FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Welcome Corps and the Welcome Corps on Campus | DFOP0017031

Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0017031

The FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Welcome Corps and the Welcome Corps on Campus is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) competitive funding opportunity to select organizations that can build and run the operational infrastructure for the Welcome Corps, a national private sponsorship pathway for refugee resettlement in the United States. The central purpose is to expand the number and diversity of communities involved in welcoming refugees by enabling private individuals and groups to take a direct role in sponsorship, while also strengthening and complementing PRM's long-standing Reception and Placement (R&P) Program rather than replacing it. In practice, this means PRM is looking for an organization (or organizations) that can manage the systems, tools, processes, and support structures that make private sponsorship work at scale and in a way that protects refugee wellbeing and supports successful integration.

At its core, the Welcome Corps is designed to mobilize private U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor refugees, and this NOFO funds the backbone needed to make that possible. PRM indicates that program operations include six key components (not individually listed in the excerpt), which signals that applicants should be prepared to handle multiple interlocking functions, typically including sponsor recruitment and support, sponsor vetting and compliance processes, training and technical assistance, coordination with resettlement and government partners, case management or connection-to-services pathways, and data systems for tracking performance and outcomes. The emphasis on "infrastructure" and "operations" suggests PRM is seeking a lead implementer capable of nationwide coordination, standardized practices, and consistent quality control across many sponsorship groups and locations.

This NOFO also highlights support for two specialized tracks within the Welcome Corps model: Welcome Corps at Work and Welcome Corps on Campus. These specialized programs are meant to connect refugee sponsorship with concrete placement opportunities in employment and higher education. The at-work model centers on employment arrangements that can help refugees achieve early economic stability, while the on-campus model links sponsorship to higher education settings, where refugees may have pathways to enrollment, campus-based support networks, and structured services. For applicants, this implies the funded infrastructure must be flexible enough to support general private sponsorship as well as these tailored pathways, including partnerships with employers and institutions, and guidance for sponsors navigating work- or campus-based integration plans.

The award is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means PRM expects substantial involvement in program direction, oversight, and collaboration during implementation. Instead of simply issuing funds and stepping back, PRM is likely to remain actively engaged on program design refinements, performance monitoring, and policy or procedural alignment with broader refugee admissions and resettlement priorities. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary, with an activity category listed as "Other," and it is associated with CFDA number 19.510, reflecting its placement within PRM's assistance portfolio.

Eligibility is open to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education as direct applicants), nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also excluding institutions of higher education), and international organizations. A specific caution is included for international multilateral organizations such as United Nations agencies: they should not apply through Grants.gov for this announcement. Instead, multilateral organizations that believe their work is relevant are instructed to contact PRM through the NOFO inquiries mailbox before the closing date. That instruction suggests PRM is managing multilateral participation through a different channel or funding mechanism and wants to avoid ineligible submissions through the standard federal grants portal.

In terms of scale and competition, the NOFO lists an award ceiling of $15,000,000 and anticipates making 2 awards. This combination signals a relatively high-capacity implementation effort, potentially split across complementary roles or geographic/functional divisions, though the exact structure would be determined by PRM's selection decisions and the proposals received. The funding instrument and award size imply expectations for strong administrative capacity, robust safeguarding and accountability practices, and the ability to deliver consistent sponsor support and program results across a large footprint.

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number DFOP0017031, an original closing date of 2024-12-20, and a creation date of 2024-11-20. Applicants interested in competing would need to align proposed work with PRM's objective of increasing community participation in refugee resettlement, demonstrate the ability to manage the program's multiple operational components, and show credible plans to support both general Welcome Corps sponsorship and the specialized Welcome Corps at Work and Welcome Corps on Campus pathways.

• The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Welcome Corps and the Welcome Corps on Campus" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.510.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-20. (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 $15,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DFOP0017031

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