U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, 2025 Education Summer Scholarship Program | HKG NOFO FY24 02

Opportunity Information: Apply for HKG NOFO FY24 02

The U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau (Public Affairs Section, U.S. Department of State) is offering a single cooperative agreement to run and support the 2025 Education Summer Scholarship Program for students from Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. The core purpose is to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the United States and Hong Kong and Macau by enabling an organized summer study experience at participating U.S. universities. The selected awardee is expected to function as the program operator: handling the practical, administrative, and financial mechanics that allow students to enroll, travel, and complete the program smoothly, while also meeting U.S. federal assistance requirements and the Consulate's oversight expectations.

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, which means the awardee will not operate independently in the way a typical grant might allow. Instead, the awardee will work closely with the U.S. Consulate's Education Advisor and Grants Officer, with the Consulate retaining substantial involvement and final approval authority over key elements such as project design, pacing, itinerary, and budget expenditures (within current guidelines). In practice, applicants should be prepared for ongoing coordination, regular reporting, and the need to align program decisions with Consulate direction.

The scope of work is heavily focused on end-to-end program administration and logistics. The awardee must plan, organize, and administer the scholarship program and complete all related reporting responsibilities in line with applicable federal guidelines and circulars. Required tasks include enrolling students in the participating U.S. universities; collecting passports and other required documentation for visa processing; and ensuring students complete and sign all necessary paperwork such as waivers, consent forms, bank statements, and school documents. The awardee must also organize pre-departure orientation session(s) and a post-program debriefing after students return, both hosted at the Consulate and including light refreshments. In addition, the awardee is expected to liaise with parents and teachers regarding student participation, and to identify any reasonable accommodation needs among participants and communicate those to the Consulate so appropriate services can be arranged if needed. The announcement also notes that additional administrative and logistical responsibilities may be required as part of successful implementation.

Travel support is another central requirement. The awardee must coordinate with the U.S. university or universities to purchase round-trip airfare between Hong Kong and the U.S. university location, while complying with the Fly America Act. Beyond international flights, the awardee must also arrange local transportation in Hong Kong and travel between Hong Kong and Macau for Macau participants, specifically to cover needs tied to orientations, visa appointments, and the debriefing process.

Financial management and disbursement responsibilities are explicitly emphasized. Proposals must include, and the awardee must manage, several categories of participant expenses. These include phone cards, round-trip air tickets, local travel, visa fees, miscellaneous costs, and tuition costs budgeted at USD 5,500 per participant. The awardee must maintain strong accounting control over award funds and keep complete supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, and similar records) sufficient to substantiate all charges to the award. This signals that applicants should have solid financial systems and grants compliance capacity, since the program involves direct payment and documentation of multiple expense types across multiple students.

Program evaluation is also required. The awardee must develop and distribute pre- and post-program surveys to measure outcomes and assess the program's impact. While the notice does not prescribe specific evaluation metrics, it clearly expects the awardee to gather before-and-after data to demonstrate learning, attitudinal shifts, and/or broader program effects consistent with the cultural and educational exchange purpose.

In terms of eligibility and basic funding details, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 19.040 and is categorized as discretionary funding for an education activity. Eligible applicants include U.S. and non-U.S. organizations with relevant exchange-program implementation capabilities, specifically including nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories) as well as private institutions of higher education. The agency is the U.S. Mission to China, and the program will fund one award (ExpectedAwards: 1) with an award ceiling of USD 160,000. The funding opportunity number is HKG NOFO FY24 02. The notice was created on 2024-07-16, and the original application closing date is 2024-08-19.

Overall, this is a highly operational grant for an organization that can run a structured, compliance-heavy student scholarship logistics pipeline, from enrollment and visa documentation through travel booking, orientations, payments, post-program debriefing, and outcome measurement, all while coordinating closely with the U.S. Consulate, which retains final approval over major program and budget decisions.

• The U.S. Mission to China in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, 2025 Education Summer Scholarship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-19. (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 $160,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for HKG NOFO FY24 02

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