,000,000 for the FY 2021 base year to support program and administrative 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.
- Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal in this competition. If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=332635
