Grants for Public and State controlled institutions of higher education - Community Development

This grant provides funding to colleges and nonprofit organizations to implement strategies that improve student success, reduce completion times, and close equity gaps in education.

This grant provides financial support to community and tribal colleges in Michigan to enhance college enrollment and success for adult learners through collaborative partnerships and navigator programs.

This funding opportunity supports colleges and nonprofit organizations in implementing effective strategies to improve student success, reduce time to graduation, and close equity gaps.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Michigan's colleges and nonprofit organizations to help remove barriers for students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, by covering essential expenses like childcare, transportation, and textbooks.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to postsecondary institutions in Michigan to develop systems and partnerships that help remove barriers for low-income students and those facing poverty, enabling them to complete their education.

This funding opportunity supports regional initiatives in Michigan aimed at increasing college enrollment for adults and improving access to postsecondary education through community collaboration.

This grant provides funding to colleges and nonprofit organizations to enhance successful educational programs that help students complete their degrees faster, stay enrolled, and close achievement gaps.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to educational institutions and nonprofit partners in Michigan to assess and improve their strategies for enhancing student experiences and success.

The U.S. Embassy LIBREVILLE of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to support the persons with disabilities in Gabon to participate in the 2025 presidential elections and participate actively in educational settings. Disability rights is a nascent aspect of Gabonese civil society; this project will encourage inclusivity in Gabonese society, improve the participation of marginalized communities in the electoral process, and promote open dialogue between governmental actors and persons with disabilities. Currently, there is very limited public funding for accessibility projects and public advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities. Limited opportunities exist for persons with disabilities in Gabon. Most struggle to access basic education or gainful employment due to discrimination, lack of access, or lack of targeted outreach. Project activities aim to increase participation of persons with disabilities in the next national elections (expected August 2025), as well as create a cohort of Gabonese able to carry on this work in the future. Proposed project activities will include training on advocacy best practices, coordinating meetings with government officials to propose building code changes and equal access laws, advocating for changes to pensions for persons with disabilities, and developing language requiring government buildings to be accessible to persons with physical disabilities. Other projects will focus on training educators, legislators, and government officials on inclusive habits in classroom, business, and government environments. Participants and Audiences: Persons with disabilities, including women, youth, LGBTQI+ persons, and other intersecting identities. Educators, legislators, human rights advocates, and other members of civil society.

The U.S. Embassy Libreville of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to support Gabonese communities through modest grants that would positively impact communities. Program Objectives: Self-Help projects must foster community self-reliance. Self-Help activities must have community participation and contribution -- volunteer time and labor, donated land, equipment and materials -- and the U.S. contribution must be on a one-time basis only. Self-Help activities should have a significant impact, benefiting the greatest number of people possible. Projects that directly benefit a limited number of people are discouraged. Self-Help activities must help improve basic economic or social conditions at the local community or village level; Self-Help projects must also be viable and sustainable in terms of finance, personnel support (i.e. teachers for schoolrooms), and necessary expertise and services. Self-Help projects must also respect environmental norms for small projects. Self-Help activities must fall within the ability of the local community to implement. Activities that are too complex should be avoided.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Alumni Roadshow. The Alumni Roadshow will bring 15 select Young Pacific Leader alumni from the Pacific to the United States to participate in leadership and professional development activities under the themes of education, environment and resource management, civic engagement, social and economic development, regional security and geopolitics, cultural preservation and traditional knowledge, and health. The Alumni Roadshow will market the Young Pacific Leaders program to raise awareness of the program and garner support and buy-in for Young Pacific Leader initiatives. The U.S.-based exchange component will be 3-5 weeks in duration and consist of 1) Young Pacific Leaders representing the Partners in the Blue Pacific discussion and United Nations General Assembly in September 2024 2) Site visits and meetings with key U.S. organizations (government, private sector, and civil society) in Washington D.C., New York, and other U.S. states that could potentially partner to support the Young Pacific Leaders program and Pacific projects.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to implement the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) to promote womens social and economic empowerment, pending the availability of funds. The cohort should take place sometime between 2025-2026. Each AWE cohort should include about 30 women meeting either online or in person. AWE cohorts may take place in any, all, or the following select countries: New Zealand, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia. About the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs By ensuring that women have the skills, capabilities, and resources to fully participate in the economy, AWE directly supports the U.S. National Strategy on Gender, Equity, and Equality. AWE was established in 2019 to provide women with the knowledge, networks and access to launch or scale successful businesses. Cohorts of approximately 30 women meet online and in-person to learn core business skills such as strategic planning, marketing and finance, then discuss the material with local facilitators, business leaders, and U.S. exchange alumni mentors. Through its partnership with Arizona State Universitys Thunderbird School for Global Management and the Freeport-McMoran Foundation, AWE utilizes a no-cost, online learning platform. Used by AWE since 2019, DreamBuilder teaches participants the fundamentals of starting or growing a small business from a U.S. perspective, offering modules on marketing, pricing, and bookkeeping, and includes a built-in business plan generator. It is available only in English and Spanish, though posts may conduct mentoring and facilitation in local languages. This year, implementing partners may also use a new online curriculum, in whole or in part the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative - alongside or instead of DreamBuilder. 100 Million Learners Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Bootcamp may be most suitable to implementing partners who are looking for a more challenging business curriculum, or who wish to provide complementary modules on key topics in entrepreneurship and innovation. 100 Million Learners is currently offered in 20 languages and will add up to 20 more in the future. Proposals to establish new AWE cohorts must use either DreamBuilder or 100 Million Learners for their curriculum.

The U.S. Mission New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce an open competition for organizations interested in submitting proposals to organize a comprehensive small grants program designed to provide emerging Pacific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to become leaders in the regions economic and civic development. As a Pacific nation, the United States has long been committed to working with partners in the region to ensure continued regional security, as well as economic growth and development. This program for young leaders will create ties across the Pacific to ensure that we are better prepared to address challenges together in the future. The State Department has convened a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) small grants program annually since 2018, with training workshops taking place in New Zealand. All these small grants programs shared the goal of building leadership capacity and creating ties among emerging leaders from across the Pacific region (see below for a list of participating countries). This year, the small grants program should bring together a group of emerging leaders, ages 25-40, with the goal of providing them with practical leadership skills and a deeper knowledge of regional issues related to the four pillars of the YPL program: civic engagement, environment/resource management, education, and economic and social development. The small grants program should also help participants work with their peers on issues that affect the region. The small grants program should emphasize experiential learning and capacity building in order to equip participants with the tools they need for success. We encourage pre- and post-small grants programming. The location of the in-person training workshops should be in New Zealand.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference sometime between May-July 2025 to provide emerging Pacific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to become leaders, pending the availability of funding. The Conference should preferably take part in French Polynesia to coincide with the United Nations Ocean Conference being hosted by France in June 2025, but may be hosted in other Pacific locations pending logistics and costs. The State Department has convened a diverse Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference each year since 2013, taking place in American Samoa, Samoa, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Guam. Each conference shared the goal of building leadership capacity and creating ties among emerging leaders from across the Pacific region (see below for a list of participating countries). This year, the conference should bring together a group of emerging leaders, ages 25-40, with the goal of providing them with practical leadership skills and a deeper knowledge of regional issues related to the four pillars of the YPL program: civic engagement, environment/resource management, education, and economic and social development. The conference should also help participants grow their networks and enable them to work with their peers on issues that affect the region. The conference should emphasize experiential learning and capacity building in order to equip diverse participants with the tools they need for success. We encourage pre- and post-conference programming that will reinforce the learnings from the conference.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Regional Workshop on Security sometime between July-October 2025 to provide emerging Pacific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to become leaders in security, pending the availability of funding. The Conference should preferably take part in Vanuatu to coincide with or run alongside the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Conference being hosted by Vanuatu in 2025, but may be hosted in other Pacific locations pending logistics and costs. The proposed workshop will focus on building local capacity within Pacific nations to help participants develop intelligence capability to better inform decision makers, increase ability to manage large events and respond to natural disasters, and enhance investigations capability to address the highest regional crime priorities. Workshop sessions should be designed to introduce and operationalize best practices in this space to elevate Pacific regionalism and promote peace, security, and sovereignty in areas such as maritime, cybersecurity, and health. This workshop will bring together practitioners from all levels of society and administration including government, civil society, and experts to discuss challenges, develop action plans, and leverage opportunities for regional collaboration to foster the implementation of security practices. The workshop will ideally be held in Vanuatu.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Regional Workshop on on Cultural Preservation and Storytelling Advocacy sometime 2025-2026 to provide emerging Pacific leaders with skills, knowledge, and networks to preserve cultural heritage leveraging digital tools and technologies like AI to support these endeavors. The workshop should preferably take part in a Pacific nation in 2025-2026. The proposed workshop will focus on building local capacity within Pacific nations to help participants develop storytelling as a tool for advocacy and a means to preserve cultural heritage leveraging digital tools and technologies like AI to support these endeavors. Workshop sessions should be designed to introduce and operationalize best practices in this space to elevate Pacific cultural heritage and sovereignty. This workshop will bring together practitioners from all levels of society and administration including government, civil society, and experts to discuss challenges, develop action plans, and leverage opportunities for regional collaboration to foster the implementation of security practices.

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Program on Unlocking Funding: a Comprehensive Grants Workshop for Success sometime between 2025-2026 to provide Pacific leaders with skills in writing grant proposals, managing large grants and budgets, developing strategic plans, developing and managing stakeholders and funders, and leveraging private-public partnerships. Target audiences will be individuals working in government, regional Pacific agencies, and businesses as grant writers, budget and resource managers, and stakeholder and partnership relationship managers. This practical skills-based program will connect participants to larger pools of funding like the Green Climate Fund, USAID, and other Partners in the Blue Pacific funding streams. The program should emphasize experiential learning and capacity building in order to equip participants with the tools they need for success.

YSEALI (yseali.state.gov) is the U.S. governments signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. YSEALI is open to young leaders ages 18 to 35 who are both citizens and residents of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes (i.e., Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education and Environmental Issues). The YSEALI Seeds for the Future Program is one of YSEALIs many components and will be entering its 11th year. Since 2015, the program has awarded more than $2,500,000 to emerging leaders across ASEAN through the YSEALI Seeds for the Future grant competition held across Southeast Asia. While working closely with the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and the U.S. Department of States Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office of Public Diplomacy, the recipient shall develop a robust program for the 2025 YSEALI Seeds for the Future with responsibilities as follows: Provide an online site to receive and manage subgrant participant applications, and answer questions from applicants. Provide virtual resources (e.g. webinars) to help applicants prepare. Collaborate with USASEAN to develop scoring criteria. Review and score all applications and provide a shortlist (maximum 40 projects). USASEAN will have substantial involvement in final participant selection. Work together with USASEAN to notify winning teams of approved proposals. Design and execute a two to three-day kick-off workshop in early 2025 at an ASEAN country for the selected participants, taking ownership of all logistics and programming. The goal of this workshop is to bring together all project participants (maximum 3 members per project), train them on subgrant expectations (e.g.budgeting, administration, communication, reporting, work plan, digital storytelling), and allow them to collaborate and improve their work plans. All logistics expenditures and travel costs for participants and trainers must be covered by the overall program budget. (e.g. flights, lodging, per diem, venue). The kick-off workshop should also have a cultural site visit and also include YSEALI swags to give out to the team members. Pair subgrantees with mentors that will help them with their project implementation throughout the program. Distribute funds to winning projects by January 2025 as follows: sixty percent of funding after submitting a detailed timeline and work plan (including marketing strategy for the project); thirty-five percent of funding after submitting a mid-term report (including direct and indirect impact metrics, both qualitative and quantitative); five percent of funding after submitting the final report with detailed project results. Oversee the implementation of projects and monitor subgrants by actively corresponding with the subgrant participants on at least a weekly basis. Collect monthly, mid-term and final reports. Track budget usage. Provide USASEAN with quarterly and final program and financial reporting. The program reports should summarize the progress on the subaward projects, identifying key milestones, successes, and challenges. Include both qualitative and quantitative success metrics to measure the impact of each project on their community. Collect media (photos/videos) and project stories to amplify on YSEALI website and social media through a robust and detailed communication and social media plan. Ensure that all program content and media adhere to the YSEALI and Department of State branding guidelines, including US flag and the YSEALI Seeds logo. Develop a lessons learned for future Seeds programs. The proposal should include workshop follow-on activities such as virtual collaborative work, projects funded through small seed grants, or ongoing mentorship. The follow-on activity should be included in the monitoring and evaluation plan. For example, design virtual engagement opportunities for a minimum once per two months post kickoff workshop for the grantees to keep connected with other participants, an implementing partner, and U.S. Mission to ASEAN as a way for them to connect and learn from each other and help run their projects throughout the year. The proposal should include a pre and post workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participants knowledge of the workshop topic. The concepts of leadership, giving back, and strengthening a Southeast Asian/ASEAN identity based on shared values and shared challenges should be integrated into the program. Workshop speakers/facilitators/mentors should be citizens of the United States, an ASEAN member country, or Timor-Leste. The recipient is expected to develop syllabus materials and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design banners, backdrops, and other printed materials. The recipient is expected to design a digital engagement strategy for workshop participants and social media audiences, including live video or live online engagement during the program. No new website specific to the event should be created or launched. Domain, hosting and build costs will not be covered. Full NOFO is on the U.S. Mission to ASEAN website here.

YSEALI (yseali.state.gov) is the U.S. governments signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. YSEALI is open to young leaders ages 18 to 35 who are both citizens and residents of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes (i.e., Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education and Environmental Issues). The 2025 YSEALI WLA: InnovateHER will advance all of the YSEALI themes and the U.S. Mission to ASEANs strategic goals: Sub-objective 3.2.1. ASEAN recognizes the contribution of women in the economic recovery of the region and strives to promote DEIA principles across its economic community pillar. Sub-objective 3.2.2. The United States creates a program to promote the role of women across ASEAN in contributing to peace and security across the region. The 2025 YSEALI WLA: InnovatHER will be designed for 50 to 60 female participants who have professional experience working in the tech industry. Possible fields include artificial intelligence technology, clean energy, cybersecurity, software development, medical technology research, and tech start-up incubators. The participants, age 20 to 35, must represent all 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and Timor-Leste. The Academy will have pre-workshop virtual activities and an in-person four-day or five-day workshop located in Southeast Asia. The purpose of the pre-workshop and workshop activities will be to: (1) create a network of Southeast Asian women making advances in technology who will design future activities and workshops for women in the YSEALI network; (2) explore how technological advancements, including artificial intelligence, could improve the daily lives of women; (3) discuss political and governmental policies that are affecting womens access to the digital economy and technological advancements; (4) develop general leadership skills, including self-awareness of personal professional strengths. FULL NOFO is on the U.S. Mission to ASEAN website here.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop, organize, and oversee the 2025 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit, pending the availability of funds. The four-day Summit (exclusive of arrival and departure dates) in 2025 will gather over 150 YSEALI exchange program alumni from across ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste. The award recipient is expected to design a youth-focused, high-energy, and dynamic Summit that will provide the next generation of Southeast Asian leaders the opportunity to build networks, discuss ideas, and develop solutions to contemporary challenges. The YSEALI Summit in Malaysia will be conducted in English. The content of the program should touch on each of the four pillars of YSEALI and include leadership, mentorship, and teamwork training. The Summit will enable participants to see how YSEALI members have become leaders in Southeast Asian communities through community service, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and education. The Summit should feature panels and presentations by prior YSEALI participants from each country who have become changemakers in their fields. The Summit should feature sessions giving participants the opportunity to work together to develop possible solutions to current environmental, social, political, and economic challenges in the region. Participants should learn innovative approaches to promote relations among ASEAN countries and with the United States through presentation, case studies and simulations. The Summit will also provide leadership and other soft skills training on topics such as advocacy, negotiation, and personal branding, which are core soft skills YSEALI alumni need to become successful leaders. Participants will also have a chance to join cultural activities, and other site visits that support the Summits theme. The Summit will include a mix of informational sessions, discussions and challenges, and break-out sessions on different topics and group presentations, as well as site and cultural visits.