Federal grant programs / Department of State

Academic Exchange Programs - English Language Programs (19.421)

Also known as English Access Scholarship; English Language Fellow Specialist Virtual Educator; and Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Programs

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$180 million
• Grant awards101
• Typical award$4,583
• Awarded in FY 2025$4.2 million
• Size rank636 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $50.6 million in fiscal 2021 to $4.2 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 636th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 17 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 7 states and territories.

What the program funds

As authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) seeks to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange programs, including the exchange of scholars, researchers, professionals, students, and educators. ECA programs foster engagement and encourage dialogue with citizens around the world. Educational and cultural engagement is premised on the knowledge that mutual understanding, the development of future leaders, and the benefits of education programs influence societies and affect official decision-making almost everywhere in the world today. ECA programs inform, engage, and influence participants across strategic sectors of society – including young people, teachers, scholars, journalists, and other professionals – the number of foreign individuals who have first-hand experience with Americans and with the values of freedom, representative government, rule of law, economic choice, and individual dignity, while building international knowledge and capacity among Americans. The purpose of English Language Programs is to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals and strengthen relationships with foreign publics by supporting English language education.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended (Fulbright-Hays Act) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State awards grants and cooperative agreements to educational and cultural public or private nonprofit foundations or institutions. Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Organizations must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please refer to the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's MyGrants (formerly SAMS Domestic) announcement for further eligibility criteria.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funding is provided to non-profit organizations to support their work in designing and administering programs as well as coordinating program logistics for U.S. English language educators, underserved foreign students and teachers of English as a foreign language as participants in study and professional development and international exchanges. Funding to those organizations supports activities such as publicity and recruitment, screening of applications, communication with recipients, payment of stipends, and other program costs and the provision of enrichment activities. The English Language Fellow Program fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries by sending talented, highly qualified U.S. educators in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) on ten-month fellowships and shorter term virtual fellowships to overseas academic institutions in all regions of the world. The Program promotes English language learning and enhances English teaching capacity abroad. The English Language Specialist Program recruits U.S. academics and professionals in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) to conduct programs overseas, both in person and virtually, for a minimum of two weeks.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

$5,800,000 to $18,200,000.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 68% of the money, colleges and universities 32% and individuals 0.1%.

By state

2 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are North Carolina and District of Columbia.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.