The U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City Public Affairs Section (PAS) is pleased to announce funding is available for Opening an American Hangout at a Vietnamese University through the Public Diplomacy Federal Assistance Awards.

Program Objectives

Proposals must explicitly address one or more of the Public Affairs Section priority objectives listed below and create or extend the communities engaged in those areas:

• Economic Prosperity: improved opportunities for U.S. businesses, labor standards, developing soft skills to work with U.S. businesses, reducing the bilateral trade deficit, intellectual property rights, promotion of U.S. products, or U.S. business values.
• Security: rule of law, combating transnational crime, combating trafficking in persons, improving relations with the Vietnamese diaspora community.
• Education: English teaching and learning; improving teaching methods; curriculum development; modernizing education systems; science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM).
• Inclusiveness: women’s rights and empowerment, access and legal reform for disabled persons, LGBT rights, ethnic/religious minorities’ rights, civil society development.
• Fundamental Freedoms: freedom of expression, press, association, religion.
• Sustainable development: Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP), environmental standards, climate mitigation and adaptation.

Public Diplomacy Goals

• An American Hangout is a U.S. Consulate-funded American space located at a Vietnamese partnered university.
• An American Hangout is usually equipped with a TV or a screen for programming, and collections of books about the United States, English language teaching and learning materials, magazines, and resources about scholarships and studying in the U.S.
• An American Hangout provides onsite and virtual programs in English language learning; science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM); professional skills development; study in the U.S., and U.S. culture and values. These programs are conducted by the Vietnamese partnered university as well as the U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City’.
• The American Hangout serves as a reference point for faculty, students, and interested community groups of the host university and other schools in the region to freely exchange ideas and knowledge, improve English language skills, and learn about the United States.
• An American Hangout represents educational partnership between the U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh city and the Vietnamese host university.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $25,000
• Award Ceiling: $15,000
• Award Floor: $1,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Submissions are encouraged from Vietnamese Universities with relevant programming experience.
• This experience should be documented in the proposal. Eligible entities include:
  • Registered not-for-profit, civil society/non-governmental organizations
  • Non-profit or public educational institutions
• For-profit entities are not allowed to apply. Previous federal award recipients who are not/were not in compliance with the terms of their financial and program reporting requirements are ineligible to apply.

For more information, visit American Hangout.