FY22 American English and Culture Conversation for Adults Initiative (aka: “FY22 Access for Adults”) | OPAPDFY22011

Opportunity Information: Apply for OPAPDFY22011

The FY22 American English and Culture Conversation for Adults Initiative, also referred to as "FY22 Access for Adults" (Funding Opportunity Number OPAPDFY22011), is a U.S. Department of State public diplomacy grant competition run by the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs (U.S. OPA). The core purpose is to partner with a qualified nonprofit organization (Palestinian, American, or international) to deliver English-language and American-culture programming for Palestinian adults. The opportunity is framed within the U.S. OPA-PD mission of supporting substantive engagement with American people, institutions, ideas, and ideals, with the broader diplomatic aim of improving American-Palestinian relations and expanding opportunities for practical, mutually beneficial partnerships and cooperation. The program is meant to contribute, through people-to-people engagement and skills building, to a more vibrant and responsive Palestinian civil society and related institutions.

Geographically, the program prioritizes participants from Nablus, Gaza, Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Hebron. Substantively, it combines English instruction with structured conversation and intercultural learning focused on American culture and civic life. The overall goal is not only language improvement, but also stronger mutual understanding: participants are expected to gain English language skills alongside a richer grasp of American culture, society, history, values, and current issues. The emphasis is on building practical communication capacity, especially oral, written, and digital English skills, so participants can communicate more comfortably and confidently in English in real-world contexts.

Proposals are expected to address all stated objectives. First, activities must engage participants in intercultural group work and project-based learning built around themed topics connected to the United States, such as culture, values, society, history, and contemporary issues. Second, the program must measurably improve participants verbal and written English and help them discuss complex topics with Americans in English, while also increasing participants comfort with engaging Americans more generally. Third, the program should strengthen professional confidence, specifically helping participants use English in workplace settings in ways that support career advancement. In practice, this signals a preference for programming that blends instruction with applied, collaborative tasks (for example, guided discussions, teamwork assignments, presentations, digital content creation, or other structured projects) rather than passive learning alone.

The target audience is adults aged 30 to 45 drawn from a wide range of professions and backgrounds across the priority locations. Participants should have an intermediate level of English, show clear motivation to improve, and have limited access to traditional English-learning opportunities. Recruitment is expected to be handled through an online application process, and the call notes that promotion can be amplified through social media with support from the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs. The program is expected to recruit at least 200 participants in this funding cycle, and the NOFO anticipates ripple effects beyond direct beneficiaries, with indirect impact reaching participants families, friends, colleagues, and wider networks.

On funding and structure, the award is supported by FY22 Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy funds, with total available funding of $100,000. The opportunity anticipates a single award (one recipient), with a performance period of up to 12 months, and proposed programs are expected to be completed within 12 months or less. The anticipated start date listed is September 30, 2022, and the notice is explicitly contingent on the availability of funds. The funding instrument is listed as a grant in the narrative, while the source data also references cooperative agreement/grant as potential instrument types, which generally means applicants should be prepared for standard federal grant requirements and, depending on the final instrument used, possible additional programmatic coordination with the U.S. government.

Eligibility is limited to not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks, educational organizations, and civil society or non-governmental organizations. Cost sharing is permitted but not required, and importantly, it will not be considered in the merit review, meaning applicants are not expected to compete by offering matching funds. For organizational eligibility and compliance, applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration in SAM.gov to receive an award. Application package materials are routed through the standard SF-424 family of forms available via Grants.gov. The opportunity was posted July 25, 2022, with an original closing date of August 22, 2022, and is administered under the Department of State, U.S. Mission to Jerusalem.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Jerusalem in the agriculture, arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), business and commerce, community development, education, employment, labor and training, environment, food and nutrition, health, housing, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY22 American English and Culture Conversation for Adults Initiative (aka: “FY22 Access for Adults”)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.021.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 25, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 22, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for OPAPDFY22011

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