Deadline: 8 May 2020
The Professional Fellows Division (ECA/PE/C/PF) of the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites proposal submissions for the FY 2020 Professional Fellows Program (PFP).
The Professional Fellows Program will bring leaders, ages 25- 40, to the United States from countries in Africa (AF), East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), Europe and Eurasia (EUR), the Middle East and North Africa (NEA), South and Central Asia (SCA), and the Western Hemisphere (WHA).
The Professional Fellows Program is a two-way global exchange program designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance leadership and professional skills, and build lasting and sustainable partnerships between emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States.
The Professional Fellows Program supports the following broad goals:
- Promote mutual understanding and lasting partnerships between emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States;
- Provide opportunities for participants ages 25-40 to collaborate and share ideas, approaches, and strategies to develop solutions to pressing local and global challenges;
- Increase Americans’ global competitiveness through new and expanded partnerships with professionals from around the world;
- Create resilient communities and address disinformation by supporting civil society, open transparent institutions, and human rights; and
- Build a global network of like-minded professionals committed to creating positive change in their workplaces and communities.
Themes
Complete descriptions of the four eligible themes are below:
- Governance and Society: Proposals submitted under the Governance and Society theme should explore the relationship between the public sector and broader society. Proposals should support professionals involved in the legislative process; governance; public administration; policy making; political campaigns; law and judicial reform.
- Economic Empowerment: Proposals submitted under the Economic Empowerment theme should explore how systems can support sustainable economic development and should support professionals involved in small and medium business development; business administration; business education; economic development policy, social entrepreneurship, and community training programs.
- Civic Engagement: Proposals submitted under the Civic Engagement theme should explore how individuals can organize around community issues and support professionals involved in nongovernmental management; community development; advocacy; education; journalism; law; youth initiatives; and the empowerment of women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, and marginalized populations.
- Media and Communications: Proposals submitted under the Media and Communications theme should support professionals involved in print and broadcast media and journalism; social or trans media; press relations; public relations; public affairs; and communications.
Eligible Countries
- Africa (AF): Proposals should support a program for approximately 40-55 foreign participants and must include participants from all the following countries only: Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Sudan. The program should also support U.S. participants traveling to these countries at a ratio of one U.S. Fellow for every two to three Professional Fellows.
- East Asia and the Pacific (EAP): Proposals will support programming for approximately 40-55 foreign participants. Proposals must include:
- at least 60% of the total of foreign participants from Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu under the program themes of Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment, Governance and Society, and Media and Communications, AND
- the remainder of the foreign participants from People’s Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Taiwan under the program theme of Civic Engagement.
- Europe and Eurasia (EUR): Proposals should support a program for approximately 40-55 foreign participants and must include participants from at least 15 of the following 19 countries only: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The program should also support U.S. participants traveling to these countries at a ratio of one U.S. Fellow for every two to three Professional Fellows.
- Middle East and North Africa (NEA): Proposals should support a program for approximately 40-55 foreign participants and must include participants from all the following countries only: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. The program should also support American participants traveling to these countries at a ratio of one U.S. Fellow for every two to three Professional Fellows.
- South and Central Asia (SCA): Proposals should support a program for approximately 40-55 foreign participants and must include participants from all the following countries only: India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The program should also support American participants traveling to these countries at a ratio of one U.S. Fellow for every two to three Professional Fellows.
- Western Hemisphere (WHA): Proposals should support a program for approximately 40-55 foreign participants and must include participants from all of the following 21 countries only: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The program should also support American participants traveling to these countries at a ratio of one U.S. Fellow for every two to three Professional Fellows.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $5,058,000
- Award Ceiling: $1,686,000
Eligibility Criteria
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.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325279