Description
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, invites all eligible organizations to submit a proposal for a grant to design and implement a program to foster youth empowerment, gender equality, and teamwork through baseball in the state of Chihuahua for a period of up to twelve months in calendar years 2017-2018. The applicant will be expected to design a program for boys and girls ages 12-16 in multiple locations in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, that must include—but not limited to—the cities of Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez and preferably also includes the communities of Parral, Delicias, Cuauhtemoc, Nuevo Casas Grandes, and Camargo. Proposals that include coaching clinics and a baseball tournament to bring participants together are highly encouraged. All proposal narratives must be submitted in English.As a result of the program, participants should demonstrate positive changes in their desire, confidence, and ability to complete their education and improve their communities. They should also demonstrate an increased appreciation for gender equality and inclusion and intention to promote the same.Program Goals:The goals of this funding opportunity are to:1. Support youth empowerment by boosting youths’ self-confidence; 2. Strengthen communities by promoting respect and teamwork;3. Foster gender equality through co-ed sports activities; and 4. Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Mexico.Proposals must demonstrate how applicant will:•Recruit and retain non-elite Mexican boys and girls ages 12 to 16 who demonstrate the interest and ability to participate for the duration of the program. The proposal should state how the selection process will be designed to recruit youths who are growing up in communities acutely affected by gangs, violence, and crime;•Identify specific outcomes to be achieved over the duration of the award’s performance period; how progress towards outcomes identified will be measured; and what controls are in place to ensure the proposed activities will be implemented according to schedule and within budget.•Incorporate U.S. baseball coaches, players, and/or other mentors into the proposed activities.Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the Act is "to enable the Government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries...; to strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United States and other nations...and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of the world." The funding authority for the program above is provided through U.S. legislation.