Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Trans-Saharan Professionals Program

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA/PE/C) announces an open competition for grants to conduct one of three professional exchange programs in the Trans-Sahara Africa Region. The Office anticipates awarding separate grants to three different organizations, one for each of the three themes presented in this announcement. U.S. public and non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals that support the goals of the Trans-Saharan Professionals Program. These goals, which encompass both bureau and programmatic goals, are: (1) To provide foreign participants from eligible countries an opportunity for professional development through three- to four-week study tours and internships in the U.S.; (2) to provide U.S. participants the opportunity to share their professional expertise with counterparts in eligible countries while also learning from them; (3) to promote mutual understanding and partnerships between key professional groups in the United States and counterpart groups in eligible countries with a plan for working relationships to continue well beyond the period of ECA funding; and (4) encourage mass media to report on the program to a wider audience. Proposed projects should be two-way exchanges involving participants from both the U.S. and foreign countries traveling to each others' countries. Each project should contribute to the strengthening of civil society where it is carried out. Participants in these projects will be provided professional learning programs that will enhance their careers with the expectation that they will contribute their expertise to the program. Projects should take place over the course of approximately two years and target current or up-and-coming professional leaders who will promote positive development in their communities. Specific themes of interest in this competition include: Elections, Business Development, and Community Leadership. Eligible countries and guidance for each theme are provided in Section I.7 below. Proposals that target themes and countries not specifically mentioned in this Request for Grant Proposals will be considered technically ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process. Applicants may submit only one proposal under this competition. If multiple proposals are received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process. No guarantee is made or implied that grants will be awarded in all themes or for all countries listed.