Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0005557
The FY2019 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program Overseas Components opportunity is a U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funding competition to support the international and overseas operations of the YES exchange program. It is offered through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, and is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal government anticipates an active partnership with the recipient in carrying out the program. The central purpose is to advance U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals by engaging young people, strengthening civil society, and building long-term relationships between high school students and host communities in the United States and in partner countries abroad through academic-year, in-person exchanges.
The YES program has two major pieces. The first is the YES inbound program, which brings high school students from designated foreign countries to the United States for an academic-year experience. The second is the YES Abroad program, which sends American high school students to selected YES countries for a comparable academic-year experience. This particular FY2019 award focuses on the "overseas components" of these exchanges. For inbound international students, the award covers the work that happens before and around their U.S. stay: recruiting candidates in their home countries, selecting participants, providing pre-departure orientations, arranging and coordinating travel, maintaining communication and liaison functions with students' natural parents, coordinating with U.S. embassies, and sustaining alumni engagement after the exchange. A key detail is that the actual placement of inbound students in U.S. host families and schools, and their support while in the United States, is not handled under this award and instead is covered through separate awards.
For the YES Abroad side, this cooperative agreement supports the full range of activities, including not only recruitment, selection, orientations, and travel logistics, but also the in-country placement and on-the-ground support of American participants overseas. The recipient is expected to identify and secure appropriate host families and schools and to provide the programming and participant support structure needed for U.S. students living abroad. The announcement notes that American participants would be placed in roughly thirteen countries, indicating that the implementing organization must be capable of coordinating across multiple international sites, each with its own school systems, host family screening realities, child welfare considerations, and local support networks.
Across both inbound and abroad elements, the work described is end-to-end program management on the overseas side: building recruitment pipelines, running transparent and competitive selection processes, delivering orientations for participants and other stakeholders, coordinating international travel, ensuring consistent communication with U.S. embassies and natural families, and developing follow-on alumni activities that reinforce civil society outcomes such as leadership development, community engagement, and mutual understanding. The alumni component is not treated as an optional add-on; it is positioned as a continuation of the program's impact by keeping participants connected and encouraging them to apply what they learned in their communities.
Eligibility is limited to U.S. public and private non-profit organizations that meet the requirements of Internal Revenue Code 26 USC 501(c)(3). In practical terms, this means established nonprofit entities with the capacity to manage large-scale youth exchanges, safeguard minors, coordinate international travel and compliance requirements, and maintain working relationships with overseas partners and U.S. government stakeholders. The funding opportunity is categorized as discretionary, with the funding instrument explicitly identified as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 19.415.
Administratively, the opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0005557. It was created on January 30, 2019, with an original closing date of April 1, 2019. The posted award ceiling is $17,030,000, signaling a large, multi-country, high-volume exchange operation requiring substantial organizational infrastructure. The agency is the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the overall emphasis is on managing the overseas recruitment and preparation pipeline for inbound students while fully operating the abroad experience for American students, all in service of long-term relationship-building and civic leadership outcomes aligned with U.S. public diplomacy goals.Apply for SFOP0005557
- 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 "FY2019 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program Overseas Components" 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 Jan 30, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 01, 2019. (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 $17,030,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: FY2019 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program Overseas Components (SFOP0005557)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funding competition for the FY2019 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program Overseas Components. It supports the international and overseas operations of the YES exchange program.
2) Which Department of State office is offering it?
The opportunity is offered through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division.
3) What type of award is it?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. That means the U.S. government anticipates an active partnership with the recipient in carrying out the program, rather than a hands-off relationship.
4) What is the central purpose of the YES Program described here?
The central purpose is to advance U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals by engaging young people, strengthening civil society, and building long-term relationships between high school students and host communities in the United States and in partner countries abroad through academic-year, in-person exchanges.
5) What are the two major parts of the YES Program?
The YES program has two main pieces: (1) the YES inbound program, which brings high school students from designated foreign countries to the United States for an academic-year experience, and (2) the YES Abroad program, which sends American high school students to selected YES countries for a comparable academic-year experience.
6) What does "Overseas Components" mean in this competition?
In this context, "Overseas Components" refers to the work that occurs internationally and outside the United States for both the inbound and abroad exchanges. This includes recruitment, selection, orientations, international travel coordination, communication with families and embassies, and alumni engagement, plus additional in-country responsibilities for the YES Abroad placements.
7) What inbound (international-to-U.S.) activities are covered by this award?
For inbound international students, the award covers overseas and pre-U.S. functions such as recruiting candidates in their home countries, selecting participants, providing pre-departure orientations, arranging and coordinating travel, maintaining communication and liaison functions with students' natural parents, coordinating with U.S. embassies, and sustaining alumni engagement after the exchange.
8) What inbound activities are specifically not covered under this award?
Placement of inbound students in U.S. host families and U.S. schools, and their support while they are in the United States, are not handled under this award. Those U.S.-based placement and support functions are covered through separate awards.
9) What YES Abroad (U.S.-to-overseas) activities are covered by this award?
For the YES Abroad program, this cooperative agreement supports the full range of activities, including recruitment, selection, orientations, travel logistics, in-country placement, and on-the-ground support of American participants overseas.
10) Does the recipient have to arrange host families and school placements overseas for YES Abroad participants?
Yes. The recipient is expected to identify and secure appropriate host families and schools and to provide the programming and participant support structure needed for U.S. students living abroad.
11) How many countries are involved for the YES Abroad placements?
The announcement notes that American participants would be placed in roughly thirteen countries.
12) What kinds of operational capabilities does an implementing organization need for YES Abroad?
Because placements span multiple international sites, the implementing organization must be able to coordinate across different countries with different school systems, host family screening realities, child welfare considerations, and local support networks.
13) What are the core program management functions expected across both inbound and abroad elements?
Across both elements, the described work includes building recruitment pipelines, running transparent and competitive selection processes, delivering orientations for participants and other stakeholders, coordinating international travel, ensuring consistent communication with U.S. embassies and natural families, and developing follow-on alumni activities.
14) Is alumni engagement required as part of this opportunity?
Yes. Alumni engagement is positioned as a continuation of the program's impact, keeping participants connected and encouraging them to apply what they learned in their communities. It is not presented as an optional add-on.
15) What kinds of outcomes are emphasized for alumni engagement?
The opportunity frames alumni engagement around reinforcing civil society outcomes such as leadership development, community engagement, and mutual understanding.
16) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to U.S. public and private non-profit organizations that meet the requirements of Internal Revenue Code 26 USC 501(c)(3).
17) What does the eligibility requirement imply about organizational capacity?
It implies applicants should be established nonprofit entities with the capacity to manage large-scale youth exchanges, safeguard minors, coordinate international travel and compliance requirements, and maintain working relationships with overseas partners and U.S. government stakeholders.
18) Is this a discretionary or mandatory funding opportunity?
This opportunity is categorized as discretionary.
19) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The cooperative agreement is identified under CFDA 19.415.
20) What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is SFOP0005557.
21) When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on January 30, 2019.
22) What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was April 1, 2019.
23) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The posted award ceiling is $17,030,000.
24) What does the award ceiling suggest about the scale of work?
The award ceiling suggests a large, multi-country, high-volume exchange operation that requires substantial organizational infrastructure to manage recruitment, selections, orientations, travel, placements abroad, participant support, embassy coordination, and alumni activities.
25) Which agency and bureau are associated with this competition?
The agency is the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
26) How does this award relate to U.S.-based hosting for inbound YES students?
This award focuses on the overseas side for inbound students (recruitment, selection, pre-departure preparation, and related liaison/travel functions). The U.S.-based host family and school placement and support are explicitly handled through separate awards, not this one.
27) What kind of participant experience is the program built around?
The program is built around academic-year, in-person exchanges for high school students, both for inbound students coming to the United States and for American students going abroad.
28) What relationships must the recipient maintain during implementation?
The recipient is expected to maintain consistent communication and liaison functions with students' natural parents and coordinate with U.S. embassies, reflecting ongoing collaboration with families and U.S. government stakeholders.
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