This NOFO has been amended. Please see the amended Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.

As 2027 marks 15 years since the loss of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, and in honor of his enduring legacy, the Global Leaders Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), invites proposal submissions for two cooperative agreements to design, administer, and implement activities under the broader J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative (JCSVEI).

ECA anticipates making two separate cooperative agreements to design, implement, and manage the FY 2026 J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative (JCSVEI) under two distinct program options: (1) J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative and (2) J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative: Digital Leaders for Peace and Economic Opportunity. Applicants may submit applications for program option one or program option two. Organizations may submit two separate applications, one for each program option, if they wish to be considered for both. Each application will be evaluated independently. Each application must clearly state in the Executive Summary which program option is being proposed. If applying separately for each program options the applicant must clearly demonstrate the organizational capacity to implement both program options, including the ability to work in the MENA region and the United States and to deliver both online and hybrid program elements.

The JCSVEI advances U.S. foreign policy priorities by championing American scientific excellence, technological leadership, and innovation, while promoting core U.S. principles—freedom of speech, individual liberty, and the rule of law—as foundations of peace and prosperity. The program achieves these goals through American-led virtual exchanges that connects young leaders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with peers across the United States.