Opportunity Information: Apply for SCAKAB 12 AW 008 SCA 05222012
Apply for SCAKAB 12 AW 008 SCA 05222012
- The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Preparing Afghan Secondary Students for the Ministry of Educations Foreign Scholarships Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.501 Public Diplomacy Programs for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 22, 2012 and posted on May 22, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 6, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $250,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Eligibility is open to all Afghan, organizations or companies with direct experience in Afghanistan s educational environment and a proven track record of success implementing projects in Afghanistan.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity, titled "Preparing Afghan Secondary Students for the Ministry of Education's Foreign Scholarships Program" (Funding Opportunity Number SCAKAB-12-AW-008), was released by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul under the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. It is a discretionary grant designed to support education-focused programming that helps Afghan students compete for and succeed in the Ministry of Education's foreign scholarship pipeline. The core purpose is to fund intensive English language instruction and targeted scholarship-related preparation, with an emphasis on reaching students in some of Afghanistan's least developed provinces and doing so in coordination with Afghanistan's Ministry of Education.
The program is structured around delivering English language training to a large cohort and more specialized test preparation to a smaller subset. PAS anticipated issuing one or multiple awards to provide intensive English training to approximately 2,000 selected students. From within that group, around 200 students were expected to receive dedicated preparation for standardized English proficiency exams, specifically TOEFL and IELTS, which are commonly required for international academic admissions and scholarship consideration. The intent is to raise overall English proficiency among participants while also ensuring that top candidates are ready to meet exam benchmarks tied to study-abroad scholarship opportunities.
Geographically, the project targets three districts in each of twelve identified provinces: Nooristan, Paktika, Zabul, Uruzgan, Hilmand, Sar-e Pul, Farah, Ghor, Badghis, Samangan, Kandahar, and Kunar. The Ministry of Education was expected to select the three districts per province, and the announcement notes that these districts would likely be located in or very near each provincial capital, presumably to improve feasibility, access, and oversight. The student population to be served includes gender-balanced high school students as well as recent high school graduates, reflecting an explicit expectation that both young women and young men benefit from the training and have a fair chance to advance toward scholarship eligibility.
On funding and administrative details, the opportunity listed an estimated total funding amount of $250,000, with an award ceiling of $250,000 and an award floor of $20,800. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide their own funds as a condition of award. The CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 19.501 (Public Diplomacy Programs for Afghanistan and Pakistan), reinforcing that the program sits within U.S. public diplomacy and educational exchange goals, even though the direct activity is classroom-based instruction and exam readiness.
Eligibility was open to Afghan organizations and companies with direct experience working in Afghanistan's educational environment and a proven record of successful project implementation in-country. In practical terms, this points to local institutions such as Afghan NGOs, education providers, training centers, or other Afghan entities that can demonstrate capacity to recruit students, deliver instruction across multiple provinces, coordinate with government counterparts, and manage grant compliance and reporting expectations. Because PAS anticipated possibly making more than one award, applicants could propose approaches tailored to certain regions or implementation models, as long as they aligned with the overarching objective and geographic scope defined in the announcement.
The opportunity was posted on May 22, 2012, with a closing date of July 6, 2012, and it was later archived on August 5, 2012. Questions about accessing the full announcement were directed to the grants manager in the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul (Cynthia Rafferty), indicating that PAS served as the primary administrative and technical point of contact for this solicitation. Overall, the grant sought practical, scalable solutions to improve English proficiency and test readiness for Afghan secondary-level students in underserved provinces, directly supporting their competitiveness for the Ministry of Education's foreign scholarship opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The grant opportunity is titled "Preparing Afghan Secondary Students for the Ministry of Education's Foreign Scholarships Program."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is SCAKAB-12-AW-008.
Who released this funding opportunity?
This opportunity was released by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul under the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
What type of grant is this?
This is described as a discretionary grant.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The core purpose is to support education-focused programming that helps Afghan students compete for and succeed in Afghanistan's Ministry of Education foreign scholarship pipeline, primarily through intensive English language instruction and targeted scholarship-related preparation.
What kinds of activities does the grant aim to fund?
The announcement emphasizes two primary activity areas: (1) intensive English language training for a large group of students, and (2) more specialized preparation tied to scholarship requirements, including readiness for standardized English proficiency exams.
How many students were expected to receive English language training?
PAS anticipated issuing one or multiple awards to provide intensive English training to approximately 2,000 selected students.
How many students were expected to receive TOEFL/IELTS preparation?
From within the larger cohort, around 200 students were expected to receive dedicated preparation for TOEFL and IELTS.
Which exams are specifically mentioned for test preparation?
The opportunity specifically references TOEFL and IELTS as the standardized English proficiency exams for which some students would receive targeted preparation.
Why are TOEFL and IELTS preparation activities included?
The intent is to help top candidates meet exam benchmarks commonly required for international academic admissions and scholarship consideration, strengthening their competitiveness for study-abroad scholarship opportunities.
Which provinces are targeted by the project?
The project targets districts in the following twelve provinces: Nooristan, Paktika, Zabul, Uruzgan, Hilmand, Sar-e Pul, Farah, Ghor, Badghis, Samangan, Kandahar, and Kunar.
How many districts per province are included?
The program targets three districts in each of the twelve identified provinces.
Who selects the districts within each province?
The Ministry of Education was expected to select the three districts per province.
Are the targeted districts expected to be in specific locations within each province?
Yes. The announcement notes the districts would likely be located in or very near each provincial capital to improve feasibility, access, and oversight.
Who is the intended student population?
The student population includes gender-balanced high school students as well as recent high school graduates.
Is there an expectation regarding gender balance among participants?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly expects that both young women and young men benefit from the training and have a fair chance to advance toward scholarship eligibility.
What is the estimated total funding amount for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount is $250,000.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $250,000.
What is the award floor?
The award floor is $20,800.
Is cost-sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 19.501 (Public Diplomacy Programs for Afghanistan and Pakistan).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was open to Afghan organizations and companies with direct experience working in Afghanistan's educational environment and a proven record of successful project implementation in-country.
What types of organizations does the eligibility description point to?
Based on the description, eligible applicants could include Afghan NGOs, education providers, training centers, or other Afghan entities that can demonstrate capacity to recruit students, deliver instruction across multiple provinces, coordinate with government counterparts, and manage grant compliance and reporting.
Does the opportunity anticipate making one award or multiple awards?
PAS anticipated issuing one or multiple awards.
Can applicants propose different implementation approaches?
Yes. Because PAS anticipated possibly making more than one award, applicants could propose approaches tailored to certain regions or implementation models, as long as they aligned with the overarching objective and geographic scope described in the announcement.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on May 22, 2012.
What was the application closing date?
The closing date was July 6, 2012.
When was the opportunity archived?
The opportunity was later archived on August 5, 2012.
Who was the point of contact for questions about the full announcement?
Questions about accessing the full announcement were directed to the grants manager in the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul: Cynthia Rafferty.
Which U.S. government office served as the primary administrative and technical contact?
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was identified as the primary administrative and technical point of contact for this solicitation.
What overall outcomes was the grant trying to achieve?
The grant sought practical, scalable solutions to improve English proficiency and TOEFL/IELTS readiness for Afghan secondary-level students in underserved provinces, directly supporting their competitiveness for the Ministry of Education's foreign scholarship opportunities.
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