Federal Education Grants

This funding opportunity supports U.S.-based nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in creating immersive professional development programs for K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, focusing on significant themes in the humanities at culturally important locations.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Bangkok Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations or individuals to submit a statement of interest (SOI) or concept note to carry out program(s) funded by the U.S. Embassy Bangkok. Please carefully follow all instructions below. The submission of the SOI is the first step in a two-step process. Applicants must first submit a concise statement of interest through the Google application form (https://forms.gle/3DSzBvf1u72UwuzY8). The SOI is designed for applicants to clearly communicate program ideas and objectives and is not a full proposal. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to requiring the development of a full proposal application. Upon a merit review of eligible SOIs, selected applicants will be invited to expand on their program ideas by submitting a full proposal application. Full proposals will go through a second merit review before final funding decisions are made. Priority Program Areas 1. Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights Activities that strengthen democratic values, accountability, public participation, transparency, and rule of law in governance and political institutions. Innovative projects that educate Thais about the U.S. experience in meaningful participation in democratic processes and civic life. Activities that promote universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. Activities that promote connection between the United States and the rising leaders in the Indo-Pacific region. Activities that focus on enhancing critical thinking skills and promoting civic engagement to counter disinformation and improve media/digital literacy. 2. Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Renewable Energy Activities that support and build capability for, and promote economic inclusivity among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and underrepresented entrepreneurs. Activities that build digital skills and improve business practices of MSMEs and underrepresented entrepreneurs for different stages of business development. Activities that increase awareness of environmental protection, climate change, climate-smart agriculture, transboundary water challenges, renewable energy, and other key regional issues. Activities that promote the use of science, technology, and innovation in tackling regional or transboundary challenges and strengthening competitiveness of SMEs and underrepresented entrepreneurs 3. Education Activities that build, increase, support, and strengthen partnerships and the exchange of people, ideas, and resources between U.S. and Thai education institutions. Activities that increase access to education and understanding of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEM/STEAM). Innovative and educational activities that strengthen sustainable development in the Mekong subregion. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION This notice is subject to availability of funding. Funding Instrument Type: Grant, Fixed Amount Award (FAA), or Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements and some FAAs are different from grants in that U.S. Embassy staff are more actively involved in the grant implementation. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed within 12 months of issuance. U.S. Embassy Bangkok retains the right to execute non-competitive continuation amendments on a case-by-case basis. Any amendments are based on performance, pending availability of funds, and are not guaranteed. C. ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants The Public Diplomacy Section encourages applications from the United States and Thailand: Registered not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations Educational institutions Individuals Public international organizations and governmental institutions 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing or matching is not required for this funding opportunity, but it is encouraged. Any cost sharing must be clearly laid out in the submission. 3. Other Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued via www.SAM.gov as well as a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. Please see Section E.4 for more information. Individuals are not required to have a UEI or be registered in SAM.gov. D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Content and Form of Application Submission Please follow all instructions below carefully. SOIs that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible and will not be considered for funding. All application materials must be ONLY submitted electronically through Google application form at https://forms.gle/3DSzBvf1u72UwuzY8. Content of SOI must include: Project summary and description, objectives, expected outcomes, proposed timeline, target audience, and evaluation plan All documents fully completed in English The anticipated total budget amount (in U.S. dollars) and a line-item breakdown of expenses. 2. Submission Timeline 1st Round Deadline to submit SOIs: February 7, 2024 Selected SOIs are notified by email: February 23, 2024 Deadline for selected applicants to submit full proposals: March 31, 2024 2nd Round Deadline to submit SOIs: May 1, 2024 Selected SOIs are notified by email: May 17, 2024 Deadline for selected applicants to submit full proposals: June 14, 2024 3rd Round Deadline to submit SOIs: July 3, 2024 Selected SOIs are notified by email: July 19, 2024 Deadline for selected applicants to submit full proposals: August 16, 2024 3. Funding Restrictions Award funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages. Award fund also cannot be used for other food items not directly related to achieving program objectives. E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 1. Criteria Each SOI will be evaluated and rated on the basis of the evaluation criteria outlined below: Quality of Program Idea (50 points): All programs must include a substantive connection to American culture, policy, and/or practices. Program objectives are closely aligned with U.S. Embassy Bangkok priorities outlined in Section A. Project Description. The idea is communicated well and is feasible. SOIs that promote creative approaches to address program objectives are highly encouraged. The proposed timeline is reasonable. Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives (20 points): The SOI should clearly articulate proposed program activities and expected results towards achieving program objectives and goal(s). Engagement of Target Audiences (20 points): The SOI should identify the target audience outlined in the program description. Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants (10 points): The SOI should demonstrate the organizations expertise, capacity and/or previous experience in administering similar programs. If a local partner is identified, the SOI should briefly describe the partners role and experience. 2. Review and Selection Process A Grants Review Committee will evaluate all eligible SOIs against the criteria listed above. For a fair review, all panelists will only review the information provided through the Google application form, no additional information will be reviewed. The panel may provide conditions and/or recommendations on SOIs to enhance the proposed program. Conditions must be addressed, and recommendations should be addressed, in the full proposal application. 3. Following the review, any successful SOI applicants will be contacted and instructed to submit full applications. A full application will include: Project proposal and budget narratives SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance - organizations) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_Mandatory_3_0-V3.0.pdf or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance - individuals) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_Individual_2_0-V2.0.pdf SF424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424A-V1.0.pdf SF424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs - organizations) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/Mandatory_SF424B-V1.1.pdf or SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs - individuals) at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/Individual_SF424B-V1.1.pdf 4. Required Registrations Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on SAM.GOV All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration with the SAM.gov. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee. Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible. Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Organizations based outside of the United States and that do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Exemptions An exemption from the UEI and sam.gov registration requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if: An applicants identity must be protected due to potential endangerment of their mission, their organizations status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant. For an applicant, if the Federal awarding agency makes a determination that there are exigent circumstances that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award. In these instances, federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the federal award date. Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must email the point of contact listed in the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the application can be deemed eligible for review. F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION Administrative and National Policy Requirements Terms and Conditions: Before submitting the SOI, applicants should review all the terms and conditions and required certifications which will apply if a full proposal application is requested and awarded, to ensure that they will be able to comply. These include: 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 600, and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions which are available at: https://www.state.gov/about-us-office-of-the-procurement-executive/. G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS If you have any questions about the application process, please contact BangkokPD@state.gov. NOTE: A follow-up solicitation (typically sent as or via an email by U.S. Embassy Bangkok) will be issued directly to those organizations or individuals who submitted successful SOIs. It is not reposted on Grant.gov or a public website. The follow-up solicitation must follow the full NOFO template, as well as provide any specific recommendations or conditions articulated by the review panel. No limited or sole source waiver is required specifically for the full proposal stage as any such waiver approved prior to SOI issuance covers the entire competition process. If the SOI step was a full and open competition, the overall process counts as a full and open competition.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) offers this grant to fund a national membership and accreditation organization supporting Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). These centers coordinate responses to child abuse victims by providing training, technical assistance, and promoting national standards. This initiative is in line with the Department of Justice’s efforts to enhance community safety and protect civil rights, focusing on building trust between law enforcement and communities. The program targets to uphold law, ensure national safety, and protect civil rights by fostering environments that support victims of child abuse through multidisciplinary collaborations.

This funding opportunity supports researchers exploring the ethical, legal, and social issues related to human genetic and genomic research, particularly as these technologies become more integrated into healthcare and society.

This grant provides funding to educational institutions and organizations to develop and implement innovative teaching methods in American history and civics, particularly aimed at improving education for underserved students.

The U.S. Embassy Yaound Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) announces the availability of funding through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This is an annual request for Statements of Interest (SOI), outlining funding priorities, strategic themes, and procedures for submitting requests for funding. Please carefully read and follow all instructions below. The submission of a SOI is the first step in a two-part process. Applicants must first submit a SOI, which is a concise, 3-page concept note designed to clearly communicate a program idea and its objectives before the development of a full proposal application. The purpose of the SOI process is to allow applicants the opportunity to submit program ideas for evaluation prior to undertaking the development of full proposal. Upon review of eligible SOIs, PDS will invite selected applicants to expand their ideas into full proposal applications. Purpose of Small Grants: The PDS grants program supports projects proposed by U.S. and Cameroonian academic, cultural, educational, and other non-profit organizations and/or individuals that promote U.S. values, increase understanding between U.S. and Cameroonian people and institutions, and/or support U.S. Embassy goals of promoting government transparency and accountability, economic prosperity, peace and security, environmental sustainability, and climate adaptation. All programs must include an element of American culture or society, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. Priority Program Areas: Governance: Projects promoting democratic principles, improved and inclusive governance, transparency, human rights, religious freedom, empowerment of marginalized groups, citizen engagement, including in elections, civic education, and civil society. Prosperity: Projects promoting economic prosperity, entrepreneurship, bilateral trade and investment, countering corruption Security: Projects promoting peace and security, rule of law, alternatives to violence in resolving conflict, tolerance, preventing radicalization to violence, improving mutual understanding between groups, community policing Sustainability and Climate Change: Projects promoting environmental sustainability and addressing climate change Journalism: Projects promoting a professional and independent media, role of informed citizens in a democracy, media literacy, ethical and investigative journalism. Examples of PDS Small Grants Programs include, but are not limited to : U.S. experts conducting lectures, seminars, or speaking tours with Cameroonian audiences Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions Cultural heritage conservation and preservation programs Professional and academic exchanges and programs Libraries, community centers, or other institutions that are interested in becoming an American Space Programs developed by an alumnus/a of a U.S. sponsored or supported educational or professional exchange program Projects to promote English language teaching skills or widen access to books and other sources of information about the United States

This grant provides funding to early-stage researchers exploring innovative chemical and pharmacological approaches to understanding and treating substance use disorders.

The STRIPE program grant is designed to fund pre-clinical research that explores how radiopharmaceutical therapy affects cancer cells and their environment, with the aim of developing new targeting strategies and informing the design of future RPT-based clinical trials.

This grant provides funding to U.S. small businesses for research and development projects that aim to advance health-related technologies and facilitate their commercialization.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to community coalitions focused on preventing youth substance use by fostering collaboration among various local stakeholders.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to small businesses with active Phase I SBIR or STTR grants from NIH or CDC, helping them accelerate the commercialization of biomedical and public health innovations through training and market research.

This funding opportunity provides competitive grants to colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations for innovative projects that enhance education in areas like artificial intelligence, civil discourse, accreditation reform, and short-term workforce programs.

To establish a Data Center to coordinate and analyze single cell and other molecular data sets generated by Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) and other NIDA-funded HIV and substance use disorder projects and to make the data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) to enable secondary analyses by the scientific community. This is a non-competitive funding opportunity intended to fund a single award. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is announcing its intent to issue a single source cooperative agreement award to the University of Maryland Baltimore to 1. Coordinate all the data generated by the SCORCH consortium, 2. Analyze all the data generated by the SCORCH consortium, 3. Perform necessary SCORCH program scientific outreach activities, and 4. Support SCORCH consortium communication. The current SCORCH Data Center is integrated with the rest of the SCORCH consortium and is familiar with the current data, metadata, and data quality metric standards and data pipelines. They were involved in establishing these standards and have been/are working closely with key personnel on SCORCH data generation projects to ensure data and associated metadata are deposited. Continued support of the University of Maryland Baltimore SCORCH Data Center to complete the SCORCH Program activities will enable seamless SCORCH data coordination and archiving, will prevent disruption in data analysis, and will allow continued support of the currently existing SCORCH website which is the scientific face of the SCORCH program. Background Single Nucleus Assays: Molecular analysis of brain tissue typically relies on ensemble averaging of heterogenous mixtures of cell types within a specific brain region. However, technological advances enable molecular characterization of large numbers of individual cells. Single cell approaches can uncover effects on rarer cell types and have the potential to reveal cellular differences resulting from specific niche environments or transitory cellular states. Some single cell technologies in use include single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), single nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq), single nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin-sequencing (snATAC-seq), single cell Hi-C, and spatial genomics approaches such as multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Individual researchers as well as large project teams including the Human Cell Atlas, Common Fund Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP), and NIH BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) are exploiting these technologies to understand the diversity of cell types within the human body as well as their functions in human health and disease. Addictive Substances. Chronic exposure to addictive substances can lead to long term changes in brain function and to substance use disorders (SUDs). Many known brain regions are involved in addictive processes including the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, striatum, insula, amygdala, and hippocampus. Despite great advances in our understanding of molecular pathways and circuits involved in SUDs, there remains limited knowledge concerning 1. The specific types, numbers, and gene expression profiles of cells within these brain regions and 2. How exposures to addictive substances influence the states and functions of these cells. HIV/ART. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has, in large part, transformed the HIV epidemic into a chronic manageable disease in the United States. However, people living with HIV remain at higher risk for impaired cognitive functions (e.g. HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder [HAND]). Use of addictive substances by HIV-infected individuals has the potential to further alter immune function and/or exacerbate HIV-related CNS impairment. However, little is known about 1. The effects of persistent HIV infection or HIV treatment regimens on gene expression in specific CNS cell types in key brain regions, or 2. How chronic addictive substance use might modify these effects. SCORCH. The Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) consortium was formed to begin to address scientific questions about addiction and HIV/ART questions at the single cell level. Fifteen funded SCORCH data generation projects (NIDA SCORCH Program) have been generating brain snRNA-seq or snATAC-seq data. Four brain types are being assayed by all groups: control, drug-exposed/SUD, HIV+, and HIV+drug exposed/SUD. Emphasis is on individuals with chronic exposure to opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, or cannabinoids. Four groups are generating data from non-human primate brain, four from rodent brain, and nine from human post-mortem brain with some data from human organoids as well. The SCORCH data coordination, analysis, and scientific outreach center was established to standardize and share the single cell molecular HIV/SUD data generated by this program by ensuring that the data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). Harmonized molecular and single cell HIV/SUD data sets will enable data mining by the scientific community to uncover new HIV and/or SUD mechanisms and to identify candidate pathways for therapeutic intervention. The SCORCH Data Center will also enable future mining of these data sets as improved data science and information technology approaches are developed, maximizing NIDA ’s original investment in the data generating activities. Scope. The proposed project should be framed to answer one or more vexing questions about persistent HIV infection in the brain. In addition, the major thrust of the proposed project MUST: Propose to coordinate and analyze single cell and other molecular data sets generated by SCORCH and other NIDA-funded HIV and substance use disorder projects. Propose to make this data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) to enable secondary analyses by the scientific community. Applicants are encouraged to contact NIDA program staff to answer any questions. Key activities of the SCORCH Data Center will be to: Work with SCORCH consortium members to ensure that all data and metadata have standardized formats and associated quality metrics and have been processed through standardized pipelines. Associate new SCORCH data with clinical metadata from the appropriate brain banks or tissue sources. Work closely with the SCORCH consortium PD(s)/PI(s) to analyze the data generated, to develop analysis strategies to integrate the datasets in synergistic ways with other relevant datasets, and to share useful information and insights about these data with the broader biomedical research community. It is anticipated that the SCORCH Data Center will lead an integrative analysis of all the SCORCH single cell data in a capstone publication. Develop strategies to enable and improve coordination, analysis, and sharing of spatial genomics and related data types. Develop strategies to enable and improve coordination, analysis, and sharing of data types from spatially and/or functionally resolved cellular assemblies relevant to HIV or addiction. Examples include but are not limited to anatomical structures, functional networks and ensembles characterized under PAR-20-241/ RFA-DA-22-011/ RFA-DA-23-035 “Large Scale Integrated Mapping and Molecular Profiling of Cell Ensembles and/or Cell-Types Mediating Opioid Action in the Rodent Brain” and RFA-DA-23-036 “Investigating the Effects of Addictive Substances on Brain Developmental Trajectories Using Innovative Scalable Methods for Quantification of Cell Identity, Lineage and Connectivity.” Archive raw and processed datasets generated by the SCORCH consortium in appropriate NIH-supported archives. Maintain, and improve a website to serve as a community-wide nexus for SCORCH protocols, assay and data standards, raw and processed data, data pipelines, and other resources generated by the consortium. Facilitate SCORCH data use by the scientific community for data mining to identify candidates for SUD and/or HIV therapeutic targets or to investigate SUD or HIV mechanisms. Provide user-friendly access to consortium data and by identifying or generating robust tools to enable both naive and experienced investigators to query, integrate, analyze, and model the data. Develop workshops and implement a community outreach strategy to inform the research community of the accomplishments of the SCORCH program and disseminate information about the community resources and data generated by the program. Coordinate SCORCH consortium activities by organizing steering committee meetings, workgroup meetings, external program consultant logistics, and other awardee meetings as needed. Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives : This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) as described in NOT-MH-21-310, submitted as Other Project Information as an attachment (see Section IV). Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material. The PEDP will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation, as well as considered among programmatic matters with respect to funding decisions.

This program provides funding to higher education institutions and their partners to create accessible research facilities for quantum and nanotechnology, supporting diverse users including underrepresented groups and small businesses across the U.S.

This funding opportunity supports research projects that aim to improve the adoption and sustainability of effective health interventions, particularly in underserved communities, while also addressing the reduction of ineffective practices.

This program provides funding to colleges and universities to develop centers that enhance education in critical foreign languages and international studies, addressing national security and economic needs.

This grant provides funding for organizations to assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in managing cultural and natural resources at military installations in Hawaii, ensuring compliance with environmental and historic preservation laws.

The "BRAIN Initiative: Research Resource Grants for Technology Integration and Dissemination" grant aims to support the distribution, integration, and minor improvement of existing neuroscience research tools and technologies, as well as user training, to help achieve the goals outlined in the "BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision" report.

This grant provides funding to U.S. nurse researchers and institutions to develop resources and support innovative studies focused on preventing firearm injuries, particularly among marginalized populations.

This grant provides funding to establish a center that will support researchers in developing new digital therapeutics for substance use disorders by offering technical assistance and guidance for moving their ideas into viable products.