StoriesBack to Stories

The U.S. State Department and American Councils for International Education are pleased to announce the 2020 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Alumni Grants Competition. The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered by American Councils for International Education. The grants are available to YES and YES Abroad alumni to enable you to contribute to your communities through projects in areas such as:

• Inclusion of People with Disabilities**
• Conflict Resolution
• Entrepreneurship
• Interfaith Dialogue
• Media Literacy
• English Language and American Culture
• Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment

** In honor of the July 2020 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the YES Alumni Grants program strongly encourages grant project proposals for activities or events held through December 2020 based on the theme of fostering an inclusive environment, working with people with disabilities, or disabilities advocacy. Extra consideration will be given to strong applications along this theme.

Grant projects can begin anytime after July 1, 2020 and must be completed by March 31, 2021. The application will be open from December 17, 2019 through January 31, 2020. 

You can find the application here: https://ais.americancouncils.org/yesalumni

A Grants Program Overview and Proposal Writing webinar was held on December 13, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This webinar provided a general overview of the YES Alumni Grants program, including grant program guidelines, types of projects, timeline, selection criteria, application process, and budgeting tips. It discussed how to articulate a project idea in a grant proposal and cover the essential elements of writing a compelling proposal. Participants were encouraged to come up with innovative ways to address the who, what, where, when, why, and how of potential projects. Watch a recording of the webinar here.

Have questions? Contact [email protected].