Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0007780
The FY 2021 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funding opportunity administered through the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division. It is an open competition to select one U.S. organization to run a four-week, U.S.-based exchange program during the summer of 2022. The central purpose is to bring together young people from Europe and the United States for an intensive, structured experience that strengthens mutual understanding and builds practical leadership and civic engagement skills in a transatlantic context.
The program is designed for approximately 55 teenagers total: about 45 participants from European countries and about 10 participants from the United States, all between the ages of 16 and 18. Participant recruitment is split between overseas and domestic partners. U.S. embassies across Europe are responsible for recruiting and selecting the European participants, while the U.S. organization that receives the award is responsible for recruiting and selecting the American participants. This structure ensures that overseas selection aligns with U.S. embassy public diplomacy priorities, while the award recipient maintains strong control over the U.S. cohort selection and overall program cohesion.
Content-wise, the fellowship emphasizes transatlantic relations and the skills young adults need to engage constructively across differences. Core themes include leadership development, critical thinking, diplomacy, community activism, and the role of media in democratic societies. In practice, that typically means combining academic-style sessions (seminars, workshops, expert talks) with experiential learning (site visits, simulations, collaborative group projects, and facilitated discussions) so participants can connect big-picture topics like international cooperation and democratic participation to real-world institutions and community challenges. The aim is not just exposure to U.S. society, but also equipping participants to work with peers from different backgrounds, communicate responsibly, evaluate information, and translate shared values into practical action.
A key component of the model is what happens after the U.S. program ends. The announcement specifies support for individual or small-group follow-on projects in participants home communities. These follow-on projects are intended to extend learning beyond the four-week exchange by helping students apply the fellowship themes locally, whether through civic initiatives, community service efforts, media literacy activities, or other youth-led projects that reflect the programs focus on civic engagement and collaboration. The follow-on phase also reinforces sustainability and longer-term impact, since participants are expected to bring lessons learned back to their schools and communities rather than treating the exchange as a stand-alone travel experience.
From an applicant and compliance standpoint, eligibility is limited to U.S. public and private nonprofit organizations that meet 501(c)(3) requirements, including accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions (public or private). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means the Department of State anticipates substantial involvement during implementation (for example, coordination on program content, monitoring, or compliance expectations), rather than a more hands-off grant structure. The Bureau indicates it intends to make an award structured as one base year with two non-competitive continuation years, meaning the project is envisioned as multi-year, with continued funding dependent on satisfactory performance, compliance, and continued programmatic alignment.
The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0007780 and CFDA 19.415. The award ceiling is $250,000, and ECA expects to make one award under this competition. The opportunity was created on March 17, 2021, with an original closing date of May 17, 2021. Applicants are limited to one proposal total; if an organization submits multiple proposals, all submissions from that applicant are deemed ineligible and removed from consideration. Overall, the fellowship is best understood as a competitive, single-award, youth exchange program focused on U.S.-Europe engagement, leadership and civic skill-building, and post-program community impact through structured follow-on projects.Apply for SFOP0007780
- The Department of State, Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.415.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 17, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 17, 2021. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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| PAS Belgrade_University Partnership Program (FY2021) Apply for SRB10021FO006 Funding Number: SRB10021FO006 Agency: Department of State, U.S. Mission to Serbia Category: Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $300,000 |
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