AUTHORIZATION:

50 U.S.C. 1901-1911.

OBJECTIVES:

(1) To establish centers for the teaching of critical languages to the ILR level 3 (ACTFL Superior level) and beyond in Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Persian, Hindi, and Urdu; (2) To develop curricular, institutional, and instructional models for advanced language learning; (3) To test those models; (4) To stimulate institutional support and long term commitment to reforming language learning; and (5) To improve national capacity in critical languages.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Grant awards are made to U.S. institutions of higher education to develop or strengthen their capabilities to enhance the national capacity and educate U.S. citizens in critical languages & cultures together with a variety of academic and professional disciplines. The National Security Education Act places no special or unique requirements on grantee institutions. Only requirements that govern all Federal grants will apply to NSEP grants. No International exchange programs may be funded by NSEP.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Any accredited U.S. institution of higher education (defined in Section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 1141(a) is eligible to apply for a grant. This includes 2 and 4 year colleges and universities, both public and private. Other organizations, associations, agencies, and foreign institutions may be included in proposals but may not be direct recipients of a grant. Federal government schools are not eligible.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Accredited U.S. institutions of higher education and their students.

Credentials/Documentation:   None.

Pre-application Coordination:   None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   All eligible, private and public U.S. institutions of higher education may submit proposals in response to the relevant agency announcements.

Award Procedure:   Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from an independent merit review.

Deadlines:   Specified in requests for applications released on behalf of NSEP by the Institute of International Education Center (IIE) and the Center for Applied Study of Languages (CASL).

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   

From 45 to 60 days at each stage of a two-stage process.

Appeals:   

None.

Renewals:   

Renewals are negotiated through IIE, and are conducted annually based on performance.

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ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   

No less than 25% of the grant supported program costs are required to be shared by a grant recipient.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   

Grants are multi-year renewed each year based on performance.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Semi-annual progress reports.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   The Comptroller General of the United States or a duly authorized representative from the General Accounting Office shall, until 3 years after final payment under this grant have access to and right to examine any of the recipient's directly pertinent books, documents, papers, or other records involving transactions related to this grant.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:  

97-0100-0-1-051.

Obligations:   (Salaries) FY 14 $25,305,000; FY 15 est $17,244,445; and FY 16 est $23,802,829

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  

Range - $200,000 - $500,000 depending on type of grant. The average award is estimated at $325,000 per grant for each budget period. The program has a three to four-year project periods pending availability of funds.

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