Deadline: 24-May-23

The Office of Citizen Exchanges in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs invites proposal submissions for the FY 2023 Community Engagement Exchange Program (CEE) in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.

Purpose

• Across the globe in every region of the world, societies are beginning to feel the weight of the downward shifts in democracy. Developments in technology have aided in removing the veil that obscures these declines in democracy, which affect economic structures, increase disparities between social demographics, and overall limit the ability to maintain democratic norms. Simultaneously, the misuse of technology has facilitated the creation of new methods to extinguish civil liberty and dampen political freedoms. Economic, environmental, social, and political trends are putting unprecedented strain on conventional systems, eroding civil society, and challenging human freedoms.
• To address these challenges that harm society at large and erode human rights, new ideas and innovative approaches must be uplifted and brought to the forefront of global advancement. Bold steps and creative thinking are required to rebuild trust in public institutions and political systems, foster collaborative action, advance civic engagement, protect civil liberties, and address issues of public concern. A renewed investment in the next generation of leaders is a first step towards confronting new and evolving global challenges.
• The CEE Program is a multi-layered exchange established to ensure that the next generation of democratically inclined leaders possess the knowledge, skills, experiences, and values required to work across sectors to support engaged and inclusive communities. CEE looks to recruit new leaders who are willing and able to harness the power of networks, relationships, and information to develop multifaceted and innovative approaches to building healthy and engaged communities. The CEE Program expands the demographics of other U.S. government leadership and civil society programs by ushering in a new generation of young community leaders, investing in marginalized voices and underserved communities, and reimagining thematic areas central to advancing civil society in order to support the development a global civil society eco-system. CEE ascertains to develop a robust network of emerging civil society leaders with the skills and expertise necessary to help build security, prosperity, and peace around the world.

Themes

Proposals for the CEE Program must embrace a global program design that incorporates all five thematic areas and thoughtfully advances DEIA principles:

• Civic Dialogue and Peace Building;
• Environmental Sustainability;
• Open and Participatory Government;
• Women and Gender Issues; and
• Youth Engagement.

Funding Information

• Approximate Total Funding: $6,000,000
• Approximate Number of Awards: One
• Approximate Average Award: $6,000,000
• Minimum “Floor” of Award: None
• Maximum “Ceiling” of Award: $6,000,000
• Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2023
• Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2025

Project Activities

• The CEE Program is a robust global leadership program for emerging civil society and community leaders that requires a highly tailored, nuanced approach to international programming, including but not limited to an inclusive recruitment and selection process designed to attract a diverse applicant pool, careful identification of three-month immersive professional practicums, a robust online platform for program engagement, enhancement activities, as well as support for a global network and alumni programming both in the United States and overseas.
• The CEE Program will also support the development of innovative community initiatives, or Innovation Hubs, that:
  • provide ongoing support to emerging civil society and community leaders;
  • create opportunities for program alumni to connect and share resources and best practices;
  • cultivate advanced professional and leadership skills; and
  • work collaboratively with other global professionals to build capacity and lead communitybased efforts to address local challenges.

Eligible Countries

Eligible countries and thematic areas are as follows:

• Africa: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
• East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, and Vietnam
• Europe and Eurasia: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Türkiye, and Ukraine
• Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Palestinian Territories
• South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
• Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela

Eligibility Criteria

• U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not for-profit organizations meeting the provisions may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
• Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.
• The following additional eligibility requirements apply to this NOFO announcement:
  • ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in ECA funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in an amount of $6,000,000 to support all 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.
  • All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, POGI (if applicable), and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.

For more information, visit Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).