Meet the Corner Program FY2024

The U.S. Embassy Tirana of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit proposals for funding under the Meet the Corner program. This program will reach out to small, remote schools on the outskirts of the cities with American Corners (Tirana, Vlora, Kukes), focusing on communities with limited access to physical Corners or where financial and other constraints hinder young people visiting, increasing the Corners’ for outreach. Fully equipped with various resources and programs typically available only at the Corners, "Meet the Corner" will introduce Corner flagship programs in countering disinformation and STEM to new audiences. Emphasizing the Corners’ core values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), this initiative is focused on reaching out to underserved communities and marginalized groups that would otherwise find it difficult to join American Corner events because of physical or geographic limitations. "Meet the Corner" program will reach at least five schools per city in suburban areas, offering Corner STEM and Countering Disinformation programs while engaging students in English conversation and critical thinking. Based on the American Spaces toolkits, the curriculum will be interactive, incorporating debates and activities beyond conventional learning methods, as well as American games, sports, collaboration with DOS alumni engagement as mentors for CDI and STEM.

ELIGILIBITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants • Albanian not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) • U.S. organizations and individuals are NOT eligible for grants under the program. • Cost Sharing or Matching is not required and is not part of the evaluation criteria. However, the applicants are encouraged to explore the possibility of the cost-share whenever possible. 2. Other Eligibility Requirements • In order to be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a valid registration on www.SAM.gov. • Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Criteria for selecting proposals vary by awards supporting individual activities and are outlined in the solicitations for individual activities.