FY 2025 FLEX Placement NOFO.pdf

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2025 Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program Placement Components Announcement Type: New Cooperative Agreement Funding Opportunity Number: DFOP0016888 Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) Number: 19.415 Deadline for Applications: October 21, 2024

Executive Summary:

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for cooperative agreements for the FY 2025 Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program Placement Components. The FLEX program, which began in 1993, supports U.S. foreign policy goals by promoting mutual understanding and enhancing relations between the United States and the participating European and Eurasian countries, which include the nations of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, the Caucasus countries, the nations of Central Asia, and Mongolia. The FLEX program allows high school students to live in American society for an academic year and acquire leadership skills while attending a U.S. high school. The students live with host families, participate in activities to learn about American society and values, and, in turn, expose host communities across the United States to their own cultures and traditions. To date, more than 32,000 students have participated in the FLEX program.

Public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) are invited to submit proposals to identify host schools;

vet, select, and monitor host families; and place, support, and monitor a portion of the students participating in the FLEX program during the 2025-2026 academic year. ECA anticipates that the cooperative agreements will begin on approximately November 25, 2024, and end on approximately September 30, 2028, subject to the availability of funds and pending successful performance.

This NOFO announcement is for the Placement Components of the FY 2025 FLEX program. The Placement Components are one of two major parts of the FLEX program. The other major part of the FLEX program is the Organizational Components cooperative agreement that is awarded separately. The recipient of the Organizational Components award will be responsible for overseas recruitment and selection of participants; assignment of participants to Placement Organizations (e.g., recipients of the Placement Components awards); preparation of cross-cultural materials for students and Placement Organizations; pre-departure orientations;

international travel from home to U.S. host community and return; facilitation of ongoing communication between the natural parents and the placement organization; support of students with disabilities; administration of language program participants; administering civic education workshops and end-of-stay workshops; maintenance of a student database; and ongoing follow-up with alumni after they return home. It is critical that the recipients of the Placement Components awards (e.g., the Placement Organizations) work closely and cooperatively with the Organizational Components award recipient. Each Placement Organization is provided with the FLEX Operational Guidelines, a manual that gives instructions that the Placement Organizations must follow for the smooth coordination of tasks.

It is ECA’s intent to award approximately nine (9) cooperative agreements of one base year (covering academic year 2025-2026) plus two Non-Competitive Continuation (NCC) years (covering academic years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, respectively), subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State. See sections A, B, and D for additional information about NCCs.

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.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of ECA of the U.S. Department of State (Department) is the designated Exchange Visitor Program sponsor with ultimate responsibility for the FLEX program.

All award recipients (including their employees, officers, agents, and third parties involved in the administration of the FLEX program) receiving assistance awards to administer the FLEX program will be considered under the terms of such awards to be “third parties” as explained in 22 CFR § 62.2 of the Exchange Visitor (J-1 Visa) Program regulations.

Because the actions of such third parties are imputed to the designated sponsor, ECA expects that all award recipients (including their employees, officers, agents and third parties involved in the administration of the FLEX program) will both comply with the regulations and requirements of the Exchange Visitor Program and also render all necessary assistance to enable the Office of Citizen Exchanges to be in full compliance with the same. Accordingly, award recipients must ensure their “employees, officers, agents, third parties, volunteers or other individuals or entities associated with the administration of their exchange visitor program are adequately qualified, appropriately trained, and comply with the Exchange Visitor Program regulations and immigration laws pertaining to the administration of their exchange visitor program(s).” (22 CFR 62.9 (f) (2)). Relevant portions of the regulations governing the administration of an exchange visitor program for secondary school students are set forth in the Exchange Visitor (J-1 visa) Program regulations, 22 CFR 62.25.

A.2. Purpose The FLEX program provides high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 an opportunity to live with an American family, attend high school for an academic year, engage in community service, and participate in school and community activities. Funding through the Placement Components awards is also intended to allow Placement Organizations to sponsor local activities that will enhance students’ understanding of American-style democracy and civil society. The FLEX students are recruited from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. In addition, the program may recruit students in the future from Belarus and/or Russia. These two countries participated previously in FLEX, but the program is currently suspended in both countries. More information about the FLEX program can be found at: .

ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposed project activities, budgets, and participant numbers in accordance with the program’s needs and the availability of funds. In addition, ECA reserves the right to remove countries or add additional countries should conditions change in a partner country or if other countries or regions are identified by ECA as viable alternatives. The number of students who will participate in a given year is subject to the availability of funding in the FY 2025 base year (academic year 2025-2026) and in the subsequent two Non-Competitive Continuation (NCC) years of FY 2026 (academic year 2026- 2027) and FY 2027 (academic year 2027-2028).

FLEX Program Goals: The overall goals of the FLEX program are as follows:

• Promote better understanding by youth from the United States and participating countries about host society, people, institutions, values, and culture;

• Foster lasting personal and professional ties;

• Advance mutual understanding, respect for diversity, leadership skills, and understanding of civil society during the exchange experience and beyond; and

• Enhance understanding of other countries and cultures and increase accurate understanding of American values in communities abroad.

Outcomes/Results: The FLEX inbound program is intended to engage youth and foster relationships between the people of foreign countries and the United States by enabling students to:

• gain an understanding of American culture, diversity, and respect for others with differing views and beliefs;

• educate Americans about their home countries and cultures;

• interact with Americans and generate enduring ties;

• explore and acquire an understanding of the key elements of U.S. civil society, including concepts such as volunteerism, the idea that American citizens can and do act at the grassroots level to deal with societal problems, and an awareness of and respect for the rule of law; and

• share and apply experiences and knowledge in their home communities as FLEX alumni, initiating activities that focus on development and community service.

A.3. Program Specific Guidelines Organizations applying for this cooperative agreement must be able to dedicate key staff to this program who possess a thorough understanding of the secondary school student Exchange Visitor (J-1 Visa) Program regulations (see https://j1visa.state.gov/sponsors/current/regulations-compliance/).

Participants will begin to arrive in their host communities as early as late-July 2025 and remain for 10 or 11 months until their departures from approximately mid-May to mid-June 2026.

Students with disabilities and students requiring supplementary English language programming will be among the first to arrive.

Under the terms of their U.S. visas, FLEX participants must return to their home countries following the conclusion of their exchange program in the United States, so that they can share the benefits of their experience in their home countries. Placement Organizations are expected to assist the U.S. Department of State in enforcing this regulation.

https://j1visa.state.gov/sponsors/current/regulations-compliance/

FLEX finalists are selected on the basis of merit. The Department seeks to include students of diverse national and ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities. Finalists also undergo rigorous medical screening. Applicants undergo a series of exams and are interviewed in person for evaluation of their ability to adjust to new cultures and English language proficiency.

Your proposal must include a plan to place and monitor a minimum of 20 students; there is no maximum number of students that may be placed by one organization, and your organization may work with subaward recipients. Placements may be in any region of the United States.

Placement Organizations must accept and place students assigned by the Organizational

Components award recipient. Your organization’s assigned students may come from any of the previously mentioned countries, or from other countries, as determined by ECA. Approval of final student assignments to Placing Organizations will be made by ECA. In addition to describing how your organization will meet the placement and monitoring requirements of this

NOFO for students placed directly by your organization, your proposal must also explain how you will provide mentoring, training, oversight, and additional monitoring of students placed by your subaward recipients, if you are proposing to work with any subaward recipients.

All participants in the FLEX program will have an opportunity to apply to attend one of two Civic Education Workshops, which are one-week workshops in Washington, DC, tentatively scheduled for February and March 2026. Approximately 100 students will be selected for each workshop. Your proposal should not include any funding for or planning for this workshop, as it will be managed by the Organizational Components award recipient, but your proposal should include confirmation that you will notify your students of the opportunity and encourage the participation of those who are selected. Placement Organizations will receive additional information from the Organizational Components award recipient about the workshop and how students can apply for it.

Students participating in ECA-sponsored academic year high school programs, including FLEX, may be eligible to apply to attend a workshop focused on teaching English as a foreign language. The workshop may include approximately 10 to 15 FLEX students. If the workshop takes place, the workshop dates, application requirements, and other details will be provided to the Placement Organizations, and the Placement Organizations will be asked to notify their students of the opportunity to apply.

Administration of the program must comply with federal, state, and local tax reporting and withholding regulations as applicable. Recipient organizations must demonstrate regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

Approximate Program Timeline:

• November-December 2024: Cooperative agreements awarded, pending the availability of FY 2025 funds.

• December 2024-March 2025: Distribution of student applications to Placement Organizations and recruitment of host schools and families.

• June-July 2025: Pre-departure Orientations conducted overseas by Organizational Components award recipient.

• Late July-August 2025: Students begin to arrive in groups.

• Late August 2025: All final placement information (host family names and addresses and confirmed school enrollments) must be submitted to the U.S. Department of State.

• August-September 2025: Arrival Orientations for students.

• June-September 2025: First Non-Competitive Continuation (NCC) exercised (for academic year 2026-2027), pending successful performance and the availability of FY 2026 funds. First NCC will follow similar timeline to base year.

• January-February 2023: Mid-Year Orientations for on-program students.

• Spring 2026: Civic Education Workshop for approximately 200 selected FLEX students. (Please note that this activity is implemented by the Organizational Components award recipient; do not offer a plan or budget for this activity in your proposal.)

• May-June 2026: Re-entry Orientations and departure of students.

• June-September 2026: Second Non-Competitive Continuation (NCC) exercised (for academic year 2027-2028), pending successful performance and the availability of FY 2027 funds. Second NCC will follow similar timeline to base year.

• September 30, 2028: Approximate end date of cooperative agreement.

A.4. Recipient Responsibilities

1. Materials Pre-Departure Orientation Materials: Placement Organizations must prepare student materials that will be distributed by the FY 2025 Organizational Components award recipient during Pre-Departure Orientations (PDOs). Materials must be received by the Organizational Components award recipient by May 1, 2025, for distribution at the PDO’s. All required materials are listed in 22 CFR 62. Student handbooks or promotional handouts may be more appropriate to distribute after students have arrived in the United States. All materials must identify students as FLEX students and must include information on the U.S. Department of State as the program sponsor.

Promotional Materials: All official documents and materials developed for promotional purposes must acknowledge the U.S. Department of State’s role as program sponsor.

Documents should include the American flag and the State Department seal. ECA will retain copyright use and may distribute materials related to this program. The Youth Programs

Division may ask you to distribute or engage in other outreach activities as part of a larger outreach strategy. Please see ECA’s Communications Guidance for the most current guidance.

2. Host Families Placement Organization practices and procedures for recruiting, screening, and selecting host families and placing FLEX participants with host families must meet the Exchange Visitor Program regulations for the secondary school student category, i.e., 22 CFR 62.25. Proposals that demonstrate full compliance with these regulations and illustrate your organization’s effective oversight over local coordinators will be deemed more competitive and will be given strong preference during the application review process, under the “Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives” and the “Participant Monitoring” review criteria listed in Section E of this document.

3. Host Schools Placement Organization practices and procedures for placing FLEX participants in accredited public or private secondary schools must meet the Exchange Visitor Program regulations for the secondary school student category, i.e., 22 CFR 62.25. Placement Organizations should also encourage school administrators to utilize students as resources in the classroom and the community, including discussing options for extra-curricular activities that correlate with program goals (e.g., Student Council, Junior Achievement, Future Business Leaders of America, and volunteer opportunities). Due to unique cultural sensitivities, Placement Organizations must obtain ECA concurrence before placing students in religious, private, and non-traditional public schools. For schools with a religious affiliation, student and natural parent approval is also required. Home schooling is not an acceptable option.

4. Clustering ECA encourages placements in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in a wide range of rural, urban, and suburban settings. Placement Organizations that choose to cluster all or most of their students will be deemed more competitive and will be given strong preference during the application review process, under the “Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Program Objectives” review criterion listed in Section E of this document. A cluster is defined as a minimum of three ECA-funded scholarship students, preferably from different countries, who live within reasonable proximity and can be brought together for program activities such as orientations, re-entry training, and program enhancement activities. The phrase “ECA-funded scholarship students” refers to participants in the FLEX program, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program, and the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.

Applicants are expected to cluster at least 60% of their placements. Multiple local coordinators may work together to form a cluster. Applicants must describe how local staff and volunteers will provide non-clustered exchange students the benefits of orientations and enhancement https://eca.state.gov/comms-guidance activities.

5. Language Programming Although most FLEX students have strong English skills, a small number (approximately 10% of each Placement Organization’s overall student number) will need English language training while on program. Your proposal should describe in the narrative appropriate activities for the approximately 10% of your students who will be identified as needing additional English training. Language training should focus on conversational English so students will be better prepared to take part in classroom activities and discussions at the start of the school year. The Language Program should be individualized to meet each student’s specific needs. Language Program students should be offered a minimum of 20 hours of intensive in-person instruction (or, if conducted on a virtual platform, then via real-time, live instruction) near the beginning of their exchange program, up to 60 hours maximum, as needed, to be completed in the first three months after arrival. Please note that Language Program costs are funded by the Organizational Components recipient and not the Placement Organization Components recipients. Therefore, these costs do not need to be included in your proposed budget.

6. Students with Disabilities Since its inception in 1993, the FLEX program has provided special assistance to students with disabilities. In doing so, the program created new opportunities for active participation in society that were largely unavailable to youth with disabilities in the former Soviet republics at the time. Today, operating in 22 countries, the FLEX program continues to place an emphasis on recruiting students with disabilities, bringing approximately 10-20 each year. Your proposal must include a plan for placing, supporting, and monitoring students with disabilities. Students with disabilities will be recruited by the Organizational Components recipient along with all of the other students. Students with disabilities must meet the same standards as other scholarship recipients but may receive reasonable accommodations for testing. The Organizational Components recipient will receive separate funding to conduct training and provide support for students with disabilities and for their Placement Organizations. Your organization will need to coordinate with the Organizational Components recipient regarding the reasonable accommodations required for your students with disabilities. Please note that students with disabilities on the FLEX program may not have been brought up in an inclusive community, or they may not have attended a mainstream school before. After a Preparatory Workshop facilitated by the Organizational Components recipient, the students with disabilities will arrive in their permanent host communities. Your proposal should include a plan for helping your students with disabilities become acclimated to their communities and for finding appropriate resources and accommodations as needed and as required by law. Please note that the Organizational Components recipient, not the Placement Organizations, will be responsible for:

• Contacting disability organizations for hosting outreach.

• Conducting a 3- to 4-day Preparatory Workshop for students immediately upon their arrival to educate students on the laws and resources available for people with disabilities in the United States. The Organizational Components award recipient will be responsible for travel to and from the workshop.

• Thoroughly assessing each student’s condition and specific needs during the Preparatory Workshop and providing an assessment report to the appropriate Placement Organization.

• Conducting an Inclusion Workshop for Placement Organization representatives for sharing best practices of working with students with disabilities and educating representatives regarding disability issues. The Organizational Components award recipient will be responsible for travel to and from the workshop.

• Providing Placement Organizations with support and resources throughout the year.

• Providing funding for reasonable accommodations for your students with disabilities.

7. Trainings/Orientations Proposals should include (as an appendix) sample outlines with relevant topics to be covered in all trainings and orientations.

Staff/Volunteer Training and Orientation: Placement Organizations are responsible for conducting FLEX-specific training for all employees, including all local coordinators, volunteers, and any other parties who are involved in placing FLEX students. This training should be designed to provide the methods and tools necessary for monitoring and counseling FLEX students, their host families, and school personnel, with sensitivity to cross-cultural issues unique to this exchange population. The training must ensure understanding of the goals, expectations, and requirements of the FLEX program, as well as the J-1 Visa requirements. J-1 regulations require that all local coordinators be trained and knowledgeable regarding the J-1 Visa requirements. Your proposal must describe a training and knowledge-review plan to meet this obligation. If you receive an award, your semi-annual performance reports (see item 13 below) must detail and confirm the implementation of your training and knowledge-review plan, and your organization will be required to submit a copy of all local coordinator training materials.

Host Family Orientation: Prior to the student’s arrival, Placement Organizations must conduct in-person FLEX-specific orientations for all screened and selected host families and provide them with the information and reference materials necessary to host and support a FLEX student. The program office recommends that FLEX host family orientations not include families who are hosting private students, in order to ensure that adequate attention is given to program and cross-cultural issues that are specific to FLEX (or other ECA-sponsored) scholarship students. It is appropriate to hold host family orientations together for families hosting FLEX, YES, and/or CBYX students.

Arrival Orientation for Participants: Placement Organizations’ arrival orientations for FLEX students must comply with J-1 Visa regulations and the Secondary School Student category-specific orientation requirements. Orientations should take place within one month of the students’ arrival and should address the Placement Organizations’ policies, procedures, and rules, as well as the Placement Organizations’ procedures for communicating with students and for monitoring and supporting their exchange with sensitivity to cultural issues unique to this exchange population.

Mid-Year Orientation: Placement Organizations must arrange a mid-year orientation to meet with all FLEX participants approximately halfway through their exchange programs, preferably in January. The purpose of this meeting is to assess their progress in achieving program and personal goals and to provide the necessary assistance to enable them to meet these goals.

Re-entry Training: Placement Organizations are responsible for preparing students to bring closure to their U.S. exchange experience and preparing them for re-entry to their home countries. Placement Organizations should inform students about FLEX alumni opportunities in their home countries and discuss plans for possible alumni projects. Please note that FLEX alumni activities in the students’ home countries will be coordinated by the Organizational Components recipient.

8. Participant Monitoring ECA employs a team of Participant Monitoring Specialists who oversee the health and safety of all FLEX students during their time on program in the United States, and Placement Organizations will need to work closely with ECA’s Participant Monitoring Specialists on student cases, which must be documented in a timely way. Your practices and procedures for monitoring FLEX participants must meet the Exchange Visitor Program regulations for the secondary school student category, i.e., 22 CFR 62.25. ECA’s Youth Programs Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges provides the following further guidance that Placement Organizations must follow.

Monitoring Guidance

• Local Coordinators: A local coordinator is essential to the day-to-day support of each FLEX student and is defined as a representative of the PO who lives in or in proximity to the host community, identifies and vets potential host families, processes the enrollment of the student in the host school, and provides guidance and support for the student and host family during the program year, among other duties listed in the J-1

Visa regulations. The PO will ensure that each FLEX student has access to a local coordinator within 120 miles of their host family home, per J-1 Visa regulations. Local coordinators must report all placement changes and student on-program support concerns to the PO in a timely manner.

• Student Progress: Local coordinators will monitor students’ progress in academics, social adjustment, and activities such as community service, exemplary achievements, and other program-related endeavors and track their progress in monthly contact reports.

• Reporting Systems: Placement Organizations must use a reporting system to distribute and collect monthly updates, reports, surveys, or other communications that students will fill out and submit themselves. Your proposal should provide details on your reporting system. Plans that describe ways to attain 100% student participation in completing reports and surveys will be deemed more competitive and will be given strong preference during the application review process, under the "Participant Monitoring" review criterion listed in Section E of this document. The purpose of these student monthly updates is to allow FLEX students to report issues and to allow Placement Organizations to track these issues effectively. Placement Organizations must promptly notify ECA and the Organizational Components recipient about problems, inconsistencies, or concerns that are identified from these updates.

• Student Support: Local coordinators must identify when students may need additional support from their natural parents or peers, or from other Placement Organization staff;

arrange counseling for participants if needed; document the circumstances of each case;

and notify the Placement Organization headquarters office, which will, when necessary, notify the Organizational Components recipient in order for them to obtain natural parent perspective or concurrence. Placement Organizations must also notify ECA of any escalated cases in accordance with the policies described in the FLEX Operational Guidelines, which are referenced in the Executive Summary of this document.

• Placement Organizations must report to ECA (by sending an Incident Report to the OPS- FLEX email address) within 24 hours any matters that are required to be reported by a sponsor pursuant to the regulations at 22 CFR Part 62. ECA will be responsible for reporting to the Office of Designation. Information on this process, as well, is included in the FLEX Operational Guidelines.

• Early Returns: If a situation leads to an early return request, the Placement Organization should provide ECA with consistent and thorough documentation that ensures that the involved students, host families, and natural families are aware of the situation and have been consulted on its resolution. Placement Organizations will promptly prepare a clear and concise Incident Report of the circumstances, detailing actions taken and communication between parties. The report will be shared with the Organizational Components recipient and ECA. Only ECA’s Youth Programs Division can make the decision to terminate and repatriate a FLEX student. Under no circumstances will Placement Organizations or anyone acting on their behalf inform FLEX participants, or imply to them, that their programs will terminate or that they will be repatriated, without specific direction from ECA’s Youth Programs Division. Similarly, probation or warning letters that explicitly inform a participant that they are not being sent home should not be issued without express ECA approval.

• Placement Organizations must develop methods to ensure that staff who work to support participants are trained and well prepared to address issues of race, sexual orientation, gender, and other common issues that a diverse group of participants may encounter during an exchange year.

• Placement Organizations must ensure that its staff are trained and proficient at developing strong relationships with participants and follow best practices of eliciting substantive responses from teenagers to ensure that participants are comfortable confiding significant issues with Placement Organization representatives.

Site Visits Full-time permanent employees or official designees of the Placement Organization’s headquarters office must conduct site visits to 20% of the Placement Organization’s FLEX students in their host family/community environments. The visits should cover a combination of clustered and non-clustered students.

Placement Organizations must submit site visit plans to ECA through the on-program support email address provided to award recipients. Site visit plans for October-December should be submitted by September 15 of the program year. Site visit plans for January-June should be submitted by December 15 of the program year.

The ECA Participant Monitoring Unit will, in addition to making site visits to Placement Organizations, also conduct site visits to students in their host schools and host communities.

Placement Organizations must be prepared to assist the ECA Participant Monitoring Unit in the scheduling of ECA monitoring visits throughout the program year.

Communication Guidance Placement Organizations, whether or not they are designated as exchange visitor sponsors by the U.S. Department of State, must report to the ECA program office any matters that are required to be reported by a sponsor pursuant to the above regulations.

Placement Organizations must enter complete, accurate, and up-to-date placement information into the FLEX web-based database, including host family and local coordinator changes that occur during the year, within 48 hours of the time that the change took place.

Additional information on entering placement information will be provided in the FLEX Operational Guidelines.

Placement Organizations must, in a timely fashion, distribute to all FLEX students information that ECA provides regarding Department of State-initiated FLEX program activities. Such activities include International Education Week, the Civic Education Workshop, Global Youth Service Day, and ad-hoc program-related activities that may arise during the year (e.g., online chats, meetings, briefings).

Placement Organizations must inform ECA of any publicity featuring FLEX students or the FLEX program, particularly any engagements with government officials or articles in the media.

When the media interact with FLEX students, Placement Organizations must identify FLEX as a U.S. Department of State program.

9. Cultural Enhancement and Leadership Development Activities Placement Organizations are required to conduct cultural enhancement and leadership development activities for the participants during the academic year. Your proposal should detail your planned activities and should include $400 per student in the proposal budget to cover the cost of these activities. Funding for enhancement activities should ideally be disbursed in small increments throughout the year to encourage a variety of activities. Please note that these funds may not be spent on packaged commercial sightseeing trips. Cultural enhancement activities should increase the participants’ understanding of American culture, values, and history. These activities should increase students’ understanding of key elements of American civil society and foster dialogue and enduring ties between the students and their host communities. Examples of cultural enhancement activities include briefings on local or state government and the judicial system, programs on community issues and concerns, and activities that increase participants’ understanding of the diversity that exists in American society. Leadership development activities should offer specialized training in leadership skills such as public speaking, team building, critical thinking, and goal setting. Leadership training should explore issues that foster civic responsibility, tolerance, public service, and conflict resolution. All cultural enhancement and leadership development activities should include debrief sessions that allow participants to compare perspectives and discuss what they have learned.

10. Community Service All FLEX students are required to participate in community service activities. Placement Organizations should provide participants and their host families with clear guidelines that reflect the expectations of their organizations, including the minimum number of hours of required community service and the method by which Placement Organizations will monitor community service activities.

11. Health Insurance The Bureau offers the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) benefits plan for students participating in the program. Detailed information on ASPE can be found at:

https://www.sevencorners.com/about/gov/usdos There is no cost to the Placement Organization if you opt to use the ASPE plan. Placement Organizations wishing to use a different plan must demonstrate that such alternate plan provides comparable or more comprehensive coverage. Coverage must begin when students depart their home countries and not conclude until they return home. Please keep in mind that the students with disabilities who participate in the Preparatory Workshop must be covered by the Placement Organization’s health insurance policy while they are participating in the workshop. If you choose not to use ASPE, your proposal must include a copy of your chosen insurance policy and must include the cost of the insurance in the proposed budget. The insurance you propose to use must meet the requirements of 22 CFR 62.14. Students and natural families must be informed in writing of any limitations of coverage noted in the policies.

12. Student Financial and Gift Incentives As recipients of a full scholarship, and with continuing support and opportunities available to them when they become alumni, FLEX students accept considerable responsibilities in return.

Participation in program activities, including orientations, cluster meetings, program events, community service projects, and presentations during International Education Week are requirements. Therefore, Placement Organizations may not request funds to give students monetary or other significant material incentives to participate in required program activities.

13. Department of State Web Resources During the cooperative agreement period, the Bureau may develop hosting resources to assist Placement Organizations with hosting outreach, and to promote FLEX as a U.S. Department of State program. Placement Organizations are expected to support promotional campaigns by providing information to ECA and updating promotional materials as needed. All Placement Organization staff and volunteers associated with FLEX are expected to be knowledgeable of and familiar with the Bureau’s web resources, such as https://exchanges.state.gov/ and https://alumni.state.gov/ and to register as members or guest members, as applicable. Staff and coordinator trainings, as well as student and host family orientations, should include sessions familiarizing the audience with these resources. While Placement Organizations may provide their own web resources and opportunities for online engagement, those should supplement, not replace, participation in the Department of State’s online communities for exchange students and alumni.

https://www.sevencorners.com/about/gov/usdos https://exchanges.state.gov/ https://alumni.state.gov/

14. Placement Organization Website Management Your FLEX website page must be easily accessible from your organization’s homepage and be kept updated. The U.S. Department of State seal and the American flag must appear on the FLEX webpage. For online student profiles, your website must be secure, so only those who have been fully vetted will be able to see a photo or view personally identifiable information. These profiles, both online and in printed materials, should identify students as FLEX, to differentiate them from your organization’s private students.

15. Financial Management Fiscal data and accounting for award funding must be managed as required by Federal law, including cost-sharing and any funds provided to approved sub-award recipients, if applicable.

16. Sub-Award Recipient Management If you have sub-award recipients, your organization must ensure that they have received a copy of this Notice of Funding Opportunity and that they are versed in all requirements, including OMB Guidance 2 CFR Parts 200 and 600 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards), as well as the J-1 Visa regulations. Your organization must provide oversight to any sub-award recipients that ensures the quality of their performance of FLEX program duties under your organization’s award.

17. Performance Reports The FLEX program office in ECA will supply semi-annual report guidelines. Placement Organizations must submit semi-annual performance reports no more than 30 days after the reporting period end date. These due dates will be listed in the award agreement. As noted in item 7. Trainings/Orientations above, J-1 regulations require that all local coordinators be trained and knowledgeable regarding the J-1 Visa requirements. Your proposal must describe a training and knowledge-review plan to meet this obligation, and your semi-annual performance reports must detail and confirm the implementation of your training and knowledge-review plan. Please see section F.3 below for detailed instructions on how to submit performance and financial reports.

A.5. Substantial Involvement:

In a cooperative agreement, ECA is substantially involved in program activities above and beyond routine monitoring. ECA’s level of involvement may vary throughout the life of the program depending on the level of oversight deemed necessary by ECA. ECA, in consultation with U.S. embassies overseas and with other bureaus at the Department of State, is the final authority in making all decisions and providing guidance regarding any programmatic and administrative matters for the FLEX program. The responsibilities of ECA will include:

1. Hosting an in-person annual meeting for all award recipients to provide program guidance, share best practices, and foster deeper connections with and among implementing partners. If conditions require, the annual meeting in a given year may need to be moved to a virtual format, but ECA’s intent is to have in-person annual meetings every year.

2. Requesting additional reporting or information, when needed, beyond the routine monitoring and reporting requirements described elsewhere in this document, in order to respond to unexpected contingencies or circumstances, such as Congressional inquiries or requests from other Department offices.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. ECA’s level of involvement in this program is listed under. Substantial Involvement in section A.5.

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2025 base year $10,240,000; FY 2026 – first NCC year $10,240,000; FY 2027 – second NCC year $10,240,000. The NCCs are subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of State.

Approximate Total Funding: $30,720,000 (including base year and two NCC years) Approximate Number of Awards: Approximately nine (9) cooperative agreements Approximate Average Award: $1,140,000 Minimum “Floor” of Award: $200,000 Maximum “Ceiling” of Award: $10,240,000 Anticipated Award Date: November 25, 2024, pending the availability of funds.

Anticipated Award Completion Date: September 30, 2028.

Additional Information: ECA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds.

ECA anticipates issuing a cooperative agreement for a period of 24 months (base year), with two additional 12-month periods (NCC years one and two). ECA will notify the recipient at least 90 days before the end of the current year if an NCC will be exercised or not. The decision to exercise a NCC will be subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the program, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. Department of

State.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

C.1. Eligible Applicants U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not-for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please see the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for additional information.

C.2. Other Eligibility Requirements The following additional eligibility requirements apply to this NOFO announcement:

a. ECA’s grant guidelines require that organizations demonstrate at least four years of experience in conducting international exchanges to be eligible for awards exceeding $130,000 in ECA funding. As noted in section B above, ECA anticipates issuing approximately nine cooperative agreements with a minimum award amount of $200,000. Therefore, organizations must demonstrate four years of experience in conducting international exchanges in your proposal to be eligible to apply under this competition.

b. All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.

c. In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section D.3 & D.5. for more information.

d. 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 consider only 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. Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) document.

C.3. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds

There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost sharing required for this competition.

However, ECA encourages applicants to provide maximum levels of cost sharing and funding in support of its programs. When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal and later included in an approved agreement. Cost sharing may be in the form of allowable direct or http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ indirect costs. For accountability, you must maintain written records to support all costs which are claimed as your contribution, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Guidance 2 CFR Parts 200 and 600, entitled the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. In the event you do not provide the minimum amount of cost sharing as stipulated in the approved budget, ECA's contribution may be reduced in like proportion.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Please read the complete announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals.

Once the NOFO deadline has passed, ECA staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.

D.1. Solicitation Package Location The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov or from ECA website at https://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding.

D.2. Content and Form of Submission Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package, including the Proposal Submission Instruction (PSI) document, which consists of required application forms and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. The application should be submitted per the instructions under D.17. “Application Deadline and Method of Submission” section below.

D.3. Unique Entity Identifier Number All organizations are required to have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number to apply for a grant or cooperative agreement from the U.S. Government. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. Note: As of April 2022, a DUNS number is no longer required for federal assistance applications. A UEI is issued as part of the required SAM.gov registration below in section D.5.

The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee.

D.4. Required Proposal Elements All proposals must contain a SF-424, executive summary, proposal narrative, budget (SF 424A), https://www.grants.gov/ https://eca.state.gov/organizational-funding detailed budget, and budget narrative.

D.5. Required Registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) All organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database in order to submit a proposal in response to an open competition on Grants.gov. Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible. Failure to register in SAM.gov will render applicants ineligible to receive funding.

All federal award recipients must maintain a current registration in the SAM database.

Recipients must maintain accurate and up-to-date information in www.SAM.gov until all program and financial activity and reporting is completed on any issued award. Recipients must review and update the information at least annually after the initial registration and more frequently if required information changes or another award is granted.