Supporting American-Style Higher Education in Iraq 2023 | SFOP0009792

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0009792

The grant opportunity "Supporting American-Style Higher Education in Iraq 2023" (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0009792) is a U.S. Department of State program run through the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC). It is a discretionary grant in the education category (CFDA 19.600) designed to strengthen American-style institutions of higher education (IHEs) operating in Iraq. The core idea is to fund projects that help these Iraqi institutions build the kind of academic and administrative capacity needed to meet recognized American higher education standards, while also creating durable working relationships with colleges and universities in the United States.

A central requirement is that proposals focus on developing new or expanding existing partnerships between Iraqi IHEs and U.S. higher education institutions. These partnerships are expected to be practical and structured for long-term results, not just short-term exchanges. In the near term, projects should produce measurable institutional improvements, such as stronger academic programs, better governance and administration, improved quality assurance systems, upgraded faculty development, modernized curricula, and more effective student support services. Over the longer term, the partnerships should position the Iraqi institutions to pursue formal accreditation by U.S. accrediting authorities, meaning applicants should think in terms of aligning policies, assessment practices, learning outcomes, and institutional processes with what American accreditation frameworks typically require.

The opportunity also emphasizes student access and representation. Proposals are expected to include financial assistance mechanisms that help recruit and retain students from across Iraq's diverse ethnic, geographic, and religious communities. In practice, this points toward scholarship support, tuition assistance, or other retention-focused aid tied to inclusion goals, with an expectation that grantees will have a plan for outreach, selection, and ongoing support so that students not only enroll but successfully persist and graduate.

Where feasible, the program encourages projects to prioritize disciplines and skill areas connected to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The announcement highlights fields such as civil and energy engineering, earth sciences and natural resource management, public policy and law, and public health, while leaving room for related disciplines that build Iraq's capacity to manage environmental risk, infrastructure resilience, energy transition challenges, and climate-linked public health concerns. Applicants are essentially being asked to connect institutional strengthening to workforce-relevant training and research capacity in areas that matter for climate impacts.

In terms of scale and competition structure, NEA/AC anticipated making about three awards, with an award ceiling of up to $4,000,000 per award. The opportunity was posted May 15, 2023, with an original closing date of June 15, 2023. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility specifics referenced in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO to confirm whether they qualify and what partner arrangements are allowed or expected.

Finally, the submission process is specific and non-negotiable: applications must be submitted electronically through SAMS Domestic, and submissions through Grants.gov are not accepted. To apply through SAMS Domestic, the applying organization must have an active SAMS Domestic account and must also have a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) and an active SAM.gov registration. This means organizations need to plan ahead for registration timelines, since UEI and SAM.gov setup can take time and incomplete registrations can derail an otherwise strong application.

• The Department of State, Assistance Coordination in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Supporting American-Style Higher Education in Iraq 2023" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.600.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 15, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2023. (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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for SFOP0009792

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