Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): International Foreign Language Education (IFLE): American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.274A | ED GRANTS 012624 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 012624 001

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and its International Foreign Language Education (IFLE) portfolio, is offering a discretionary grant competition called the American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.274A; opportunity number ED GRANTS 012624 001). In practical terms, this program helps U.S.-based higher education partners run or strengthen an overseas research center that supports advanced scholarship and training tied to international and area studies. The central idea is to sustain on-the-ground hubs abroad where U.S. scholars and institutions can conduct research, collaborate with local and regional experts, and build resources that improve U.S. capacity in foreign language and area studies.

The purpose of the AORC program is to provide grants to consortia of U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) to either establish a new overseas research center or operate an existing one. These centers are intended to promote postgraduate research, academic exchanges, and area studies. The program is structured around the notion that sustained presence in a specific country or region, combined with strong U.S. university partnerships, can produce long-term benefits for research access, scholarly networks, and the development of instructional and research materials that serve both academic audiences and the broader public.

Grant funds can support a wide range of center operations and scholarly programming. Allowable uses include paying all or part of the costs needed to operate and maintain the overseas center itself, such as essential administrative and program functions. Funding can also be used to organize and manage conferences and other academic convenings, develop or acquire teaching and research materials, and acquire or preserve library collections that support scholarship in the host country or region. The program also supports bringing scholars and faculty to the center to teach or conduct research, covering salaries for center staff and visiting faculty when tied to center operations and programming. In addition, the grant may be used for professional development stipends and fellowships, travel costs for center staff and project participants, and for publishing and disseminating materials to share research outputs and resources with the academic community and the public.

Eligibility is centered on who can run an overseas center in a way that is stable, accountable, and clearly connected to U.S. higher education. Applicants must be consortia of U.S. IHEs that receive more than 50 percent of their funding from public or private U.S. sources. The consortium must also have a permanent presence in the country where the center is located, which signals that this opportunity is not meant for short-term, ad hoc activity but rather for established or meaningfully sustained operations abroad. In addition, the applicant organization must qualify as a nonprofit entity described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and be exempt from taxation under section 501(a). The opportunity listing also indicates a broad set of eligible applicant types, including public and state-controlled IHEs, private IHEs, and nonprofit organizations (including those described as with or without 501(c)(3) status in the general listing), but the specific program eligibility language emphasizes the 501(c)(3) requirement and consortium structure, so applicants should rely on the Federal Register notice for the definitive rules.

For nonprofit verification, the notice references 34 CFR 75.51, which lays out common ways to demonstrate nonprofit status. Examples include current IRS recognition of 501(c)(3) status, certification from a state taxing body or attorney general, or organizational documents such as a certificate of incorporation that clearly establish nonprofit status. It also allows documentation through a state or national parent organization when the applicant is a local affiliate, as long as the parent provides the appropriate statement supporting that relationship.

From an application planning standpoint, the opportunity description repeatedly underscores that the summary is only a synopsis and that the controlling details are in the official Federal Register application notice. That official notice is where applicants will find the specific requirements for pre-application steps (if any), how to submit, required forms and narratives, performance measures, any competitive priorities, and program contact information. It also directs applicants to the Department of Education Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 7, 2022) for standard submission and procedural guidance, including where to obtain and submit an application.

Key administrative details included in the listing are the original closing date of March 26, 2024, an expected 17 awards, and an award ceiling of $82,000. As with many federal competitions, applicants should treat these figures and dates as important planning parameters but still confirm any updates, amendments, or clarifications in the Federal Register notice and related Grants.gov materials.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): International Foreign Language Education (IFLE): American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.274A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.274.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-26. (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 $82,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 17 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

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