FY2023 BridgeUSA Journalism and Rule of Law Scholarship Program - Federal Grants

The Office of Private Sector Exchange (BridgeUSA) of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for the administration of the BridgeUSA Journalism and Rule of Law Scholarship (JROL) Program. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to provide 20 exchange visitors from select European countries with scholarships in the Intern, Trainee, and Specialist program categories of the Exchange Visitor Program.

The program will be administered over 36 months from the date the award is made. The award recipient will recruit and select exchange visitors from marginalized populations (social, political, and economic) in Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

BridgeUSA JROL scholarship selection should ensure that at least five countries are represented among the exchange visitors and ensure a balance of exchange visitors with any of the following academic or professional backgrounds: media and communications, governance and rule of law, or public administration and policymaking.

Exchange visitors may come from any of these three backgrounds but should be able to demonstrate a clear nexus to journalism and/or rule of law in their intern/trainee/specialist exchange program. The scholarships would be used to cover exchange visitors’ program fees, including placement at a U.S.-based host organization, health benefits coverage, visa fees, SEVIS fees, and airfare.

The award recipient shall oversee all aspects of the BridgeUSA JROL Scholarship Program including, but not limited to, recruitment, screening and selection of candidates, distribution of scholarship funds to exchange visitors, placement of exchange visitors with pre-selected host organizations, providing pre-arrival and in-country orientations, monitoring of exchange visitors, and evaluation of program the effectiveness.