IDEAS Grant Competition - Capacity Building Program for US Study Abroad

IDEAS Grant Competition - Capacity Building Program for US Study Abroad is sponsored by U.S. Department of State. Supports capacity building for U. S.

colleges and universities to enhance study abroad programs.

IDEAS Grant Competition - Capacity Building Program for US Study Abroad Capacity Building Program for US Study Abroad Capacity Building Program for US Study Abroad General Application Information Grant Competition Resources U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program Awards Grants to Build Study Abroad Capacity The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program awarded grants to 32 U.S. colleges and universities across 24 states to develop international programming for U.S. students that contributes to career readiness and supports American competitiveness, national security interests, and international engagement.

IDEAS Program grantees implement projects that expand U.S. study abroad opportunities while advancing key foreign policy goals, including strengthening economic growth, innovation, and industry and promoting freedom and democracy through international academic partnerships.

These initiatives prepare U.S. students to contribute to their communities and future careers in ways that support national security and long-term economic prosperity. IDEAS grants support programming in 37 destinations across all world regions, including in Ecuador, India, Japan, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan, strategically expanding the destinations where U.S. students study abroad.

To learn more about the 2025 IDEAS grant recipients and explore resources designed to expand study abroad opportunities, visit www. studyabroadcapacitybuilding. org .

For further information about study abroad resources and exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please contact [email protected] and visit www. state. gov/eca .

The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by World Learning.

CUNY – Bronx Community College Florida State College at Jacksonville Lorain County Community College Michigan State University Morehead State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Prairie View A&M University Purdue University Northwest The Evergreen State College The University of Alabama University of Central Arkansas University of North Carolina Wilmington University of Southern Mississippi Virginia Commonwealth University West Chester University of Pennsylvania Western Carolina University Western Washington University Wor-Wic Community College General Application Information The grant competition is open to accredited U.S. colleges and universities physically based in the United States or its territories with a broad range of capacity to administer study abroad programs.

This includes institutions that currently have limited or no experience administering study abroad programs as well as those with established programs; Proposals must support primarily U.S. undergraduate student mobility abroad, although graduate student participation in programs is allowed. Proposals do not need to support the creation or expansion of a specific study abroad program.

The IDEAS Program welcomes innovative ideas for how to build (or rebuild) study abroad capacity on campus or nationally, for example, through the development of virtual activities to complement in-person exchanges; Funding may not be used to support direct outbound or inbound student costs, including but not limited to scholarships, travel, passports, tuition, or meals for U.S. or foreign students.

Funds may be used to support U.S. faculty and/or staff travel overseas as well as travel for foreign faculty and/or staff to come to the United States to support program development. Group travel or program costs such as ground transportation, room rental, or cultural visit or tour fees that include both faculty and student participants are allowable. These group costs should be limited to no more than 5% of the total budget.

All grant-funded travel must comply with the Fly America Act ; While an institution as a whole may submit more than one proposal, individual units within an institution (i.e., schools, colleges, offices) may submit only one application each. If an institution is organized into a single school or college, it may only submit one proposal. Individual campuses within wider university systems will be considered separate institutions.

Example 1: The School of Business of X University and the School of Nursing at the same X University may each submit separate proposals. Example 2: Within the School of Business of X University, the Marketing Department and Finance Department may only submit one proposal total. Example 3: The School of Business of X University – City A and the School of Business of X University – City B may each submit separate proposals.

IDEAS grants can support the development of in-person study abroad programming in foreign locations with a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level 1, 2, or 3. Development of in-person programming in foreign locations with a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level 4 is not permitted.

In the event that a proposal is selected for an IDEAS grant and the destination changes to a Level 4, the recipient may be required to change their program location or other planned program activities to align with U.S. Department of State travel policies.

The IDEAS Program reserves the right to request program changes for specific countries or areas if deemed necessary during any stage of the application, selection process, or program period. Final awards are contingent upon the availability of funds and the security situation in-country.

Furthermore, grant-funded overseas travel and in-person activities abroad may be suspended in consultation with the U.S. Embassy in-country during the course of the program.

Note: If selected for an IDEAS grant, institutions using funds to support travel to foreign locations will be required to share travel and safety information with the IDEAS Program, and those traveling to Level 3 locations will need to provide additional safety details. More information will be provided on this following award issuance.

IDEAS grants can support the development of virtual study abroad programming in all foreign locations, regardless of their U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory level. Phase Two Proposal Components In the proposal phase, selected semi-finalists provide additional details on their project idea, including a calendar of activities, monitoring and evaluation plan, and other components.

The IDEAS Program holds several informational webinars for semi-finalists on best practices in drafting these technical pieces of their proposals. Recordings of those trainings will be available in the application portal following the live sessions. Semi-finalists invited to Phase Two of this grant competition must submit a full grant proposal inclusive of the items listed below via the application portal.

Proposal Narrative (maximum 15 pages) Table of Contents (1 page) Executive Summary (1 page) Program Description (4-6 pages) Foreign Policy Goal Alignment (1 page) Sustainability Plan (1 page) Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (1 page) Budget Narrative (2-3 pages) Calendar of Activities (1 spreadsheet, template provided) Logic Model (1 page, template provided) Key Staff Resumes (2 pages, 1 document) Budget Spreadsheet (1 spreadsheet, 2 tabs, optional template provided) 2025 IDEAS Consortium Grant, Preparing the Workforce of the Future The IDEAS Program will award approximately one grant of up to $50,000 under the 2025 IDEAS grant competition to a consortium of at least two U.

S colleges and/or universities to collaborate on building study abroad capacity, programs, and resources at U.S. colleges and universities that will focus on preparing the workforce of the future to advance U.S. economic prosperity.

Through this consortium grant, the IDEAS Program aims to: encourage collaboration and resource-sharing within U.S. higher education on how to use international education to more effectively prepare a future workforce that is equipped with global skills needed to meet local industry needs and drive U.S. economic prosperity; increase study abroad capacity and programs linked to local workforce and economic growth goals; and provide expanded opportunities for U.S. students to participate in overseas opportunities that prepare them to participate in good-paying skilled jobs that benefit their home communities.

Applicants will need to identify an emerging or established but growing industry in their community and outline how their proposed IDEAS grant project will help students obtain the international skills needed to meet workforce needs and advance economic prosperity in their community.

This industry could be in any field, ranging from agriculture to cybersecurity, but applicants will need to detail the industry-specific skills in demand in their community, how the proposed international programming will help develop them, and how doing so will advance economic prosperity in their community.

A minimum of $5,000 of consortium grant budgets must be allocated to developing and sharing resources with the wider U.S. higher education community. Applications for an IDEAS consortium grant may also be considered for a $35,000 IDEAS grant, pending availability of funding.

Grant Competition Resources Title Description Resource Link Category Type hf:tax:resource_category hf:tax:resource_tag IDEAS Grant Competition Budget Template Select semi-finalist applicants are invited to use this optional template to draft their proposed IDEAS grant budget.

Templates Template templates template IDEAS Grant Competition: Shipley Proposal Process Proposal development resource Instructions , Request for Proposals Template instructions rfp template The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by World Learning.