Notice of Funding Opportunity: Engaging U.S. Experts in Kosovo

Program Goal and Objectives

• The overarching goal of the U.S. Expert Program is to support Kosovan organizations to develop, shape and promote a broad range of non-formal educational and cultural programs leading to Kosovo’s social and human capital development. The program provides a platform for exchanging ideas, information, and best practices through virtual and in-person interactions.
• The program seeks to bring U.S. experts and professionals to Kosovo to engage and share their American practices and perspectives with local audiences on a broad range of educational and cultural topics, thereby providing youth, emerging leaders, and established opinion makers with new and valuable insights they can apply to their lives and communities.
• Potential applicants are encouraged to focus on the following themes:
  • Facilitating non-formal educational and cultural activities, including music and arts
  • Providing skill building activities for youth from underserved communities
  • Supporting trust-building and interethnic collaboration activities among Kosovan communities.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $80,000
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $30,000
• Length of performance period: 6 to 12 months
• Number of awards anticipated: up to 4 awards (dependent on amounts)
• Anticipated programs start date: Applicants should plan to submit their proposals 3 – 6 months before they intend to begin their program activities.

Types of Activities and Mode of Delivery

• The U.S. Expert Program provides opportunities for U.S. experts to engage with Kosovan audiences through, but not limited to, formal and non-formal cultural and educational activities, lectures, workshops, conferences, seminars, media appearances, and consultancy services. However, this program does not encompass teaching university courses or conducting research programs.
• For maximum impact, audience engagement is best achieved through a series of activities over an extended period; however, one-time events and short-term activities, such as conferences, may also be supported. The program accommodates both traveling and virtual experts and a blend of both, and applicants can request a single expert or a series of experts, subject to funding availability. Proposals should specify the preferred mode of engagement, whether traveling, virtual, or blended.
  • Traveling Programs: A U.S.-based expert travels to Kosovo to deliver lectures, act as a consultant, jointly develop a program, or facilitate workshops and seminars, as deemed appropriate and arranged by the hosting organization.
  • Virtual Programs: The U.S.-based expert engages with Kosovan audiences in real-time through virtual platforms. The expert may deliver the program remotely from within or outside the U.S. Virtual interactions can be tailored to be one-to-one, multi-point, or a combination, depending on the audience’s nature and location. Please take into consideration the time difference when scheduling a virtual program.
  • Blended Programs: The U.S.-based expert travels to Kosovo and also conducts a portion of the program virtually.

Participants and Audiences

• Applicants must provide at least one primary program demographic from the following:
  • Youth in Transition: This audience includes youth, ages 14 – 18, high school students and students transitioning into higher/technical education; and 18 – 23, graduate students and youth transitioning into the job market.
  • Emerging Decision Makers: This audience includes people ages 24 – 35, who are future leaders in business, technology, education, government, and public administration. They include entrepreneurs, social activists, and civil servants with three to five years of work experience and have been identified as “rising stars.”
  • Established Influencers: This audience includes people ages 35+, including but not limited to alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs and public figures at the top of their industry (e.g., innovators, technology leaders, business owners, academics, civil society leaders, and politicians), who can exert a positive influence on society.

Priority Region: Kosovo

Eligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:
  • Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations;
  • Public and private educational institutions, registered in Kosovo.
• Proposals with no U.S. experts engaged in the implementation of proposed project activities shall be considered ineligible under this NOFO.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.