The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs invites proposal submissions from U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not for-profit organizations for the design and implementation of four Institutes for the Study of the U.S., Madeleine K. Albright Young Women Leaders Program.
Four Institutes will take place over five weeks in summer 2025. Each Institute will focus on a theme that reflects U.S. foreign policy priorities. The themes selected for these Institutes are: Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment, Environmental Issues, and Public Policy.
The Albright Young Women Leaders Program is an intensive academic program that provides groups of foreign female undergraduate students with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions while developing their leadership skills. Institutes will include classroom-based lectures, discussions, readings, and group presentations; site visits and educational travel; leadership development; and community service activities; and opportunities to interact with a wide variety of Americans. The goal is to provide young women leaders from around the world with an in-depth examination of a specific field of study; build knowledge, capacity, and networks among emerging women leaders; and strengthen their understanding of the history and evolution of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions, broadly defined.
ECA intends to conduct the Albright Young Women Leaders Program in person in summer 2025. Each Institute must be approximately five weeks in length; participants will spend approximately four weeks at a U.S. university or college campus and approximately one week on an integrated educational study tour that complements the academic residency. The program should also include a convening event that will bring together participants from all four Albright Young Women Leaders Institutes. This event should take place over one to two days at the beginning or end of the Institutes. Applicants must propose possible locations for the event, which may include Washington, DC. The event will be planned in conjunction with ECA. It may consist of sector or regional experts, a networking event, and/or participant debriefings.
Themes
- The program will examine the participation of women in the following four Institute themes:
- Civic Engagement (one Institute): topics may include, but are not limited to, active citizenship and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy, civil rights and protections, voting, social justice, gender equity, community-building, grassroots and youth activism, political leadership, media literacy, preventing disinformation, and volunteerism.
- Economic Empowerment (one Institute): topics may include, but are not limited to, an overview of the U.S. economic system and structures, economic prosperity and opportunity, building sustainable economies, economic equality, financial access, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems, social capital development, financial literacy, and organizational development and management.
- Environmental Issues (one Institute): topics may include, but are not limited to, climate change, sustainable development, clean energy, conservation, environmental justice, ocean protection, pollution, ecotourism, water access, climate entrepreneurship, sustainable agricultural practices and food security, public health, and the impact of climate change on underserved, youth, and minority populations and communities including women.
- Public Policy (one Institute): topics may include, but are not limited to, women in public service; the roles of government, private sector, civil society, and media in the policymaking process; and public policy as it relates to education, public health, economic issues including employment and workforce development, technology and privacy, and diversity and inclusion.
Funding Information
- Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2024 – base year $1,400,000, pending the availability of funds; FY 2025 –NCC year-one $1,400,000, pending successful performance and the availability of funds; FY 2026 – NCC year-two $1,400,000, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Approximate Total Funding: $4,200,000. This figure represents base year plus two NCC years, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.
- Approximate Number of Awards: One.
- Approximate Average Award: $1,400,000, pending the availability of funds.
- Minimum “Floor” of Award: $1,400,000, pending the availability of funds.
- Maximum “Ceiling” of Award: $1,400,000, pending the availability of funds.
- Anticipated Award Completion Date: December 31, 2028. This date reflects the anticipated duration of the award – one base year plus one/two NCC years.
Participants
- ECA anticipates that participants for the four Institutes will be comprised of students from East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Each Institute will host approximately 20 participants for a total of 80 participants. Participants will be highly motivated undergraduate students who represent diverse backgrounds, with emphasis on representation of underserved and disadvantaged groups, and who have limited to no international experience. All participants will be women. The recipient will not participate in participant selection. The U.S. embassy and consulates will nominate candidates, and ECA will make the final participant selections. ECA will send a final list of participants to the award recipient.
Eligible Applicants
- U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not for-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.
- ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations demonstrate at least four years of experience in conducting international exchanges to be eligible for awards exceeding $130,000 in ECA funding. As noted, ECA anticipates issuing one cooperative agreement, for approximately $1,400,000. Therefore, organizations that do not demonstrate four years of experience in conducting international exchanges in your proposal are ineligible to apply under this competition.
- All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, POGI (if applicable), and the PSI; non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
- In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov.
- Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization.
For more information, visit Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.