Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program CFDA Number 84.015B | ED GRANTS 052518 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 052518 002

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships Program (CFDA 84.015B) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education designed to strengthen U.S. capacity in foreign language and international expertise. The notice described here is a summary of the official Federal Register announcement, and applicants are expected to rely on the Federal Register notice for the definitive rules on eligibility, priorities, required forms, submission procedures, performance measures, and contacts. The opportunity is framed as two related competitions announced together, with award and funding specifics separated in the official "Award Information" portion of the notice.

At a high level, the opportunity sits alongside the National Resource Centers (NRC) Program and is part of a broader federal strategy to build and sustain centers of excellence in language and area studies at U.S. colleges and universities. The NRC program component supports institutions of higher education (IHEs), or consortia of IHEs, in establishing and operating comprehensive or undergraduate centers that serve as national resources. These centers are expected to expand the teaching of modern foreign languages, deepen instruction in disciplines needed to understand key world regions where those languages are used, support research and training in international studies (including international and foreign language components of professional programs), and encourage instruction and research focused on major issues in world affairs. In practical terms, the NRC piece is about building institutional infrastructure: curriculum development, outreach, training, research activities, and sustained programming that improves the quality and availability of language and area studies.

The FLAS Program component specifically focuses on student support through fellowships. Rather than awarding fellowships directly to individual students at the federal level, the program allocates academic-year and summer fellowships to eligible IHEs and consortia, which then select and support meritorious undergraduate and graduate students. The core requirement is that fellows pursue modern foreign language training in combination with area studies, international studies, or international aspects of professional study. This reflects the program's emphasis on producing graduates who can pair advanced language ability with regional or international expertise, a combination often needed in government, education, research, public service, and internationally oriented private-sector work.

A distinctive feature of FLAS is its applicability to multiple stages of graduate education. In addition to supporting coursework-based language and area studies training, FLAS fellowships may also support graduate students at the predissertation stage, during preparation for dissertation research, while conducting dissertation research abroad, or during dissertation writing. That structure is meant to sustain language development and regional specialization through the full arc of advanced study, including research phases that can require long-term immersion, specialized materials, or focused writing time.

Eligibility for the competition is institution-based. The listed eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as clarified in the official notice (often meaning consortia arrangements or other specific higher-education configurations permitted by the program rules). The program is administered by the Department of Education, with the opportunity posted on May 25, 2018, and applications due June 25, 2018. The listing indicates an expected 105 awards and shows an award ceiling of 0 in the summary record, which typically signals that the ceiling is not captured in that abbreviated database field and must be confirmed in the Federal Register notice.

Overall, this grant opportunity is geared toward expanding national capacity in critical language and regional expertise by funding institutions to run fellowship programs (and, in the paired competition structure referenced by the notice, supporting the broader ecosystem of language and area studies centers). Applicants are expected to consult the official Federal Register publication for the detailed competition structure, allowable uses of funds, selection criteria, reporting requirements, and any competitive priorities that shape what a strong application looks like.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program CFDA Number 84.015B" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.015.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2018 Applications Available May 25, 2018. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 25, 2018. Note This notice invites applications for two separate competitions. For funding and other key information for the two competitions, see the Award Information section of this notice.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 105 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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