Deadline: 4-Sep-21
The U.S. Department of State’s Mission to Saudi Arabia has announced an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program that would select a number of high achieving Saudi Arabian secondary school students from underserved backgrounds, coordinate their participation in the Education USA Connect Academies in the United States during the summer of 2022, and provide an individualized follow-on program of educational advising services to guide participants through the U.S. college admission process in the year following the U.S. visit. Organizations must have a physical presence in Saudi Arabia or a partnership with a Saudi-based organization.
Maintaining Saudi student mobility and access to the U.S. higher education system is a primary strategy for promoting long-term mutual understanding between the people of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
It is also a key contributor to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for economic transformation including youth and women’s workforce development. These policies promote regional stability and greater bilateral economic opportunities.
The Quincy College Prep Program aims to improve opportunities for Saudi Arabian students from disadvantaged backgrounds and traditionally underserved communities to attain higher education in the United States. The program seeks to increase the cultural and academic awareness of a limited number of individuals in these targeted communities and support their U.S. higher education journeys by providing them with a first-hand experience on a U.S. college campus and parallel academic advising and leadership development.
Activities
A successful proposal will include the following activities:
- Recruitment and Selection – The grantee should create a mechanism to announce the program, solicit applications, and screen applicants for program eligibility and academic merit.
- The recruitment and selection should conclude with sufficient time to place the students in Connect Academies programs and organize pre-departure activities.
- Eligible candidates should be in grade 10 or 11 at the time of the application.
- Selection criteria should emphasize academic merit; ability to participate successfully in the Academy program, including English-language skills at the intermediate to advanced level; likelihood of future acceptance to a U.S. college or university; likelihood of successful completion of an undergraduate degree program at a U.S. institution; family support of the applicant’s participation in the program.
- The selection process should include participation by Embassy personnel.
- The selection process should evaluate parental a/o family support for the applicant’s participation and the likelihood that the applicant, if selected, will ultimately attend and participate in the program through
- Placement and Pre-Departure – The grantee should place students in EducationUSA Connect Academies and coordinate logistical arrangements for their travel and participation.
- Follow-on Pre-Academic Support and Leadership Development – Following return to Saudi Arabia after the summer U.S. experience, the grantee should engage students in a program of cohort educational advising and leadership development activities with individualized support for each student.
- These activities may include educational advising, entrance exam preparation courses, mentoring in college application preparation and submission, or other activities that meet the program objectives.
- Pre-Academic Support should include supporting the participants in competing for available Saudi national scholarship programs.
- Communications and Public Affairs – The grantee should design social media and email communications campaigns in conjunction with the recruitment and to highlight program outcomes.
- Budget Proposal and Scalability – Applicants may present 2-3 budget proposals at different funding levels between $50,000 and $130,000 so that they can be considered depending on the availability of funds. Alternatively, applicants may present a per participant cost along with their detailed budget so that the program can be scaled and a final program cost determined depending on availability of funds.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $135,000
- Length of performance period: 9 – 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award (dependent on amounts)
- Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2021
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=335122