The Office of English Language Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for proposals to advance the Bureau’s objectives through support of academic exchanges that will improve English teaching capacity around the world and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries through the physical or virtual exchanges of U.S. English language educators to educational institutions in all world regions.

The English Language (EL) Fellow and Specialist Programs build bridges of mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by placing U.S. English language educators in educational institutions abroad.

The EL Fellow and Specialist Programs allow students and teachers at host institutions to benefit from the U.S. participants’ knowledge and perspectives on pedagogical issues and gain a better understanding of U.S. culture and values, representative government, free enterprise, and the rule of law. EL Fellows and Specialists provide foreign educators, professionals, and students with the communication skills they need to participate in the global economy and to improve their access to accurate information and U.S. perspectives on a broad variety of issues.

The purpose of the Act is "to enable the Government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries...; to strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United States and other nations...and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of the world."

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $17,000,000
• Award Ceiling: $17,000,000
• Award Floor: $0

Program Categories

English Language (EL) Fellow Program

EL Fellow requirements:

• U.S. citizenship
• A master’s degree or Ph.D. in TESOL, Applied Linguistics or a field related to English language teaching.
• Minimum of two years of full-time classroom TESOL teaching experience
• Cross cultural sensitivity and respect for different cultures
• A demonstrated commitment to the field of English language teaching
• Personal qualities deemed necessary for a successful project, e.g., resourcefulness, determination, teamwork, adaptability, and flexibility.

English Language (EL) Specialist Program

EL Specialists are highly experienced U.S. academics and professionals in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or related disciplines that work on programs that contribute to the host country’s capacity to teach English.

EL Specialist requirements:

• U.S. citizenship
• A master’s degree, Ph.D., or equivalent graduate-level degree in TESOL or a closely related field
• Minimum of 10 years English language teaching experience
• Cross cultural sensitivity and respect for different cultures
• A demonstrated commitment to the field of English language teaching
• Experience presenting at English language teaching conferences
• Publications of refereed presentations, journal articles, or books in the field of TESOL

Eligible applicants

U.S. public and private non-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. Please see the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for additional information.

Other Eligibility Requirements

• Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making one cooperative agreement, in the amount of $17,000,000 pending the availability of FY2021 funds, to support program and administrative 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.
• Technical Eligibility: All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); noncompliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process
• Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal. If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process. Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.