Deadline: 02-Jul-2020
The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh is pleased to announce an open competition for the Saudi Young Leaders Exchange Program (SYLEP) through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Service Code 26 USC 501 (c) (3) may submit proposals to support English-speaking undergraduate students and recent graduates from Saudi Arabia in an outreach program built around a three-week U.S.-based exchange program in Summer 2021.
The program should explore themes of community engagement to promote peace and prosperity, leadership development, respect for diversity, tolerance of religious beliefs, and mutual cultural understanding. The program should begin planning and outreach in September 2020 and continue after the U.S.-based exchange with follow-on activities in the participants’ home communities, including through alumni activities focused on community projects that promotethe targeted themes.
The U.S. Mission supports this youth leadership exchange program to build leadership, civic responsibility, respect for diversity, and community engagement among Saudi university students and recent graduates through a three-week summer exchangeexperience in the United States.
The goals and objectives of the program are to:
- Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Saudi Arabia;
- Help prepare Saudi youth to become engaged in promoting tolerance and cross-cultural understanding in their communities;
- Inspire youth leaders to become actively engaged in community programs that help their communities in areas that include, but are not limited to, addressing the needs of persons with disabilities, promoting health awareness, and developing job skills for those facing unemployment and underemployment.
The program objectives are for participants to:
- Demonstrate a better understanding of civic engagement as practiced in the United States;
- Demonstrate critical thinking and leadership skills; and
- Demonstrate skill at developing project ideas and planning a course of action to bring the projects to fruition.
The primary program themes, including illustrative examples, are listed below:
- Respect for Diversity (ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and persons with disabilities).
- Community Engagement (citizen participation, social responsibility, and volunteerism).
- Leadership Development (team building, public speaking, negotiation, goal setting, and project planning).
Funding Information
- Anticipated Total Program Funding: Up to $500,000 per annual program, pending availability of funds.
- Award Period: 12-months, with possibility to extend for an additional 1-2 years.
- Participants: Applicants should propose to implement a three-week U.S.-based exchange for up to 50 recent graduate and undergraduate students. Applicants may propose a plan to break the delegation into smaller cohorts for some of the exchange activities. This is to ensure all participants benefit from exchange activities and to increase the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation, including the participants’ safety and well-being while on the U.S.-based program.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Service Code section 26 USC 501 (c) (3).
- Applicants are not required to include cost sharing. However, applications that include cost sharing from non-U.S. Government sources will be more competitive, and applicants are encouraged to provide the highest levels of cost sharing possible. When providing cost sharing, the applicant must agree to provide the amount of cost sharing agreed upon in the grant agreement.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327449