CLS FY 25 NOFO.pdf

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2025 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement Funding Opportunity Number: SFOP0010328 Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) Number: 19.009 Deadline for Applications: June 3, 2024

Executive Summary: The U.S. Study Abroad Branch (ECA/A/S/Q) in the Office of Global Educational Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. Department of State, is pleased to announce an open competition for proposals to administer the FY 2025 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program. The CLS Program is a component of the U.S.

Department of State’s effort to increase the number of Americans who learn critical foreign languages in support of the U.S. foreign policy goals of bolstering national security; promoting U.S. competitiveness and economic prosperity; and building mutual understanding with critical regions of the world. The CLS Program started in 2006 as part of the interagency National Security Language Initiative. The award will fund approximately 522 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical languages through intensive overseas language institutes organized on behalf of ECA, in countries and locations where the target languages are widely spoken and through virtual programming. The award supports programming for all CLS alumni since the program’s inception in 2006.

Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A.1. Authority Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright- Hays Act. 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." The funding authority for the program above is provided through legislation.

A.2. Purpose The CLS Program is designed to increase the number of Americans who learn critical foreign languages in support of the U.S. foreign policy goals of increasing national security and promoting economic competitiveness. Global competencies for Americans, especially foreign language skills, are essential in engaging and understanding foreign societies, governments and peoples, especially in critical world regions, in order to promote cooperation, solve complex multi-national issues, and advance American interests. The ability of Americans to succeed individually and collectively in a global economy is enhanced through their understanding of critical languages and cultures across the globe. The CLS Program accelerates and advances participants’ language skills through in-person overseas immersive institutes and CLS virtual programming which provide participants with a combination of structured classroom language instruction and less formal interactive and applied learning opportunities. For additional information, please visit https://exchanges.state.gov/us/cls.

Goals of the CLS Program:

• To develop a diverse cadre of Americans with advanced linguistic skills and related cultural understanding who are able to advance international dialogue, bolster national security, contribute to U.S. economic prosperity, and build mutual understanding; and

• To improve the ability of Americans to engage with the people of other countries in the language of the host country.

In order to achieve these goals, ECA plans to support programs for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to gain and improve foreign language proficiency and related cultural competency skills in critical languages.

Expected Program Outcomes:

1) Participants will demonstrate an increase in language proficiency (oral comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing), as verified through a standardized language assessment tool for oral proficiency.

2) Participants will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the host country’s society, institutions, and culture.

3) Participants will share American culture with their overseas peers and members of the host community.

4) Alumni will continue their language learning, apply their linguistic skills in their academic, career, and volunteer activities, and/or participate in other exchanges and educational activities to further their language learning and application.

https://exchanges.state.gov/us/cls

5) Alumni will share their CLS experiences with others in their home educational institutions and communities.

A.3. Program Specific Guidelines The CLS Program is a component of the U.S. Department of State’s effort to increase the number of Americans who learn critical foreign languages in support of the U.S. foreign policy goals of bolstering national security; promoting U.S. competitiveness and economic prosperity;

and building mutual understanding with critical regions of the world.

The award will fund approximately 522 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical languages through intensive overseas language institutes and virtual programming.

Approximately 402 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students will study a critical language during the summer of 2025 at CLS institutes located in countries and locations where the target languages are widely spoken. Anticipated languages for this component include Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. Approximately 120 U.S. undergraduate students will study a critical language during the summer of 2025 virtually through a CLS host institute/partner located outside of the United States. Anticipated languages for CLS virtual institutes include Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, and Russian. The award supports programming for all

CLS alumni since the program’s inception in 2006, which is approximately 8,500 alumni to date.

All languages and corresponding language levels, institute partners, and locations shall be approved by ECA annually. ECA reserves the right to change, expand, or eliminate eligible countries, locations, languages, CLS institutes, total number of proposed participants or by language or component, and/or other elements of the program’s design for CLS institutes and virtual programs, including new and/or revised elements to respond to current foreign policy priorities as determined by ECA. ECA reserves the right due to unforeseen circumstances to transition overseas CLS institutes to virtual programming, if needed to ensure the health and safety of the participants, the integrity of the program, or for other reasons.

U.S. public and private non-profit organizations, including U.S. higher educational institutions, or consortia of such organizations, meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3), may submit proposals to cooperate with ECA in the administration and implementation of the CLS Program, according to the guidance provided in this solicitation.

U.S. applicant organizations or consortia must exhibit the necessary expertise and capacity to implement the program either through their own offices or partner institutions. Organizations may demonstrate their direct expertise, or they may partner with other organizations to best respond to the requirements outlined in this solicitation. Organizations should clearly outline all duties and responsibilities of any partner or implementing organization(s). Consortia submitting proposals must designate a lead organization (primary recipient) to receive the award. The lead organization must submit a signed and dated consortium agreement (or letter of intent) with the proposal.

Pending the availability of FY 2025 funds, it is anticipated that the total amount of funding available for the administrative components and the implementation of the CLS Program will be $8,990,000.

Applicants may submit a proposal to conduct the following:

Administrative Components and Implementation of Overseas Institutes and Virtual Program Maximum Funding: $8,990,000, pending the availability of FY 2025 funds.

Submit one proposal to implement the following:

a) Administrative components including: recruitment, outreach and program promotion of the CLS Program; application, selection, and notification of all CLS participants; and programming and tracking for all CLS alumni.

b) Implementation of overseas CLS institutes and CLS virtual programing for approximately 522 participants as described in this solicitation. Applicants are encouraged to maximize the number of proposed participants supported under this award.

Organizations or consortia applying for this award must demonstrate their capacity for the following areas: (1) provision of foreign language instructional programs for U.S. college and university students; (2) successful implementation of overseas and virtual language immersion programs, including cultural enrichment activities; (3) experience in conducting programs in the proposed host country or countries, or equivalent experience, and (4) capacity to effectively administer a national open merit-based competition.

Applicants may submit only one proposal under this competition. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

1. ADMINISTRATIVE COMPONENTS

The award recipient will be responsible for managing the administrative components of the CLS Program comprising the following key areas of responsibility: Recruitment, Outreach, and Program Promotion; Application, Selection, and Notification of Participants; and Alumni Programing and Tracking. The award recipient will also be responsible for program planning and management and financial oversight and reporting as it relates to the award.

a. Recruitment, Outreach, and Program Promotion

Recruitment and Outreach Plan: Propose a comprehensive plan to publicize the CLS Program (overseas institutes and virtual programming) broadly and to recruit a strong pool of qualified candidates from U.S. colleges and universities nationwide that represent the diversity of the United States. The definition of diversity includes, but is not limited to, ethnicity, race, gender, disabilities, socio-economic status, geographic location, and educational institution. The proposal should address and encourage the participation of traditionally underserved audiences and those who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to study language abroad.

The proposal should describe how the CLS Program will be publicized to potential student applicants, to U.S. colleges and universities and other relevant organizations, and to the general public. The proposed recruitment and outreach plan should include print and online promotional materials; mail and email notifications; a social media plan; and outreach to CLS campus advisors; and should consider in-person and/or virtual campus visits and presentations;

conference participation (presentations and exhibits); and other in-person or online recruitment activities. The recruitment plan will be subject to ongoing coordination and approval by ECA. ECA may request that the award recipient collaborate with other ECA-sponsored programs on some outreach activities, which may include but are not limited to, conference participation and campus visits.

Print and Electronic Materials: Ensure that all print and electronic materials (online application, websites, digital resources, brochures, press releases, announcements, etc.)

developed for promotional purposes and related to the program comply with ECA’s Communications Guidance. The award recipient must ensure that ECA and the U.S.

Department of State are prominently identified as the program sponsor in all publicity and other scholarship program materials. All recruitment materials must prioritize the U.S.

Department of State and the CLS Program branding identities, which should predominate in the materials. The award recipient must use the U.S. Department of State seal, the U.S. flag, and the CLS logo on all materials related to the program as delineated in ECA’s Communications Guidance, but should the guidance change, the award recipient must comply with relevant and current guidance. All CLS-related print and electronic materials must be submitted to ECA for approval in advance of publication and distribution. ECA retains copyright use of materials and will determine how and where to distribute materials related to this program.

Publicity: On a regular and timely basis, provide ECA with innovative ideas on how to publicize the CLS Program, which may include, but is not limited to, participant and alumni highlights, photos, videos, and press coverage. Work closely with ECA to publicize the achievements of

CLS participants. Inform ECA of any publicity that highlights the CLS Program or CLS participants, or otherwise strengthens outreach efforts, particularly those that involve government officials and the media. When the media interacts with CLS participants or alumni, the award recipient should make every effort to identify CLS as a U.S. Department of State-https://eca.state.gov/comms-guidance https://eca.state.gov/comms-guidance sponsored program, unless otherwise advised by ECA or the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of a

U.S. Embassy/Consulate.

CLS Digital Presence: Develop and maintain a dedicated and dynamic CLS Program website that is mobile responsive. The CLS website should include comprehensive information about the CLS Program, including information on the CLS overseas institutes and virtual programming;

application information and frequently asked questions; lists of past CLS participants by institution, unless a participant elects to opt out; resources for CLS campus advisors; program highlights; impact stories and data; and alumni resources.

Maintain an active and engaging presence on social media accounts for recruitment, program promotion, and sharing program impacts. Provide ECA with analytics for all CLS digital properties and full administrative access to the CLS digital properties, including usernames and passwords. Work closely with ECA to highlight and amplify program impacts and outcomes on social media.

CLS Campus Advisors: Engage with faculty and staff at colleges and universities across the United States for the recruitment and advising of CLS applicants. Maintain and develop a diverse network of CLS campus advisors. Devise an online mechanism for sharing the names of CLS applicants with the appropriate campus advisor(s) at key points in the application and selection process, including, but not limited to, when an application is started. The list of CLS campus advisors should be made available to ECA staff upon request and posted on the public CLS Program website to enable students to locate their campus advisors. When registering to serve as a CLS campus advisor, individuals should be permitted to opt out of being listed on the public website. Provide online resources and toolkits to CLS advisors to support CLS applicants and alumni. Engage the CLS advisor network in training activities and contribute ideas for activities (virtual or in-person) that support and develop the CLS campus advisor network.

Proposals that describe innovative ideas for campus engagement, particularly in the development of a robust and diverse CLS campus advisor corps, are encouraged.

b. Application, Selection, and Notification

Application: Establish, maintain, and update an application for the entire CLS Program (overseas institutes and virtual programs) and an online application system to collect, store, and process data in support of program application and selection cycles. An alternate paper-based application should also be provided for candidates unable to apply online. These paper-based applications, however, must be entered into the online system by the award recipient’s program staff. Respond to and manage all general inquiries and application questions. Record and track all inquiries related to problems or issues with any part of the application process.

Eligibility Criteria: Ensure that the following minimum criteria are used to recruit CLS applicants: U.S. citizenship; 18 years of age prior to the start of their program or scholarship

(the award recipient may select a cut-off date in consultation with ECA); enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate's, bachelor's) or graduate (master's, doctoral, professional degree) level at the time of application; and completed at least one year academic year of study prior to participating in the CLS Program.

ECA reserves the right to amend the eligibility requirements and will provide additional eligibility requirements to the recipient organization.

Review and Selection: Conduct a nationwide merit-based competition for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with clearly defined criteria and a formal selection process. ECA will approve the overall selection plan and specific selection criteria. A general statement about the selection criteria should be included in the promotional materials.

At a minimum, successful applications should demonstrate the following:

• Professional and academic goals linked to the study of the language and/or the region in which it is spoken;

• Strong motivation to learn the target language and a plan to continue study of the target language;

• Contribution to CLS goals of increasing and diversifying the number of Americans who study and speak critical languages in order to develop mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries;

• Language skills of the appropriate level for the target language, as detailed in this solicitation;

• Evidence of ability to succeed in an intensive group-based language study program and personal qualities associated with successful cohort-based exchange participants, such as flexibility, adaptability, resilience, open-mindedness, and respect for other peoples and culture; and

• Articulate barriers they have encountered to study a critical language and how participation in the CLS Program will help them overcome those barriers (virtual programming only).

Selected students should represent diversity of institutional type and fields of study, a balance between genders, and a balance between undergraduate and graduate students, to the extent possible. Special attention should be paid to ensure geographic diversity and, to the extent possible, that selected participants represent all U.S. states and territories. All other factors being equal, preference should be given to candidates who have not had extensive recent experience abroad. Duty abroad in the Armed Forces of the United States is not considered experience abroad for the purposes of this program. All other factors being equal, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces must be given preference in selection, and this preference takes precedence over all other preferences.

The award recipient must plan and submit to ECA for approval a transparent, merit-based selection process with clearly identified criteria and a scoring matrix for assessing the CLS applications. Applications must also be designed to elicit information for CLS applicants that are relevant to the selection process. Suggested revisions and additions to these preferences may be made in consultation with ECA.

Selection Panels: The award recipient should convene selection panels to review applications and rank the candidates for final approval by ECA. All selection panels should be conducted virtually. Selection panels should include representatives of a variety of types and locations of U.S. educational institutions. Panelists should include staff and faculty associated with study abroad, fellowships, and regional or language studies, and may be selected from the ranks of CLS campus advisors or may be new to the CLS Program. The partner should ensure that panelist are not reviewing candidates from their own organization during the selection panel process.

U.S. Department of State Approval: Present the final recommended participants and alternates to ECA for approval, providing an overall analysis of the results of the selection panels, including the number of participants by language, host country, home state, institution type, level of study (undergraduate or graduate) and other categories as requested by ECA.

Applicant Notification: Notify CLS applicants of their selection status using ECA-approved notification letters. Applicants for the CLS summer institutes should be notified in time to secure necessary visas before summer overseas programs begin. Manage the acceptance process, advancing alternates to replace declinations on a timely basis and with ECA approval.

Additional deliverables and requirements related to the application, selection, and notification process include, but are not limited to, the items listed below:

• Conduct a technical review of applications for eligibility and completeness.

• Develop and implement best practices and training for program staff who work on the proposed selection process. These best practices and trainings should aim to ensure consistency and standardization, including but not limited to, through explanatory language, materials, and/or presentations.

• Develop a mechanism to evaluate the application and selection process and share analyses, results, and any suggested changes to recruitment and selection with ECA.

c. Alumni Programming and Tracking

Alumni Programming Plan: Propose innovative ideas for in-person and/or virtual alumni follow-on activities and programming for CLS alumni of all program years. Alumni activities and programming should aim to connect alumni to one another, build a CLS alumni identity, and reinforce the knowledge and skills alumni acquired on the CLS Program. Alumni activities and programming may also support alumni in applying their language skills and other skills gained on the CLS program to future careers. Applicants should include a virtual or in/person alumni activity that highlights one or more U.S. foreign policy and/or national security goals. The proposed plan should also facilitate the involvement of CLS alumni in supporting the current and future program through recruitment, publicity, and outreach. Alumni programming and activities will be subject to ongoing coordination and approval by ECA.

Re-entry orientation: Develop a plan for conducting virtual re-entry orientation session(s) for recent CLS alumni. Re-entry orientation session(s) should include connecting the CLS experience to career goals; opportunities for further language learning; building alumni networks; sharing the CLS experience; non-competitive eligibility for federal employment;

internships and careers that utilize language skills and promoting the CLS Program and U.S.

study abroad programs. Develop and update annually an online resource document that covers topics from the re-entry orientation and ensure that it is available to all CLS alumni.

Certificates: Provide CLS alumni who have successfully completed the program and all requirements with appropriate certificates for program completion, language proficiency test results, and non-competitive eligibility for federal employment conferred by Executive Order 13750.

CLS Alumni Ambassadors: Conduct an annual competition among recent CLS alumni to select CLS Alumni Ambassadors. Provide training and support for Alumni Ambassadors to assist in program promotion, outreach, networking, and other proposed activities decided in consultation with ECA.

Tracking Alumni: Create and maintain a database to track alumni from all CLS program years, integrating existing alumni data. Conduct at least one survey of all CLS alumni to help assess long-term program during the three-year award period. All records and data collected, including survey responses and contact information, must be maintained for a minimum of three years and be provided to ECA. Secure and protect all Personally Identifiable Information

(PII). The FY 2025 award recipient should be prepared to work with ECA and the current award recipient on building an alumni database.

CLS Alumni Directory: Maintain a CLS Alumni Directory on the public CLS Program website.

The public database should be searchable and include the name of the participant, year of study, language of study, study abroad destination, education level (undergraduate or graduate student) and their U.S. college or university. CLS participants should have the option to “opt out” of the public database on their application. The FY 2025 award recipient should be prepared to work with ECA and the current award recipient on transferring alumni data.

Digital Badging: Manage CLS alumni digital badging. The FY 2025 award recipient should be prepared to work with ECA and the current award recipient on transferring digital badging account information.

International Exchange Alumni Engagement: Encourage alumni to register on the U.S.

Department of State’s International Exchange Alumni website (https://alumni.state.gov/); and submit participant and/or alumni data to allow for direct messaging from ECA regarding bureau-wide alumni opportunities. Facilitate interactions and cooperation between CLS alumni and alumni of other U.S. Department of State-sponsored programs. Encourage linkages to other federally sponsored language programs to share resources, pursue common goals, and inspire CLS alumni to pursue language mastery.

Non-Competitive Eligibility: Maintain close coordination with ECA on operationalizing Executive Order 13750, which grants alumni of the CLS Program Non-Competitive Eligibility (NCE) for federal hiring, including issuance of ECA-provided certificates to all program alumni who have successfully completed their program. Ensure that applicants, participants, and alumni are aware of the benefits of NCE. Periodically share NCE job opportunities provided by the Department of State and/or other USG entities with CLS alumni.

2. IMPLEMENTATION OF OVERSEAS INSTITUTES

In FY 2025, the CLS Program anticipates supporting approximately 402 students at CLS overseas institutes located outside the United States. CLS overseas institutes provide intensive language instruction in a classroom setting, as well as immersion in the cultural, social, and educational life of the host country/location for eight to ten weeks over the summer. In addition, CLS overseas institutes should provide participants with extra interventions to ensure maximum language acquisition and a greater understanding of the culture of the host location during the duration of the program. These interventions include living-learning housing, language partners, cultural and thematic programming, and a language policy.

ECA anticipates that award recipient will identify qualified overseas partner organizations as sub-recipients to directly implement most or all of the overseas language institutes. The applicant may propose to directly implement some institutes or specific components of one or more language institutes. The applicant must work with proposed overseas implementing organizations to design, plan, and implement CLS institutes focused on language acquisition and cultural immersion. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all CLS overseas institutes maintain program standards and meet all program requirements.

For FY 2025, CLS anticipates supporting the following regions and participants per languages for CLS overseas institutes. Applicants are encouraged to maximize the number of proposed participants supported under this award:

Near East and North Africa Region – Arabic Institutes https://alumni.state.gov/

Arabic Language Institute(s):

• Participants: Approximately 60 participants.

• Language Levels: Advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for countries/locations in North Africa, the Middle East, or the Gulf region, with the exception of Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Yemen.

Note: Classroom instruction should emphasize Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and dialect and should approach Arabic as a continuum in which certain situations require MSA while others require dialect.

East Asia and Pacific Region – Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Japanese, and Korean Institutes

Chinese (Mandarin) Language Institute(s)

• Participants: Approximately 75 participants.

• Language Levels: Advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Singapore.

Note: Chinese instruction should be in Mandarin only. Teaching materials used in the program should be available in both simplified and traditional character versions. The Hanyu Pinyin Romanization system should be used.

Indonesian Language Institute:

• Participants: Approximately 20 participants.

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Indonesia.

Japanese Language Institute:

• Participants: Approximately 25 participants.

• Language Levels: Intermediate and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Japan, in locations other than Tokyo.

Korean Language Institute(s):

• Participants: Approximately 50 participants.

• Language Levels: Advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for South Korea, in locations other than Seoul.

Europe and Eurasia Region – Russian and Turkish Institutes

Russian Language Institute(s):

• Participants: Approximately 40 participants.

• Language Levels: Advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Central Asia, the Caucuses, the Baltic States, or Moldova. Programs should not be proposed for Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Turkish Language Institute:

• Participants: Approximately 24 participants.

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Turkey.

South Central Asia Region – Indic and Persian Institutes

Indic Language Institute(s) – Hindi and Urdu

• Participants: Approximately 38 participants with the following approximate distribution: Hindi – 24 participants; Urdu – 14 participants

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for India, in locations other than New Delhi and Mumbai.

Persian Language Institute

• Participants: Approximately 22 participants

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Tajikistan or another country outside of Iran where Persian is commonly spoken.

Note: Classroom instruction should emphasize Farsi, with some class time devoted to Tajik or other local dialect, particularly at the beginning of the program.

Sub-Saharan Africa Region – Swahili Institute

Swahili Language Institute:

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Kenya and Tanzania.

Western Hemisphere Region – Portuguese Institute

Portuguese Language Institute:

• Language Levels: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Locations: Programs may be proposed for Brazil.

ECA will select – and reserves the right to make changes to – eligible countries, locations, languages, number of proposed participants by language, program components, or other elements of the program design or implementation, considering any Department of State Travel Advisories and other relevant safety and security concerns, the availability of funding, or other factors determined by ECA. ECA reserves the right to transition one or more overseas institutes to virtual programming if needed to ensure the health and safety of the participants, the integrity of the program, or for other reasons. As part of emergency planning, all applicants must present a plan for transitioning some or all of the proposed CLS language institutes to a virtual format, if deemed necessary by ECA. The final slate of all institute locations and partners is subject to approval by ECA.

a. Overseas Institute Program Design:

Unless otherwise directed by ECA, the overseas CLS Institutes’ duration, dates, and size shall be as follows:

• Duration: Each proposed institute should be eight – ten weeks in country, not including the pre-program orientation.

• Dates: Institutes should take place during summer 2025 (late May to mid- August).

• Size: The number of participants proposed per overseas institute must consider the capability of each proposed institute to provide a quality academic program, housing, and support to participants in all aspects of the program, specifically with any safety or health issues that may arise. Each institute should host a maximum of 30 participants, unless otherwise approved by ECA.

Each institute must provide multiple levels of language instruction as described in this solicitation. Language levels offered at an institute may be adjusted with ECA approval.

The applicant must integrate the following components into program design at each overseas CLS institute. All costs for these elements will be covered from the award.

Language Instruction: Formal classroom language instruction should be no less than a total of 15 hours per week. A regular schedule of three to four hours of classroom instruction in the mornings throughout the week is encouraged. Class size should be approximately five to eight students. ECA approval is required for regular classes of more than 10 students. While conversational language instruction will be necessary to help students function in their immersion setting, classes should also provide instruction in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, as well as speaking, listening, reading, and writing, including non-Roman alphabets. Plans should indicate flexibility and responsiveness for accommodating a variety of learning levels. Language instruction should be designed to maximize language gains and aim to advance students roughly one to two sub-levels on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale by the end of the program. Applicants should plan to cover the costs of required instructional material for participants.

Cultural and Thematic Programming: Propose cultural enrichment activities to enhance the participants' understanding of the host country's/location’s culture, history, environment, diversity, social systems, and current events at each overseas institute. All cultural enrichment activities should incorporate a language-learning element. Applicants are encouraged to integrate relevant current events, historical information, and other regionally or culturally relevant subject matter into the language course curricula. Applicants should also propose a foreign policy theme to be integrated into the overall program design for each institute.

Foreign policy themes can be explored in a number of ways, including but not limited to, through course content, extracurricular programming, and excursions. General State Department foreign policy themes can be located here - Policy Issues - United States Department of State. The foreign policy theme should be relevant to the location of the overseas institute and may be broadened beyond the list of policy issues provided on the State Department website. ECA will approve all foreign policy themes.

Community Engagement: Propose innovative ideas for participants to use their language skills in both structured activities and unstructured, independent activities while engaging with the host community in a safe and meaningful manner.

Language Partners: Pair participants with local peers to practice language outside of the classroom and to connect them to the local culture and community. Participants should meet with their language partners at least weekly.

Living Learning Housing: Arrange for housing for the duration of the institute, preferably with a host family and/or native language roommates to maximize participants’ exposure to host location language and culture. Develop a process for identifying and screening host families for suitability, including whenever possible and culturally appropriate, reference and background checks. Provide host families with a substantive orientation and maintain regular contact with host families throughout the institute to answer questions and address concerns. Host families must have adequate financial resources to undertake hosting obligations and may receive a reasonable reimbursement to cover the costs associated with hosting a student, but not to serve as a financial incentive.

Ensure that non-host family housing arrangements, such as dormitories or group housing, provide safe and appropriate living accommodations. All accommodations, including host family homes and group housing, must have smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and appropriate emergency exits. The cost of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and/or other safety-related items may be included in the program budget.

https://www.state.gov/policy-issues/ https://www.state.gov/policy-issues/

Language Policy: To promote maximum language learning, establish and enforce particular times and/or settings in which participants are required to speak only the target language.

Language Assessment: Develop an assessment plan to ensure the appropriate levels of instruction at the start of and during the program. Make explicit accommodation for learners of varying skill levels. Provide plans for supporting participants who do not perform at the level at which they tested and are placed.

Orientations: Provide participants with the following orientations in country/location:

Arrival: Provide a substantive orientation for participants on arrival in the host country; request a security briefing by the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Officer (RSO) or other U.S. Embassy official and a briefing from the PDS, which may include an overview of State Department careers.

Closing: Provide an on-site closing orientation to prepare participants for their return to the United States. Closing orientations should include a discussion of the following topics: required post-program language testing; post-program evaluation; tips for cultural re-entry; and discussing the CLS experience upon return to the United States.

Meals: Arrange for the provision of three meals per day for all participants for the duration of the program. It is expected that the majority of meals will be provided by host families, educational institutions, and/or arranged as group meals with other students. Participant stipends should cover the costs of additional meals as needed.

Stipends: Provide a stipend to participants to cover reasonable costs for incidentals during the program. The stipend may also include funds to reimburse participants for required program benefits, such as meals, transportation, and/or housing on program and incidentals that may occur during travel to and from the program site. All participants in a particular institute or country should receive the same stipend, unless otherwise authorized by ECA. The CLS Program may cover incidentals in addition to the stipend, such as medical expenses, in cases of unusual hardship, as determined by the award recipient and approved by ECA

Emergency Contact Information and Access: Supply each participant with a cell phone or SIM card with in-country calling capability and the means to communicate with a local representative in an emergency. Provide participants with emergency contact cards and ensure that participants have access to emergency contact information for the institute staff, the award recipient, and the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate prior to international departure.

U.S. Embassy/Consulate Coordination: Establish a working relationship with the PDS of the relevant U.S. Embassy/Consulate for each institute. ECA will assist in facilitating initial communication between PDS and CLS institute staff. ECA encourages PDS staff to engage with CLS participants on program. To that end, institutes should invite PDS participation in CLS events, and respond to requests or invitations from PDS, as appropriate. If the political situation in any country results in the need for the U.S. Embassy/Consulate to assume more responsibility, the award recipient and institute staff should work with the Embassy/Consulate as appropriate.

Staffing: Identify an Institute Director for each overseas language institute. Ensure that all institutes are appropriately staffed and have the physical space (i.e., classrooms, common areas) to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality language immersion program and provide adequate support and guidance to participants.

Assign and train a Resident Director, preferably a U.S. citizen, who speaks both English and the target language to each institute. The Resident Director serves as the primary on-site resource and support for participants regarding academic, social, and/or personal issues on program.

b. Participant Monitoring and Support

Participant well-being is a top priority of the U.S. Department of State. The applicant must propose a plan for monitoring participants’ safety and welfare while on program. Staff from the award recipient should be available throughout the duration of the program to help ensure health, safety, and emotional well-being of participants and deal effectively with misunderstandings, adjustment issues, and emergencies. Staff roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined and explained to participants. The award recipient must provide guidance and training to overseas staff on handling student support issues. Each institute must have a trained, English-speaking Resident Director whose primary responsibility is participant support.

The award recipient must ensure that all staff who have regular contact with participants have undergone a reasonable level of screening for suitability and adhere to professional standards of conduct, including standards on sexual harassment and abuse.

The award recipient must ensure that all participants abide by U.S. and local laws; the CLS Terms and Conditions; and other program standards and requirements. Develop disciplinary procedures that include ECA approval for termination and dismissal from program. Convey serious issues and concerns to ECA in a timely fashion. Inform ECA immediately of any requests from participants to voluntarily leave the program.

The award recipient must immediately report to ECA any incident or allegation involving the actual or alleged sexual exploitation, harassment, or abuse of any kind experienced by a CLS participant that has been reported to CLS Program or institute staff. Inform ECA promptly of any behavior, incident, or serious problem that could result in a request for program dismissal or that could be expected to bring the Department of State or the exchange program into notoriety or disrepute.

In addition, in order to ensure participant safety and well-being, applicants must provide a comprehensive plan to address emergencies that may occur before or during the program that may impact individual participants or the entire group. The plan must clearly identify lines of responsibility and communication with ECA, sub-recipients, institute staff, participants, and appropriate U.S. Embassies or Consulates.

Applicants must also develop a plan to implement some or all of the language institutes virtually if deemed necessary by ECA. Virtual programming should include language instruction, language partner activities, cultural enrichment activities, pre- and post-program language assessment, program evaluation and outcome tracking, and participant support mechanisms.

c. Pre-Program Responsibilities and Requirements

The award recipient will be responsible for the following pre-program responsibilities and requirements for the implementation of the CLS overseas institutes:

Institute Placement: Assign participants to overseas institutes based on language level, overseas experience, and other relevant criteria to ensure that each participant is placed into an appropriate program to the extent possible. The proposal should address how the participants’ language skills will be assessed for placement purposes, and on what basis program assignments will be made.

Health Information and Accommodations: Propose a process to collect health history information for finalists and alternates to help ensure participants’ health and safety on the program. Work with ECA and institute staff to make reasonable accommodations for participants as needed. Protect all PII.

Terms and Conditions: In consultation with ECA, develop CLS Terms and Conditions for the overseas institutes. The key conditions, benefits, and terms of the program should be fully described to candidates before they accept the award. Ensure that all participants agree to the CLS Terms and Conditions, as well as other forms and documents as required by ECA.

Passport Assistance: Develop a process to provide participants without a passport and demonstrated financial need with funding to acquire a passport. Plan must outline how financial need will be determined.

Standardized Language Assessment: In consultation with ECA, identify and use a standardized language assessment tool to evaluate the baseline (pre-program) and post-program oral proficiency language skills of all CLS participants in the overseas institutes. After the completion of the post-program assessments, provide ECA with the assessment results, including analyses by language and institute.

Pre-Program Orientation: Organize substantive pre-program orientations for all participants, including information on program policies, guidelines on health and safety, tips for success on program, country/location and site-specific information, alumni benefits, and an overview of non-competitive eligibility. Applicants may propose to hold a one-day in-person orientation in the United States, to hold all pre-program orientation activities virtually, or a combination of in-person and virtual. Key components of the orientation must be covered regardless of format.

Comprehensive information packets should be provided, preferably online, well in advance of the start of the program. Key sections of the Terms and Conditions should be reviewed in the pre-program orientation.

Travel: Arrange round-trip domestic travel between the participant's city of residence, to the pre-departure orientation (if held in-person), and to the CLS overseas institute location, including arranging for transport to and from the airport to the institute location while in country/on location. U.S. based incidentals associated with travel such as transportation to and from the airport, baggage fees, and meals while travelling should also be covered and may be covered in the stipend. Ensure that all travel arrangements are in accordance with the Fly America Act. Provide dates of international and domestic travel to ECA in advance of travel.

Make arrangements and pay costs for obtaining all necessary visas, including transit visas.

STEP Registration: Provide information to all participants about the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at https://step.state.gov/step/ and ensure that all participants are registered in STEP prior to the start of the program.

Health Benefits: Enroll participants in ECA's Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) health benefits program and facilitate claims as necessary. Participants may be enrolled in ECA's ASPE with no charge to the grant or other health benefits program as directed. Please refer to https://www.sevencorners.com/gov/usdos for more information on coverage.

Communication: Communicate with participants in a timely fashion in advance of departure to provide them with program information, language preparation materials, flight details, and accommodations information. Communicate with participants to address any concerns or questions during the program.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING

The award recipient will be responsible for implementing CLS virtual programming. In FY 2025, the CLS program anticipates supporting approximately 120 students for CLS virtual programming, which provides U.S. undergraduate students who may not have access to study a critical language on their home campus -- or have demonstrated barriers that preclude them https://step.state.gov/step/ https://www.sevencorners.com/gov/usdos from doing so -- an opportunity to study a critical language virtually. CLS virtual programming should provide intensive live group instruction, cultural activities, monthly professional development workshops, and inclusive support for eight to ten weeks over the summer.

ECA anticipates that the award recipient will identify qualified overseas partner organizations to directly implement the academic components of CLS virtual programming. The applicant may propose to directly implement some virtual programs or specific components of one or more virtual programs if they have capacity in a country/location where the target language is widely spoken.