The U.S. Department of State’s IDEAS Program is pleased to announce the launch of its 2023 IDEAS grant competition, which assists U.S. colleges and universities in creating, diversifying, and/or expanding their study abroad programming in support of U.S. foreign policy goals. The IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.
U.S. colleges and universities are invited to submit applications for projects to create, expand, and/or diversify outbound study abroad programs and/or resources that align with U.S. foreign policy goals. The 2023 grant competition will award approximately 30 grants of up to $35,000 each to accredited colleges and universities. This cycle will also pilot an opportunity for consortia of U.S. colleges and universities to apply for additional funding for collaborative projects focused on building study abroad capacity at higher education institutions serving Indigenous peoples of the United States. Approximately one IDEAS consortium grant of up to $50,000 will be awarded in this category.
The 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) process is divided into two phases in order to make the grant competition more accessible and equitable, in particular for lower-resourced institutions whose staff may not have extensive grant-writing experience. In Phase One of the RFP process, U.S. colleges and universities will submit a brief proposal describing the concept and general components of their proposed projects to build, diversify, and/or expand study abroad capacity at their institutions. Successful Phase One applications will describe a high-quality project idea aligned with the eligibility requirements listed within the RFP. The IDEAS Program will then invite approximately 65 semi-finalist applicants to submit full proposals during Phase Two of the competition.
Phase One of this competition will open on October 26, 2022, and close on December 16, 2022, at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time via the IDEAS Grant Competition Application Portal. Should your institution be unable to access and/or submit an online application, please email IDEAS@worldlearning.org to inquire about alternative submission options. Applications submitted after the closing date and time will not be considered.
2023 Grant Competition Timeline
October 26, 2022 November 8, 2022 November 17, 2022 November 29, 2022 December 16, 2022 January 2023 Early February 2023 April 14, 2023 April-May 2023 June 2023 August 1, 2023-July 31, 2025
We invite your questions concerning this RFP; please submit them to IDEAS@worldlearning.org with “IDEAS 2023 Grant Application – Your Institution Name” in the subject line. A list of frequently asked questions from previous grant competitions is available on the program website. The IDEAS Program will host optional but recommended webinars to discuss the grant competition throughout November 2022. A recording of each webinar will be shared on the program website within one week of the webinar. Please see the RFP for more information and above for registration links.
Issuance of this RFP, or the submission of an application, does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. Department of State and/or World Learning, nor does it commit the U.S. Department of State and/or World Learning to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. The U.S. Department of State reserves the right not to fund any or all applications received.
For any other questions or information, please email the IDEAS Program at IDEAS@worldlearning.org. You may also sign up for the IDEAS Program email list via https://www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.org/ to receive regular updates about the grant competition and other capacity building initiatives.
The IDEAS Program is designed to increase and diversify American student mobility in support of U.S. foreign policy goals. The program expands the institutional capacity of U.S. colleges and universities to support study abroad programs through IDEAS grants, IDEAS workshops and webinars, and an online library of resources.
