Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) serves as the head of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to national security. ODNIs Office of the Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital (ADNI/HC) houses the IC Centers for Academic Excellence (CAE) Program Office (IC CAE PO), responsible for developing and distributing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), managing the application review process, and providing post-award grants program administration. The design of the IC CAE Program was formulated and executed in accordance with: The Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 (updated/amended 18 July 2019); 50 U.S.C. 3224 (Intelligence Officer Training Program); and 50 U.S.C. 3024(n)(4) (Acquisition and Other Authorities) The IC CAE Program began as a three-year pilot project directed by congressional authorization and appropriation for FY 2004 and was initiated by the Director of Central Intelligence to meet the nations demand for a diverse cadre of professionals to carry out national security priorities and obligations. In 2005, following the establishment of ODNI, the program moved under ODNI management with the intent to increase the pool of applicants by expanding awareness of the IC mission and culture throughout ethnically and geographically diverse communities. From October 2011 through December 2019, the IC CAE Program was managed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), with oversight from ODNI, and expanded in scope and number of grant recipients. In December 2019, congress returned management of the IC CAE Program to the ODNI. Section 1024 of the National Security Act, as last amended in 2019, provides for this Program as follows: (a) PROGRAMS (1) The Director of National Intelligence may carry out grant programs in accordance with subsections (b) and (c) to enhance the recruitment and retention of an ethnically and culturally diverse intelligence community workforce with capabilities critical to the national security interests of the United States. (2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director shall identify the skills necessary to meet current or emergent needs of the intelligence community and the educational disciplines that will provide individuals with such skills. (b) INSTITUTIONAL GRANT PROGRAM (1) The Director may provide grants to institutions of higher education [IHEs] to support the establishment or continued development of programs of study in educational disciplines identified under subsection (a)(2). (2) A grant provided under paragraph (1) may, with respect to the educational disciplines identified under subsection (a)(2), be used for the following purposes: (A) Curriculum or program development. (B) Faculty development. (C) Laboratory equipment or improvements. (D) Faculty research. (c) GRANT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN MINORITY-SERVING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. (1) The Director may provide grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCUs] and Predominantly Black Institutions [PBIs], Hispanic Serving Institutions [HSIs], and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions [AANAPISIs] to provide programs of study in educational disciplines identified under subsection (a)(2) or described in paragraph (2). (2) A grant provided under paragraph (1) may be used to provide programs of study in the following educational disciplines: (A) Intermediate and advanced foreign languages deemed in the immediate interest of the intelligence community, including Farsi, Pashto, Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian dialects. (B) Study abroad programs and cultural immersion programs. (d) APPLICATION An institution of higher education seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application describing the proposed use of the grant at such time and in such manner as the Director may require. (e) REPORTS An institution of higher education that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the Director regular reports regarding the use of such grant, including (1) a description of the benefits to students who participate in the course of study funded by such grant; (2) a description of the results and accomplishments related to such course of study; and (3) any other information that the Director may require For the 2024 IC CAE grant cycle, any acceptably accredited four-year Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) in the United States (its Territories and the District of Columbia) shall be eligible to apply as a Lead Institution. Acceptably accredited two-year IHE in the United States (its Territories and the District of Columbia), e.g., Community Colleges shall be eligible to apply as consortium partners, not as lead institutions. If the lead IHE is one of the four Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) categories listed in (c)(1) above, a consortium partner(s) is optional, but not required. However, if the lead IHE does not belong to one of the four MSI categories, then the application must include at least one additional IHE that qualifies as one of the four MSI categories listed above. Schools designated as any of these four MSI categories may be either the lead applicant or a consortium partner, or these MSI categories may make up the entire consortium. IHEs with Minority-serving designations other than the four listed may be either the lead applicant or a partner so long as at least one member school from the four named MSI categories is also a partner. The 2022 IC CAE grant receiving institutions and their consortia partners are not eligible to apply as they may not receive funds for the same initiative from two separate grants at the same time. More detailed information on eligibility can be found in Section III Eligibility. IHEs that receive grants under this program (lead and IHE consortia members) shall submit to the DNI, regular reports regarding the use of the grant funds including: A description of the benefits to students who participate in the course(s) of study funded by the grant. A description of the results and accomplishments related to the program objectives for the selected instructional pathway. The number of IC CAE Scholars and aspiring Scholars Demographic information related to participating students (anonymized). Any additional programmatic information that the IC CAE Program may require. Applicants (lead and consortia member IHEs) for this funding opportunity announcement acknowledge and accept these reporting requirements and must reflect this understanding and their compliance plans in their applications. Recipients of this grant shall be required to report metrics related to student ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as participation in all funded aspects of their program. Schools selected as grant recipients become known as IC CAE Program Schools. Students that participate in IC CAE Program School-funded curricula and programs are encouraged to work towards becoming IC CAE Scholars, a status obtained by achieving certain milestones and defined in the Key References, Appendix B. This association propels the students toward becoming part of an IC talent pool of choice. Becoming a scholar also recognizes students exceptional intellect, academic achievements, and dedication to knowledge pursuit. The IC CAE Program Office at ODNI (IC CAE PO) encourages applications that showcase innovative ideas for establishing enduring curriculum, partnerships, and programs in areas of interest to the IC and national security. The IC CAE PO has found the most successful recipients are those guided by personnel with knowledge of and experience in the IC; however, this is not a requirement. Further findings show that school programs are enhanced by partnerships with and outreach to IC installations (offices, bases, or other concentrations of personnel) and private industry in their regions supporting intelligence/national security work. This allows additional resources to provide Subject Matter Expert speakers, internship opportunities, and other interactions with intelligence professionals. Applicants for this grant are encouraged to obtain and become familiar with the information on the IC CAE Program by accessing the ODNI website at: https://www.odni.gov/iccae.