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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or Service) is the premier government agency dedicated to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats. We are the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of these important natural resources for the American public. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s origins date back to 1871 when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease in the nation’s food fishes and recommend ways to reverse that decline. The FWS is committed to building and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the ethic, age, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and language diversity of contemporary America. The FWS operates a variety of programs that promote wildlife conservation and public land management under the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC) through engagement, employment, and education of our nation’s diverse youth and veterans. FWS programs operating under the Public Lands Corps Act have been designated as covered programs under Justice40 (Executive Order 14008). The FWS strives to meet the Federal Government’s goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal Investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. The categories of investment are: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation of reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure. The Public Lands Corps (PLC) Program is authorized by Congress under Title 16 USC Sec. 1721-1726; Public Law 109-154, Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2005 (amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993), and all subsequent amendments. Guidance authorizes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to (1) establish PLC Programs (2) certify participants who meet the PLC eligibility requirements for the PLC non-competitive hiring authority status, and (3) ensure consistent program standards throughout the FWS. The purpose of the FWS PLC Programs is to provide work and education opportunities for youth (defined as ages 16-30 inclusive, and up to age 35 for veterans) participants in the areas of natural and cultural resource conservation, development, and scientific research. Participants perform work on our nation’s public lands by providing additional, unique capacity designed to boost the impact of the FWS for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the American people. The PLC FWS Youth Corps Program allows the FWS to establish partnerships with Partner organizations (Partners), generally defined as “qualified youth or conservation corps,” using financial assistance/cooperative agreements or MOUs, to employ the next generation of conservationists in paid PLC projects and internships. Partners must be designated as an official member of the FWS Youth Corps in order to certify Participants. FWS Youth Corps application information is available in the attachments to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The purpose of this NOFO is not to establish new partnerships. See Full Announcement for additional information and application instructions. Unsolicited partnership applications or projects that are not collaboratively developed between an existing FWS Youth Corps member and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be returned as ineligible. ***Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from a FWS PLC programs are requested to consult with a local FWS office BEFORE developing or submitting an application (see FWS Youth Program Contacts included in the Related Documents of this announcement or visit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov) to locate a FWS office in your area. ***Unsolicited Partnership applications submitted through Grants.gov will be returned as ineligible. See Related Documents for application instructions for FWS Youth Corps.

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families' Family and Youth Services Bureau announces the anticipated availability of funds under the General Departmental Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (GDSRAE) Program. The purpose of the GDSRAE Program is to fund projects to implement sexual risk avoidance education that teach participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity. The services are targeted to participants that reside in areas with high rates of teen births and/or are at greatest risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The goals of GDSRAE are to empower participants to make healthy decisions, and provide tools and resources to prevent pregnancy, STIs, and youth engagement in other risky behaviors. Successful applicants are expected to submit program plans that agree to: use medically accurate information referenced to peer-reviewed publications by 1) educational, scientific, governmental, or health organizations; 2) implement sexual risk avoidance curricula and/or strategies with an evidence-based approach integrating research findings with practical implementation that aligns with the needs and desired outcomes for the intended audience; and 3) teach the benefits associated with self-regulation, success sequencing for poverty prevention, healthy relationships, goal setting, and resisting sexual coercion, dating violence, and other youth risk behaviors such as underage drinking or illicit drug use without normalizing teen sexual activity.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Executive Summary: The U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Section in Dushanbe, Tajikistan is soliciting proposals for a cooperative agreement to administer the English Access Scholarship program, that meets the specifications stated below. The implementer must be a legally recognized non-governmental organization, that meets U.S. and Tajikistan technical and legal requirements to develop and implement Public Diplomacy Programs as specified in Section C. Background: Launched in 2004, the English Access Scholarship Program (hereafter known as “Access Program” or “Access”) is a two-year global scholarship program supported by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the U.S. Embassy of Tajikistan that provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, underserved students, primarily aged 14 to 15. This two-year, 360-hour program exposes participants to U.S. culture, global citizenship, and democratic values through English language scholarships, professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators, and programming for alumni. Consisting of both in-class and off-site activities, the program curricula must integrate the four pillars of the Access Program: global citizenship themes, U.S. culture and values, 21st-century skills, and English language instruction. Project description: The goal of the Access Program is to equip talented students who possess a minimal knowledge of English with effective communication and critical thinking skills through meaningful interaction, cooperative learning strategies, and real-life contexts. Additionally, Access seeks to prepare students for conversational English language skills with native and non-native speakers of English through a variety of experiential learning activities. Selected participants must be bright, economically disadvantaged students with a beginning level of English. Participants should commit to enroll in classes during the full two-year program. Students are expected to graduate with certificates of completion from the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan at the end of their two-year program. The Program is divided into two distinct phases: (1) 360 hours of after school classroom instruction, consisting of a minimum 6 hours per week and maximum 2 hours per day as well as (2) off-site activities that are cohesive and clearly linked to the curriculum described below. The program curriculum must focus on the Media Literacy and Civic Engagement themes. These themes remain relevant in both urban and rural areas of Tajikistan and the youth will learn to analyze, evaluate, and expand their access to alternative sources of information through the in-class and off-site activities on Media Literacy. It also aims to engage youth in more active civic lifestyles based on critical thinking skills, sharing and production skills, informed decision-making, and active participation. Media literacy improves citizens' understanding of fundamental rights such as communication, as well as the balance between these rights and ethical obligations at the personal and collaborative levels. By tying these values to the concept of global citizenship, media literacy education encourages youth to respect and support the rights of others. Program Design When designing an Access program, providers should take into consideration the time needed to recruit and train teachers and to select students for the program prior to beginning instruction. In addition, the purchase of textbooks and supplies will be an important part of program planning. The U.S. Embassy recommends using four levels (Starter, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate) of American Headway Textbooks. Access Teacher Community of Practice (CoP) It is highly recommended that providers plan for and budget to pay teachers to attend at least two hours per month of teacher professional development through the free Access Teacher Community of Practice (CoP). The Access Teacher CoP is an online resource for teachers to receive professional development focused on model lesson plans as well as webinars with guest speakers on American culture. Professional Development Before Access instruction begins, providers should provide and budget for training for teachers on all four pillars of the Access Program. For example, training on global citizenship themes and U.S. culture and values can be facilitated through webinars on the Access Teacher CoP, while training on TESOL methodology and 21st-century skills may be incorporated through Online Professional English Network (OPEN) courses or in-person trainings organized by the U.S. Embassy's Regional English Language Office. It is recommended that teachers engage in professional development on the CoP throughout the two-year program. By the end of this program, Access students will learn skills that help them gain them access to better jobs, educational opportunities, and the ability to participate in and compete for future exchanges and study in the United States, such as through FLEX, TechGirls, UGRAD, Fulbright, etc. The Successful Provider will be Responsible for the Following Tasks: · Collaborate with the U.S. Embassy to integrate program goals in curriculum and program design. · Partner with the U.S. Embassy to select high-quality teachers and appropriate students for the program. · Support professional development needs for Access teachers. · Deliver instruction and programmatic activities. · Regularly monitor and evaluate program implementation to ensure high-quality programming. · Inform U.S. Embassy about significant program developments, challenges, and highlights. · Send invitations to the relevant U.S. Embassy staff alerting them to special events, as well as opportunities to visit and speak. · Submit success stories of Access Program students to relevant U.S. Embassy staff, in a timely manner, for use on social media. · Maintain program and financial documentation to comply with auditing and U.S. Government regulation. Project Audience(s): Youth (9th grade students, typically ages 14-15) with beginner-level English speaking skills from low-income communities most affected by labor migration and vulnerable to extremist ideas (rural areas of Khatlon such as the villages surrounding the cities of Kulob, Danghara, Qubodiyon, and Shahrituz as well as districts of the Dushanbe Republican Subordination including Tursunzoda, Rudaki, Obigarm and others which are predominantly in Tajikistan’s remote areas). By targeting 9th grade students (typically ages 14-15) from undeserved/migrant families, with some interest in volunteerism/community/ sustainability and environment/technology/women’s empowerment. The program will help these Tajik youth consider and build the skills needed for future careers which are needed to develop Tajikistan’s domestic economy. Project Goal: To support socio-economic empowerment of Tajik youth by improving English language proficiency of 9th grade students from underserved communities through participation in a two-year English language training program focused on media literacy and civic engagement. Project Objectives: · Objective 1: Increase English language reading, writing, listening and speaking skills on themes of media literacy and civic engagement up to 50 program participants through in-class instruction and off-site civic engagement/volunteer activities. · Objective 2: Strengthen students’ understanding of global citizenship, U.S. culture, values through experiential learning activities, leadership and civic engagement skills. For example: through volunteerism, community service activities, and engaging in issues that impact their local community. · Objective 3: Improve the ability of students to critically analyze media content, identify disinformation and credible sources through media literacy training and simulated disinformation exercises. All proposals should: · Proposals should include both Cost Proposal and Technical Proposal. [Attachments 1 and 2]; · Address how the project will contribute to achievement of objectives listed above; · Enumerate specific outputs and outcomes to be achieved by the end of the project, using the Monitoring & Evaluation Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) [Attachment 3]; · Describe pedagogical approach that will be used to teach Access students; · Describe in detail the process for selecting and recruiting students; · Describe how students of different English language levels will be organized in the program; · Describe how students will be motivated and encouraged to attend all Access sessions; · Describe how parents/community will be informed and involved in the Access program; · Demonstrate competency to manage all financial and oversight aspects of the project, including participant costs; · Cost Proposal should have a detailed breakdown of costs for the two-year project including purchasing of books/materials, students’ transportation and snacks, project administration, admin costs, etc. On average, costs associated with one student in the framework of the two-year project are approximately $1,000. Each project can include up to 50 students. Projects that involve higher numbers of students with lower costs are encouraged. · English Access Scholarship Program Handbook [Attachment 5]; B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 2-year program Number of awards anticipated: 1 award per grantee for two or more sites. Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $24, 000 to a maximum of $50, 000. Total available funding: approximately $1,000 per student Award Ceiling: $50,000 Award Floor: $24,000 Type of Funding: FY23/24 Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia under the Foreign Assistance Act) Anticipated start date: November 30, 2024 The Public Diplomacy Section of Embassy Dushanbe reserves the right to award less or more than the amount of funds described in the absence of worthy applications or under such other circumstances as they may deem to be in the best interest of the U.S. government, pending the availability of funds and approval of the designated Grants Officer. This notice is subject to availability of funding. Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative agreement. The Embassy will be substantially involved in carrying out the following aspects of this cooperative agreement: - Serves as the primary point of contact for providers throughout the program. - Approves proposals, program reports, and expenses. - Reviews and approves Access program announcements. - Helps the provider in the selection process of students, program coordinators and teachers. - Helps the provider in the recruitment of participants. - Assists during the development of the curriculum of English language, leadership and professional skills, and exposure to U.S. culture and democratic values and Intensive sessions. - Participates in the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the program. - Visits program sites. -Oversees program implementation and financial compliance. - Provides general support such as connecting with Fulbright English Teaching Assistants and English Language Fellows; access to American Spaces; facilitating connections with FLEX alumni, USANT regional representatives and representatives from the United World Colleges. - Promotes the success stories of the project results. The Embassy will be involved in the areas mentioned above or others as needs may come up. Program Performance Period: Proposed programs should be completed in 2-years or less. Please refer to the related documents' section for the mandatory award attachments and complete English Access Scholarship Program NOFO.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research applications to develop and pilot test the effectiveness and implementation of family navigator models designed to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents who are experiencing early symptoms of mental health problems. For the purposes of this FOA, NIMH defines a family navigator model as a health care professional or paraprofessional whose role is to deploy a set of strategies designed to rapidly engage youth and families in needed treatment and services, work closely with the family and other involved treatment and service providers to optimize care and monitor the trajectory of mental health symptoms and outcomes over time. Applicants are encouraged to develop and pilot test the navigator models ability to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents as soon as symptoms are detected. Of interest are navigator models that coordinate needed care strategies, determine the personalized match to the level of needed service amount, frequency and intensity, and harness novel technologies to track and monitor the trajectory of clinical, functional and behavioral progress toward achieving intended services outcomes. This FOA is published in parallel to a companion R01 (Currently Temp-11229)

Reissue of PAR-18-428.The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research applications to develop and test the effectiveness and implementation of family navigator models designed to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents who are experiencing early symptoms of mental health problems. For the purposes of this FOA, NIMH defines a family navigator model as a health care professional or paraprofessional whose role is to deploy a set of strategies designed to rapidly engage youth and families in needed treatment and services, work closely with the family and other involved treatment and service providers to optimize care and monitor the trajectory of mental health symptoms and outcomes over time. Applicants are encouraged to develop and test the navigator models ability to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents as soon as symptoms are detected. Of interest are navigator models that coordinate needed care strategies, determine the personalized match to the level of needed service amount, frequency and intensity, and harness novel technologies to track and monitor the trajectory of clinical, functional and behavioral progress toward achieving intended services outcomes. This FOA is published in parallel to a companion R34

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research applications to develop and test the effectiveness and implementation of family navigator models designed to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents who are experiencing early symptoms of mental health problems. For the purposes of this FOA, NIMH defines a family navigator model as a health care professional or paraprofessional whose role is to deploy a set of strategies designed to rapidly engage youth and families in needed treatment and services, work closely with the family and other involved treatment and service providers to optimize care and monitor the trajectory of mental health symptoms and outcomes over time. Applicants are encouraged to develop and test the navigator models ability to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents as soon as symptoms are detected. Of interest are navigator models that coordinate needed care strategies, determine the personalized match to the level of needed service amount, frequency and intensity, and harness novel technologies to track and monitor the trajectory of clinical, functional and behavioral progress toward achieving intended services outcomes. This FOA is published in parallel to a companion R34

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research applications to develop and pilot test the effectiveness and implementation of family navigator models designed to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents who are experiencing early symptoms of mental health problems. For the purposes of this FOA, NIMH defines a family navigator model as a health care professional or paraprofessional whose role is to deploy a set of strategies designed to rapidly engage youth and families in needed treatment and services, work closely with the family and other involved treatment and service providers to optimize care and monitor the trajectory of mental health symptoms and outcomes over time. Applicants are encouraged to develop and pilot test the navigator models ability to promote early access, engagement and coordination of mental health treatment and services for children and adolescents as soon as symptoms are detected. Of interest are navigator models that coordinate needed care strategies, determine the personalized match to the level of needed service amount, frequency and intensity, and harness novel technologies to track and monitor the trajectory of clinical, functional and behavioral progress toward achieving intended services outcomes.This FOA is published in parallel to a companion R01 (Currently Temp-11229)