2022 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program | SFOP0007859

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0007859

The 2022 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0007859) is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources funding announcement focused on supporting the operations of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program, a flagship diversity recruitment and career pipeline initiative for the U.S. Foreign Service. Through this competition, the Department seeks a single partner organization to help run the fellowship by managing the programmatic design and delivery, financial oversight, and administrative functions that keep the fellowship operating smoothly and in compliance with federal assistance requirements.

The award is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which generally means the Department of State expects to remain substantially involved in the project during implementation rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The funding activity category is Education, and the program is associated with CFDA 19.013. The opportunity anticipates making one award (Expected Awards: 1), with a stated award ceiling of $6,065,980. In practical terms, this indicates the Department is looking for a single national-level implementer capable of managing a large, complex fellowship program that includes multiple moving parts such as recruitment, selection support, participant services, reporting, and strong financial controls.

Eligibility is limited to nonprofits that have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, specifically excluding institutions of higher education. This suggests the Department is targeting an independent nonprofit operator with demonstrated capacity to administer fellowships, handle federal cooperative agreement compliance, and manage significant budgets. The administering office is the Department of State's Global Talent Management, Office of Talent Acquisition (GTM/TAC), underscoring that the grant is tightly tied to workforce development and talent pipeline objectives rather than academic research.

The core purpose of the fellowship, as emphasized in the announcement, is to increase the representation of diverse groups in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Pickering Fellowship is positioned as one of the Department's premier diversity recruitment programs, meaning the funded organization would be expected to support activities that strengthen outreach and access, help identify and develop competitive candidates for Foreign Service careers, and provide the administrative backbone needed to run the fellowship effectively. The awardee's role is described broadly as conducting programmatic, financial, and administrative activities, which typically includes planning and executing recruitment and selection processes, coordinating fellow support and services, maintaining records, ensuring required reporting to the Department, and managing funds in accordance with federal rules and the cooperative agreement terms.

Key dates listed in the source data show the opportunity was created on March 31, 2021, with an original closing date of May 17, 2021. While the title references the 2022 fellowship program, the description indicates the funding is to conduct activities for the 2021 Pickering Fellowship program cycle, which is common in federal funding where administrative awards may span or support multiple cohort years and the naming convention may reflect the fellowship cycle rather than the posting date.

• The Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2022 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.013.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 17, 2021. (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 $6,065,980.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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