Professional Development Training for STEM Secondary and Post Secondary Educators in Kirkuk | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this grant opportunity about?

This is a U.S. Embassy in Baghdad (U.S. Mission to Iraq) cooperative agreement opportunity to fund a one-year professional development program for STEM educators in Kirkuk Province. The program aims to strengthen participants' English communication skills and modern, practical STEM teaching practice.

2) Who is the target audience for the training program?

The program is intended for a mixed cohort of STEM educators in Kirkuk Province, including both secondary school teachers and university-level STEM instructors.

3) How many educators will participate?

The program is designed to train roughly 30 to 45 educators in the online/virtual phase. From that larger group, about 8 to 10 participants will be competitively selected for a four-to-six-week immersion program in the United States.

4) What are the main phases of the program?

The project has two main phases:

• An online or virtual training component for approximately 30 to 45 educators in Kirkuk.
• A U.S.-based immersion program for about 8 to 10 competitively selected participants lasting four to six weeks.

5) What outcomes is the Embassy looking for?

The Embassy is seeking measurable improvements in participants' oral English skills, stronger classroom pedagogy and STEM methodology, participants' ability to train other teachers after returning to Kirkuk (a multiplier effect), and firsthand exposure to U.S. approaches to STEM curriculum development and instruction.

6) What kind of training approach is expected?

The model is expected to be practical and classroom-focused rather than purely theoretical. Proposals must include current STEM teaching methodology and classroom management, and should emphasize hands-on practice.

7) What specific instructional elements must proposals include?

Proposals must incorporate instruction on modern STEM teaching methodology and classroom management, including lesson plan development, microteaching, and team teaching. The Embassy also expects hands-on work such as developing lesson plans, delivering presentations, and conducting lessons using those plans.

8) Is English training required, and what kind?

Yes. English language training must be included, but it is not intended to be generic. It must be tailored for STEM educators and provide real opportunities to interact with native English speakers in ways that build confidence for teaching, presenting, and professional communication.

9) In what languages must instruction be delivered?

Instruction must be delivered by both English and Arabic speakers. Proposals are especially encouraged from NGOs or universities that can bring in native Arabic-speaking STEM faculty or experts to support the program.

10) What is the "teacher-multiplier" requirement?

A core requirement is a clear teacher-multiplier strategy. Participants should not only improve their own skills; they must leave with a concrete plan and tools to share what they learned and train peers in Kirkuk after the program ends.

11) Who is responsible for recruitment and selecting participants?

The award recipient is expected to handle recruitment and participant selection in coordination with Embassy staff and relevant U.S. posts in northern Iraq.

12) What in-country logistics must the award recipient manage?

The recipient must arrange safe, appropriate venues and necessary equipment for interviews, evaluations, and any in-country program activities, and manage end-to-end program delivery in close coordination with Embassy staff.

13) Who is responsible for the U.S. immersion logistics?

The awardee is responsible for logistics associated with the U.S. immersion component, including visa processing (including required visa fees) and international travel arrangements.

14) Are assessments and certificates required?

Yes. The recipient must run pre- and post-training assessments to document learning gains and issue completion certificates.

15) What materials and branding requirements apply?

The recipient must develop and produce training materials, provide the Mission with copies of all program materials, and follow required U.S. government branding rules.

16) What monitoring and reporting is required?

The awardee must submit three quarterly reports and a final narrative and financial report including statistics and implementation status. Quarterly reporting deadlines were placed in January, April, and July 2015, with the final narrative and financial report due in October 2015.

17) What is the expected project period?

The anticipated award period is approximately October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015.

18) What timeline did the Embassy outline for key activities?

• Planning, outreach, and recruitment: October to November 2014
• Virtual/online training: December 2014 through May 2015 (in three smaller groups)
• Selection and visa processing for U.S. immersion: roughly March through June 2015
• U.S. immersion delivery: July through August 2015 (with sensitivity to Ramadan)
• Quarterly reports: January, April, and July 2015
• Final narrative and financial report: October 2015

Applicants could propose a specific schedule, and timing could shift by mutual agreement.

19) Are there any travel constraints mentioned for staffing in Kirkuk?

Yes. The guidelines noted that, at the time, U.S. government grant funds could not cover travel by U.S. citizens to Kirkuk. Applicants needed to design staffing and delivery accordingly.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits, internationally based nonprofits, and academic or other non-profit-motive institutions.

21) What experience or capacity must applicants demonstrate?

Applicants must have demonstrated experience administering STEM education and training programs and must be able to operate in Iraq directly or through active partnerships on the ground. The Embassy emphasized capacity to provide safe classroom space and equipment, develop curricula, deliver courses, conduct evaluations, compile reports, operate bilingually (English and Arabic), and run the U.S.-based immersion component.

22) What federal registrations/identifiers are required?

The notice required standard federal award registrations/identifiers prior to disbursement, including a DUNS number and a CCR/CAGE-related registration.

23) How much funding is available?

Funding was expected to be approximately $100,000 total for a single award. The listed ceiling and floor were both $100,000.

24) What type of award mechanism is this?

The mechanism is a cooperative agreement.

25) Is cost sharing required?

Cost sharing was described as strongly recommended in the narrative, even though the opportunity data flags cost sharing as not required. Applicants were encouraged to document matching contributions consistent with federal cost principles and recordkeeping rules.

26) How will proposals be evaluated?

Proposals were evaluated on three main factors:

• Quality and relevance of the implementation plan (including potential for sustained impact)
• Demonstrated organizational capacity and track record (especially experience delivering programs in Iraq)
• A reasonable, well-justified budget aligned with allowable costs

27) How do applicants submit an application?

Applications were to be submitted using the Public Diplomacy Grants Program Application form (via grants.gov or by request) and sent to ErbilPublicAffairs@state.gov.

28) Where should questions about the opportunity be sent?

Questions were routed to ErbilPublicAffairs@state.gov.

29) What was the application deadline?

The narrative referenced a submission deadline around late August 2014, while the opportunity data reflected an updated closing date of September 1, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Baghdad time.

30) When should applicants expect to hear back after applying?

Applicants were told to expect a status notification within about 30 days of the submission deadline.

31) Does this solicitation guarantee an award?

No. The announcement stated that the solicitation did not guarantee an award.

32) Can the Embassy change the scope, budget, or number of participants?

Yes. The announcement indicated the Embassy could adjust scope, budget, and participant numbers based on program needs and available funds.

33) What local education context did the solicitation cite for Kirkuk?

The solicitation noted that Kirkuk has 201 public high schools and an estimated 1,400 STEM teachers serving students ages 16 to 18, with schools funded and staffed by the Government of Iraq. It also highlighted the role of Senior Teaching Supervisors in the Provincial Directorate of Education and the University of Kirkuk, where roughly 45 professors/instructors train future STEM educators and the university graduates around 450 STEM teaching graduates annually.

34) What is the broader purpose beyond training individuals?

The Embassy framed the grant as a way to raise teaching quality and English capacity across Kirkuk Province while building longer-term ties between Kirkuk educators and U.S. institutions.