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Arts & Humanities

FY 2026 Arctic Exchange Program

Request Ticket // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the PSI document.

Executive Summary
The Arctic Exchange Program (AEP) aims to advance economic prosperity in the United States (Alaska), Canada, and Greenland through short-term exchange activities focused on two overarching themes: Arctic tourism development and critical minerals supply chain resilience.

The AEP will consist of three targeted exchange activities with distinct cohorts of approximately eight to 10 participants each. One activity will take place in each participating country, subject to local conditions. The scope of these activities may vary based on program needs.

Across all three exchange activities, the AEP will build participants’ professional capacity and create new partnership opportunities that advance economic prosperity in the United States, Canada, and Greenland. The program will position the United States as a partner of choice in Arctic economic development initiatives, promote U.S. business interests, and counter adversarial influence in this strategically important region.

Young Pacific Leaders Solutions Labs

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Langauge
Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding under this funding opportunity

Executive Summary 
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs (EAP) and U.S. Consulate General Auckland announce an open competition to implement Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Solutions Labs, a series of workshops centered around: 

  • Unlocking Investment in the Pacific 
  • Advancing the American Decade of Sports for Pacific Economic Impact 
  • Pursuing Peace in the Pacific with Faith Communities 
  • Defending Free Speech through Pacific Journalism Excellence 

Applicants may apply to host one, more, or all of the YPL Solutions Labs workshops in the series with the average cost of one workshop being roughly $100,000 to $250,000. 

Since 2013, the YPL program has cultivated the target audience and participants of emerging Pacific Island Country (PIC) leaders ages 20-40 into advocates for U.S. policy in a region of increasing strategic importance. Since YPL’s inception YPL alumni have delivered on U.S. priorities across the region. The YPL Solutions Labs will be a series of workshops throughout 2026-2028 to catalyze advocacy and action on U.S. priorities. 

Eligible recipients include foreign and U.S. not-for-profit organizations, public and private educational institutions, individuals, public international organizations, and government institutions.

Funding Type
External Deadline
6/30/2026

FY26 U.S. Creative Tech Exchange

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Limiting Language 


Executive Summary 
The U.S. Creative Tech Exchange (U.S.CTX) is a new international arts exchange program that drives economic growth by connecting U.S. creative professionals and technologists with international peers working at the intersection of the arts and emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to position American technology as a key driver of American innovation, economic, and cultural influence in art and technology, For the purposes of this program, “arts” refers specifically to architecture, creative coding and gaming, fashion, graphic design, music and immersive art such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR); but excludes film and television.

U.S.CTX will support up to 30 participants through short-term, hands-on activities such as collaborative labs, fellowships, workshops, and public showcases. ECA will award one U.S.-based nonprofit or educational organization $1.32 million to design and implement the program in close coordination with ECA and U.S. embassies. Applicants should propose a concept that leverages their strengths and includes clear plans for recruitment, program delivery, and measurable outcomes in creative arts, economic impact, and public diplomacy.

Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program

Limit: 3 // Tickets Available: 1

J.J. Barrios (Public and Applied Humanities)
B. Carter (Center for Digital Humanities)

Limiting Language
Each applicant may submit up to 3 applications annually, for 3 separate projects, but each applicant can receive only 2 grants per fiscal year grant cycle.

Executive Summary
The Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Grant Program provides financial assistance to organizations and entities working to preserve historic Japanese American confinement sites and their history, including: private nonprofit organizations; educational institutions; state, local, and tribal governments; and other public entities, for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. 

Projects funded through the JACS Grant Program must benefit one or more historic Japanese American confinement sites. The term historic confinement sites are de-fined as the ten War Relocation Authority sites (Gila River, Granada, Heart Mountain, Jerome, Manzanar, Minidoka, Poston, Rohwer, Topaz, and Tule Lake), as well as other historically significant locations, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. These sites are specifically identified in Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites, published by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Western Archaeological and Conservation Center, in 1999. This document may be seen at https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/anthropology74/.

For a full list of eligible project types and sites, please see the NOFO

Research Category
Funding Type
External Deadline
6/15/2026

2027 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert and Related Events

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
An organization may submit only one application under this program solicitation. You may apply to other NEA funding opportunities, such as Grants for Arts Projects, in addition to this program solicitation. In each case, the request must be for a distinctly different project. No project costs or staff time may overlap with activities and/or costs included as part of other federal awards. 

Executive Summary
The purpose of this Program Solicitation is to select an organization (“Cooperator”) to support the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) with the 2027 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert and related events. The Cooperator is expected to coordinate a range of activities, including a live concert, webcast, video tributes, and other associated activities. 

This award will be made as a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is a funding mechanism in which the federal agency (NEA) maintains substantial involvement in carrying out the supported project in partnership with the award recipient (known as a Cooperator).  

Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; federally-recognized tribal communities or tribes; and the six Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs).  

Research Category
Funding Type
External Deadline
4/9/2026

FY 2026 American Film Showcase

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

Executive Summary
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs announces the FY2026 American Film Showcase open competition for one cooperative agreement to support thematic projects in film, television, gaming, and other media arts-based, international cultural and commercial diplomacy exchanges that create partnerships through artistic collaboration and professional development activities, promote economic opportunities, demonstrate the power of free expression, and support Administration foreign policy and America First priorities.

Research Category
Funding Type
External Deadline
6/1/2026

FY 2026 Leaders Lead On-Demand

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

Executive Summary
The Office of Citizen Exchanges in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites proposals for the FY 2026 Leaders Lead On-Demand program (LLOD). This program develops ideas from across the Department of State into customized, two-way exchange projects. LLOD provides rapid response, flexible programming focused on building self-sustaining global, regional, and country-based networks of practitioners.

The recipient will design and carry out a series of exchange projects for emerging leaders and mid-level professionals representing government, business, and civil society. The program expects to support approximately four to six exchange projects for approximately 75 participants, including approximately 55 foreign and 20 U.S. participants.

Each project will feature a group of foreign participants who will travel to the United States for an intensive, customized program. Activities may include workshops, meetings, or events. Every U.S.-based exchange must also include at least one segment overseas, which should involve U.S. participants. All participants should have relevant experience or expertise in the project’s field. U.S. participants will work with foreign participants during both the U.S. and overseas segments. The award recipient will work closely with ECA, other State Department staff, and partner organizations in the relevant countries or regions as appropriate to identify participants and design activities that meet each project’s goals. ECA must approve the final list of foreign and U.S. participants.

Additional project elements, such as regional meetings overseas, small grants competitions, or local trainings, should be included as needed to support project objectives and promote American leadership and expertise.

Funding Type
External Deadline
5/25/2026

FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

Executive Summary 
Priority Region: Tibetan populations in China, India, Nepal and Bhutan

The Global Leaders Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is seeking proposal submissions for one to two cooperative agreements to design, implement, and oversee the FY 2026 Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. Launched in 1997, the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program is a two-way economic exchange program designed to enhance leadership and professional skills and build lasting partnerships between emerging entrepreneurs from Tibetan communities in China, India, Nepal and Bhutan, and the United States. The defining element of the program is a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange which will provide Fellows with opportunities to discuss and share best practices for initiating and supporting business and/or community initiatives.3

The award recipient will be responsible for planning and administering all components of the Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program. The non-U.S. Fellow component will feature a series of virtual engagement opportunities leading up to a minimum four-week U.S.-based exchange for up to 25 participants. This component will consist of professional and leadership development activities which may include, but shall not be limited to: trainings, workshops, site visits, job shadowing, team building exercises, panel discussions, case studies, resource-sharing, and networking events. The U.S. Fellows component will enable up to 10 U.S. professionals, who engaged with the non-U.S. Fellows during the course of their program, to travel to India, Nepal or Bhutan for approximately two weeks to assist the non-U.S. Fellows’ follow-on plans and conduct alumni engagement activities.

The Ngawang Choephel Fellows Program directly supports the 2025 National Security Strategy and the Administration’s foreign policy, furthering our national interests. In addition, the Program positions the United States as the partner of first choice, by demonstrating American principles of openness, transparency, commitment to freedom and innovation, and free market capitalism.

Funding Type
External Deadline
5/1/2026

FY 2026 English Language Fellow, Specialist, and Virtual Educator Program

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant

Executive Summary
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of English Language Programs (ECA/A/L) announces an open competition to support the FY 2026 English Language Fellow, Specialist, and Virtual Educator Program (ELFSVEP). ECA/A/L plans to issue one cooperative agreement to support approximately 385 participants for $14,000,000, pending the availability of funds.

The English Language (EL) Fellow, Specialist, and Virtual Educator Program (ELFSVEP) places top-tier American experts in the field of English teaching in strategic projects at key institutions to advance U.S. interests in strategic countries. The program sends highly qualified experts on approximately ten-month Fellow exchanges, short-term (two weeks or more) Specialist assignments, or three-week to six-month Virtual Educator assignments at educational institutions in all world regions.

English Language programs advance American influence with critical audiences and have a cascading reach and strategic returns. The initiatives go beyond teaching English; they advance America’s national interest by embedding the global language of diplomacy, business, and science abroad. American expertise is in high demand by foreign governments, educational institutions, and workplaces. Providing American English Educators abroad allows U.S. Missions to build trusted networks in fragile regions, reinforce alliances through shared language and values, and promote U.S. economic interests. When America leads in English Language teaching, we set the terms of engagement; when America steps back, competitors fill the void. These programs ensure foreign partners turn first to the United States for English education, vocational upskilling, and secure partnerships, delivering on the Department’s America First mission.

Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
4/24/2026

FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1

Limiting Language
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant.

Executive Summary
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through its Office of Citizen Exchanges, invites proposals to design and implement the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship. The program advances U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific by developing a network of emerging leaders from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states who share America’s founding principles of liberty, opportunity, and self-reliance. By promoting free enterprise, open markets, and innovation, the program fosters shared prosperity and supports a secure, free, and open Indo-Pacific.

Through professional fellowships and reciprocal exchanges, YSEALI PFP advances U.S. leadership by strengthening commercial ties, promoting regional stability, and supporting peace and security across the Indo-Pacific. Each year two cohorts of approximately 144 Fellows from Southeast Asia will travel to the United States for five to six weeks of professional and leadership development. Participants, ages 25 to 35, will be placed with U.S. public, private, and nonprofit institutions for customized fellowships aligned with four strategic themes central to U.S. foreign policy: Economic Prosperity, Strategic Energy and Minerals, Liberty and Freedom, and Peace and Security.

The exchange will culminate in a YSEALI Fellows Forum in Washington, D.C., where participants will share lessons learned and explore future collaboration. Following each U.S. fellowship, approximately 72 American professionals will travel to Southeast Asia on Reciprocal Exchanges to extend engagement, transfer expertise, and strengthen bilateral partnerships.

Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
4/20/2026