Middle East Partnership Initiative "Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarships"

The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (NEA/PI) announces an open competition for proposals to enhance and expand educational opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa. Successful applicants will provide an American-accredited education which will create a strong foundation for a cadre of civic-minded, intellectually able, and professionally skilled university students, well-prepared to become future community and business leaders.

Amount: $1,000,000

Date due: January 5, 2010

The Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarships II (TLII) program will partner with host universities to provide four- to- five year academic matriculation and community service opportunities for secondary school graduates from the Middle East and North Africa who are from diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and whose academic merit and other credentials would qualify them for admission to a university program of study but whose limited financial resources preclude attendance. The TLII project emphasizes the identification of highly motivated male and female students with demonstrated English language ability and leadership potential. Proposals under this priority area support full four- to- five year scholarships for at least 12 students per class cohort. Strategies to leverage program resources through more students and cost-sharing are strongly encouraged. In addition to proposing cost-sharing (see budget criteria), applicants should indicate how they will continue the project with non-USG funding upon completion of this project.

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Cultural Exchange Fund Travel Awards

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters has added a new funding round to the 2009-10 Cultural Exchange Fund travel subsidy program supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The new funding round will provide for travel taking place between December 2009 and June 2010. In promoting cross-cultural arts programming, Arts Presenters strongly encourages travel to the following locations, including but not limited to, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

Amount: $10,000

Date due: November 16, 2009

Arts Presenters will fund individual travel subsidies and group travel subsidies. The maximum amount awarded per individual organization, inclusive of travel costs and per diem, is $2,000 each. Group travel subsidies will be awarded only to groups of three or more presenters from different member presenting organizations. The maximum award for a group is $10,000 each, with no more than $2,000 awarded per organization. All applicants applying for group travel must designate a lead partner organization. The lead partner organization must be a presenter or presenting organization.

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Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship Program

The Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship Program provides opportunities to faculty of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage in research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies.

Amount: $25,000 - $115,000

Date due: December 1, 2009

As part of the application process, faculty members submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then officially submits all eligible individual faculty applications with its grant application to the Department.

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Institute on U.S. for foreign university level faculty

The Branch for the Study of the United States, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of three Study of the United States Institutes to take place over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2010. These Institutes should provide a multinational group of experienced educators with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. Two of these Institutes will be for groups of 18 foreign university level faculty, focusing on U.S. Culture and Society, and Journalism and Media. The third Institute will be a general survey course on the study of the United States for a group of 30 foreign secondary educators. Applicants may propose to host only one Institute listed under this competition.

Amount: $360,000

Date due: December 3, 2009

Study of the United States Institutes are intensive academic programs whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty, secondary educators, and other scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of American society, culture, and institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad.

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