FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- DFOP0017864
- Agency
-
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Department of State
- Applications due
- Award size
- $325,000 to $750,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Other
- Eligible applicants
-
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Points of contact
-
- Susannah Wood woodst@state.gov (771) 205-9501
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is seeking one to two cooperative agreements to design, implement, and oversee the FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program, an economic exchange initiative for emerging entrepreneurs from Tibetan communities in China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Eligible applicants include U.S. not-for-profit organizations, think tanks, civil society organizations, and not-for-profit educational institutions with at least four years of international exchange experience. The program requires recipients to recruit and select up to 25 non-U.S. fellows (ages 25-40 with minimum two years' professional experience) and up to 10 U.S. fellows for participation in a two-way exchange featuring virtual engagement, a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange for international fellows, and approximately two-week outbound exchanges to India, Nepal, or Bhutan for U.S. fellows. Recipients must develop comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plans using the MODE Framework, enroll all fellows in the Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE), manage all program logistics and travel costs, and submit regular reports to ECA. The application deadline is May 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with an anticipated award date of September 1, 2026.
Total available funding is $750,000, with awards of $325,000 per award if two cooperative agreements are made, or potentially $750,000 for a single award. The performance period will span 18 to 24 months from the anticipated award date of September 1, 2026. Program activities will take place across multiple locations, including the United States for the primary four-week exchange and India, Nepal, and Bhutan for the U.S. fellows' outbound component, with virtual engagement opportunities occurring throughout the program period.
Synopsis
2 versions
Update #2 · Latest ·
The Global Leaders Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is seeking proposal submissions for one to two cooperative agreements to design, implement, and oversee the FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. Launched in 1997, the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program is a two-way economic exchange program designed to enhance leadership and professional skills and build lasting partnerships between emerging entrepreneurs from Tibetan communities in China, India, Nepal and Bhutan, and the United States. The defining element of the program is a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange which will provide Fellows with opportunities to discuss and share best practices for initiating and supporting business and/or community initiatives.
The award recipient will be responsible for planning and administering all components of the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. The non-U.S. Fellow component will feature a series of virtual engagement opportunities leading up to a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange for up to 25 participants. This component will consist of professional and leadership development activities which may include, but shall not be limited to: trainings, workshops, site visits, job shadowing, team building exercises, panel discussions, case studies, resource-sharing, and networking events. The U.S. Fellows component will enable up to 10 U.S. professionals, who engaged with the non-U.S. Fellows during the course of their program, to travel to India, Nepal or Bhutan for approximately two weeks to assist the non-U.S. Fellows' follow-on plans and conduct alumni engagement activities.
Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.
Update #1 ·
The Global Leaders Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is seeking proposal submissions for one to two cooperative agreements to design, implement, and oversee the FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. Launched in 1997, the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program is a two-way economic exchange program designed to enhance leadership and professional skills and build lasting partnerships between emerging entrepreneurs from Tibetan communities in China, India, Nepal and Bhutan, and the United States. The defining element of the program is a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange which will provide Fellows with opportunities to discuss and share best practices for initiating and supporting business and/or community initiatives. The award recipient will be responsible for planning and administering all components of the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. The non-U.S. Fellow component will feature a series of virtual engagement opportunities leading up to a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange for up to 25 participants. This component will consist of professional and leadership development activities which may include, but shall not be limited to: trainings, workshops, site visits, job shadowing, team building exercises, panel discussions, case studies, resource-sharing, and networking events. The U.S. Fellows component will enable up to 10 U.S. professionals, who engaged with the non-U.S. Fellows during the course of their program, to travel to India, Nepal or Bhutan for approximately two weeks to assist the non-U.S. Fellows' follow-on plans and conduct alumni engagement activities. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| performance_monitoring_plan_mode_2.3_02.03.2025.pdf | ||
| performance_monitoring_plan_mode_2.3_02.03.2025-4.docx | DOCX document | |
| FY26 NGAWANG NOFO.pdf |
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