NOFO- U.S.-Oman Youth Council Program

The Department of State is soliciting applications for a cooperative agreement to administer the U.S.-Omani Youth Council Program, a structured leadership and bilateral-engagement initiative for 10-15 Omani university students, with an application deadline of August 26, 2026.

Eligible applicants are not-for-profit organizations, civil-society organizations, non-governmental organizations, public and private educational institutions, and public international organizations legally able to operate in Oman. All applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and maintain active SAM.gov registration. The program offers one award of up to $25,000 with no cost-share requirement. The period of performance spans approximately 12 months, with program start in September 2026 and participant programming running from November 2026 through May 2027. Place of performance includes university outreach across multiple Omani locations: Muscat, Sohar, Nizwa, Salalah, and Duqm.

The recipient will conduct university outreach; manage an open application and interview process; select a cohort in coordination with the Embassy; organize seven mandatory monthly sessions combining expert dialogue, facilitated discussion, site visits, and experiential learning; arrange domestic participant travel and logistics; administer a competitive mini-grants component funding up to three participant-led projects at $1,500 each; deliver a capstone event; establish an alumni network with mentorship pathways; and provide monitoring, evaluation, and financial reporting. The program strengthens participants' understanding of the U.S.-Omani relationship and exposes them to cooperation in diplomacy, trade, space, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It supports the Embassy's Freedom250 campaign and Oman Vision 2040 objectives by promoting youth leadership, civic participation, and human capital development.

Applicants must demonstrate experience in youth engagement, university outreach, multi-location program delivery, financial management, and coordination with government, academic, private-sector, and civil-society partners. Evaluation criteria are program approach (30 points), organizational capacity (20 points), ability to achieve objectives (15 points), budget reasonableness (10 points), monitoring and evaluation plan (15 points), and sustainability and alumni engagement (10 points). Applications must include a proposal narrative (12 pages maximum), budget justification, SF-424 forms, key personnel CVs, letters of partner support, and proof of legal registration in Oman. The funding falls under CFDA 19.040, Public Diplomacy Programs.