Grants to support American-Style Higher Education in Iraq

In addition to high academic standards and progressive curricula, programs will facilitate critical thinking and tolerance of different opinions and beliefs to foster community cohesion and engagement. Programs will strengthen the diversity of the student body of American-style Iraqi institutions of higher education (IHEs), support retention of students, faculty, and staff, and provide the knowledge and skills graduates require for success in governmental, non-governmental, and private sector leadership positions.

Proposals should facilitate professional skills development, including improving English proficiency among students and faculty; virtual or inperson exchanges with U.S.-based IHEs or other regional American-style IHEs; capacity building for faculty and administrators in areas like research, curriculum and pedagogic development, governance, management and administration; practical training and education for specific skilled careers; and career development services for students, including career advisory, internship opportunities, and soft-skills training.

To support the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), proposals must address the distinct needs of women as students and faculty to increase access to higher education through targeted recruitment and assistance efforts; provide tailored assistance to ensure completion of graduation requirements; develop students’ professional and leadership skills which promote economic empowerment; and may support professional advancement of women in fields of academia.

Proposals should contribute to the following objectives in Iraq: strengthening relationships across ethnic and religious divisions, promoting tolerance, opposing and reducing vulnerability to extremist ideology, and fostering economic development.

Achievable Objectives 

A successful project must include, but does not need to be limited to:

• Improvement in institutional capacity, as evidenced by:
  • New or enhanced partnerships and affiliations with U.S. and/or regional American-style IHE(s) that improve student experience, enhance faculty’s professional development, and guide Iraqi IHEs towards best practices in higher education;
  • Improved institutional policy and governance structure, including an independent governing board, broad-based strategic planning, and policy transparency;
  • Increased faculty and student body recruitment, retention, and diversity, consistent with Iraq’s religious, ethnic, and geographic diversity, with a focus on economically disadvantaged individuals;
  • Improved infrastructure, facilities, and services to support student performance, experience, and post-graduation employability.
• Enhanced quality of education and student outcomes, as evidenced by:
  • Updated learning material that adequately prepares students for the employment market, incorporation of experiential and scenario-based learning into curriculum, and enhanced English language instruction and performance;
  • Improved career development services, including internships, job fairs, career advisors, soft skills training, and alumni networks;
  • Improved employment rates for graduates.
• Demonstrable progress toward programmatic or institutional accreditation by U.S. and Iraqi accrediting organizations.
• Clear, demonstrable efforts to support and uplift women, as evidenced by:
  • Targeted recruitment initiatives to increase the number of women enrolled in Iraqi IHEs;
  • Development of fields of study, course offerings and/or majors related to women’s issues;
  • New or improved services to increase retention and graduation rates of female students; and/or,
  • Enhanced career development services for women to provide opportunities for meaningful participation in the economy.

Funding Information

• Estimated Number of Awards: 4
• Estimated Total Program Funding: $10,000,000
• Estimated Award Ceiling: $3,000,000
• Estimated Award Floor: $1,000,000
• Estimated Length of Project Period: 12-24 Months
• The estimated start date for this project is October 1, 2024.

Activities

Project activities may include:

• Activities to improve institutional capacity and financial sustainability.
• Activities to work toward accreditation by U.S. and Iraqi accrediting bodies, including academic and vocational/trade accrediting bodies.
• Curricula and activities designed to expose students to a broad variety of perspectives and worldviews, as well as expansion of digital and physical library services and resources.
• Activities to enhance partnerships and linkages with U.S. and regional IHEs, such as the development and sustainment of exchange programs, joint degree programs, faculty exchanges, consortia, and sharing of best practices.
• Program elements that support the transition from academic or vocational student to professional roles especially in the private sector, possibly including, but not limited to, employment counseling and career development programs.

Project Beneficiaries

Project beneficiaries must include:

• Students from different religious, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, representing the diversity of Iraq’s population, who would not otherwise be financially able to attend IHEs.
• Women in Iraq (at least 40% of budgeted project activities must directly benefit women in Iraq).

Eligible Countries and Territories 

• In this announcement, they seek to support projects in Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR).
• Applications that focus on activities in countries other than those listed will NOT be considered.

Eligible Applicants 

• Eligible applicants must be an American-style Institution of Higher Education in Iraq, to include the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, that is non-state sponsored and offers a postsecondary level academic curriculum that leads to a vocational, associate’s, bachelor’s, or higher degree.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.