Deadline: 11 June 2020
The U.S. Consulate General Cape Town’s Public Affairs Section (PAS Cape Town) of the U.S. Department of State announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in applying for funding to create an expanded network of educational advisers around South Africa who can provide information and advice about applying for tertiary study in the United States.
Purpose: PAS Cape Town invites SOIs for a program to create a network of advisers around South Africa who can provide information and advice about applying for tertiary study in the United States. This program is intended to 1) promote interest in tertiary study in the United States, 2) provide access to quality advice about tertiary study in the United States, and 3) increase the number of students who apply and ultimately pursue tertiary studies in the United States.
The goal is to ensure that potentially qualifying students at top high school and tertiary institutions in South Africa – from the Vhembe District in the north to the Cape Metropole in the south, and everything in between – are aware of the opportunity to study in the United States, know who to contact about it, and receive timely, accurate, comprehensive, and current information. Whether they are a student who can afford to pay full tuition, or would rely entirely on financial aid, they aim to create a strong network of competent advisers who can help to demystify the process and ensure that competitive students know that studying in the United States is a realistic possibility.
Program Activities
In cooperation with PAS Cape Town and the EducationUSA Advising Office of the U.S. Mission to South Africa, the grantee will accomplish the goals stated in the Purpose (above) by rolling out, in stages over the course of two years, the following activities:
- Develop a system to define, recruit and hire outreach advisers spread geographically across South Africa in strategic locations (where there are high-performing schools), who have knowledge and experience of U.S. higher education and the application process, as well as knowledge of the South African basic and higher education system.
- Develop a communications and knowledge sharing platform to represent this network, and marketing tools to promote it.
- Arrange for training with the EducationUSA office (which is free of charge) and ongoing learning support to the outreach advisers, ensuring that they can provide the following services:
- Offer regular, in-person information sessions on higher education opportunities in the United States aimed at targeted high school and university students.
- Assist those interested in pursuing higher education in the United States on an individual and group basis, either in-person or virtually, with advice on preparation, school choice, admissions testing, essay writing, and financial aid options.
- Provide pre-departure advice to students accepted to study at U.S. colleges or universities.
- Market their services across traditional and social media platforms to their target audiences.
- As necessary, work with admissions test companies to increase the number of admissions testing sites, enabling more prospective students easier access to tests.
- Develop a plan to gradually sustain this network of outreach advisers beyond the period of the grant, such as charging fees on a sliding scale for specific services.
Funding Information
- Total available funding: $250,000
- Length of performance period: 2 years
- Anticipated program start date: October 15, 2020
Participants and Audiences
They envision the network of outreach advisers will be made up of people spread across several major and regional South African cities who have knowledge and experience of the United States higher education sector and its application process, as well as familiarity with the South African education system. They welcome participation by alumni of U.S. government-funded exchange programs and alumni of U.S. higher education institutions.
Priority Region
South Africa’s major and regional cities, including for example: Polokwane, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Mafikeng, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, East London, Port Elizabeth, Makhanda, and Cape Town. They anticipate that advisers may not be located in each of these cities, but would like to ensure the presence of a dedicated adviser in close enough proximity to each city and district where there are high performing schools to avoid devoting too much of the budget to travel costs. programs and alumni of U.S. higher education institutions.
Eligibility Criteria
- PAS Cape Town encourages applications from U.S. and South African:
- Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations with programming experience
- Non-profit or governmental educational institutions
- Governmental institutions
- For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible to apply.
Please ensure:
- All documents are in English
- All budgets are in U.S. dollars
- All pages are numbered
- All documents are formatted to A4 or 8 ½ x 11 paper, and
- All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.
- All attachments are named as: [Organization Name] [Concept OR Budget].
- Attached file sizes are under 5MB.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=326973