other · DOS-ECA

FY 2026 Community Solutions Program

Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs · DFOP0018816

Closed

Award Range

$3.0M – $3.0M

Expected Awards

Deadline

July 23, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is funding one organization ($3M) to run the Community Solutions Program (CSP) — an exchange program that brings international community leaders to the U.S. for fellowships focused on local economic development, entrepreneurship, and community leadership. Think: 4-month U.S. placements where international fellows work alongside American community organizations, learn U.S. approaches to local challenges, then return home to implement similar solutions.

Who Should Apply

Large nonprofits or universities with extensive experience managing international exchange programs, fellowship cohorts, and placement logistics across multiple U.S. communities. Must have existing State Department exchange program experience.

Who Should NOT Apply

Local community organizations, small nonprofits without national exchange program capacity, for-profit companies, organizations without J-1 visa sponsorship experience, or groups that haven't previously managed State Department programs.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must be a nonprofit or educational institution
•Must have capacity to manage international exchange fellowship program
•Must place fellows in communities across the United States
•Must focus on economic development, entrepreneurship, and community leadership
•Must handle all logistics (visas, housing, placements, monitoring)
•No cost-sharing required

💡 GrantQuick Tip

This is a re-competition of an existing program. The incumbent has years of community host site relationships, alumni networks, and State Department trust. To compete, you'd need to demonstrate equal or better capacity for managing 50-100 international fellows per cohort, placements in 30+ U.S. communities, and strong post-program tracking. If you're not already running State Department exchange programs at scale, this $3M award isn't your entry point.

Competitiveness: Very high — single $3M award with strong incumbent advantage. Only 3-5 organizations nationally run exchange programs at this scale.

What This Grant Funds

The Global Leaders Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) seeks proposals for a cooperative agreement to design and implement the FY 2026 Community Solutions Program (CSP). The United States has a strong tradition of hard work, entrepreneurship, and local leadership that has powered economic growth. American communities succeed by building on what they do best — innovating, strengthening key industries, and coordinating business, workforce, and community leadership to deliver results. CSP invests in American and international community leaders interested in learning from proven U.S. approaches to regional economic growth. It will engage leaders, ages 27–39, who will work alongside American partners to understand how regional industry clusters and locally driven strategies expand opportunities that benefit the American people. During a three- to four-month exchange in the United States, approximately 50–60 participants will work directly with American counterparts on real-world economic growth initiatives across key sectors such as: culinary industries/farm-to-table; business and entrepreneurship; hospitality and tourism; technology and innovation, and others as proposed. Placements will demonstrate how U.S. communities organize around regional industry clusters to attract talent, secure investment, grow businesses, and strengthen local economies.

Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.