English Access Scholarship Program | STI40024CA0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for STI40024CA0001

The English Access Scholarship Program (Access) is a U.S. Embassy Dushanbe, Tajikistan Public Diplomacy funding opportunity to select an implementing organization to run a two-year English language scholarship program for underserved Tajik youth. The award will be structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the Embassy will play an active, ongoing role in key decisions and oversight, including approving plans and expenses, supporting recruitment and selection of teachers and students, advising on curriculum, visiting sites, and participating in major program events. The implementer must be a legally recognized non-governmental organization (or other eligible entity such as a public organization or private higher education institution) that can meet both U.S. and Tajikistan legal and technical requirements and can manage compliance-heavy grant administration, financial documentation, and auditing standards.

At its core, Access is a global U.S. Department of State program launched in 2004 to provide bright, economically disadvantaged students (typically 9th graders aged 14 to 15) with a strong foundation in English and broader life skills. In Tajikistan, the program is designed as a two-year, 360-hour experience that blends after-school classroom instruction with structured off-site activities that directly reinforce what students learn in class. The in-class component must run at least 6 hours per week, with no more than 2 instructional hours per day, and students are expected to commit for the full two years. Successful participants receive a U.S. Embassy certificate of completion, and the program is positioned as a pipeline that helps motivated students compete later for exchanges and scholarships such as FLEX, TechGirls, UGRAD, and Fulbright-related opportunities.

The required curriculum is built around the Access program pillars: global citizenship themes, U.S. culture and values, 21st-century skills, and English language instruction. For this particular Tajikistan competition, the Embassy specifies that the curriculum must emphasize media literacy and civic engagement. In practice, that means students should not only improve reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but do so through content that teaches them how to analyze and evaluate information, recognize disinformation, identify credible sources, and understand the rights and responsibilities tied to communication and ethical participation in public life. Civic engagement elements are expected to be experiential, using volunteerism, community service, leadership practice, and community problem-solving activities so students connect English learning to real-life contexts and active citizenship.

The primary audience is youth from low-income communities, especially areas heavily affected by labor migration and considered vulnerable to extremist influence. The opportunity highlights rural communities in Khatlon (including villages around Kulob, Danghara, Qubodiyon, and Shahrituz) as well as districts under Dushanbe Republican Subordination (including Tursunzoda, Rudaki, Obigarm, and other remote areas). The program aims to reach students with beginning-level English who show promise and interest in constructive themes like volunteerism, sustainability and environment, technology, and womens empowerment, with a broader goal of helping youth build skills linked to future careers and Tajikistans economic development.

Applicants are expected to propose a full program model, not just classes. That includes a clear pedagogical approach; a detailed recruitment and selection process for students (and coordination with the Embassy on selection); a plan for organizing students by different English proficiency levels; strategies to motivate and retain students for consistent attendance over two years; and a parent and community engagement approach so families understand the programs purpose and support participation. Proposals must also include a monitoring and evaluation plan with specific outputs and outcomes aligned to the opportunitys objectives, using the required Performance Monitoring Plan framework referenced in the attachments.

Teacher quality and professional development are central expectations. The Embassy recommends using American Headway textbooks across four levels (Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate) and expects implementers to plan for purchasing books and supplies. Providers are also strongly encouraged to budget for teachers to participate in at least two hours per month of professional development via the free Access Teacher Community of Practice (CoP), which offers model lessons and webinars (including American culture topics). Before instruction begins, the implementer should also train teachers on all four program pillars, drawing on resources such as OPEN courses and trainings supported by the Regional English Language Office, and then continue professional development throughout the two-year period.

Operationally, the selected provider will be responsible for delivering instruction and off-site activities, supporting teacher development, monitoring implementation quality, and keeping the Embassy informed of progress, challenges, and notable achievements. The provider must also invite Embassy staff to key events and site visits, and submit student success stories in a timely manner for Embassy use, including on social media. Strong financial controls are essential, since the provider must document participant costs (such as transportation and snacks), materials, staffing, administration, and any other direct program expenses in line with U.S. government regulations.

Funding is expected to average about $1,000 per student for the two-year program, with projects typically serving up to 50 students, though proposals that reach more students at lower cost are encouraged. The award amount range is $24,000 to $50,000, with a $50,000 ceiling and $24,000 floor, and the anticipated start date is November 30, 2024. The performance period is two years (or less), and while the notice indicates one award per grantee for two or more sites, the broader opportunity record also notes multiple expected awards overall. Applicants must submit both a technical proposal and a detailed cost proposal, and should be prepared for substantial Embassy involvement throughout planning, approvals, implementation, and compliance.

• The U.S. Mission to Tajikistan in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "English Access Scholarship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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