Opportunity Information: Apply for ECA ECAPEC 18 106
The FY 2018 Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP) is a U.S. Department of State exchange and professional development grant opportunity administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), specifically through the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Sports Diplomacy Division. It is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the selected recipient would be expected to work closely with the U.S. government during program implementation rather than operating completely independently. The program sits under CFDA number 19.415 and is framed as a sports diplomacy initiative that uses sport as a practical tool to build relationships, strengthen communities, and advance broader U.S. foreign policy goals.
At its core, the opportunity funds an organization to run two separate, month-long mentorship programs in the United States, along with a reciprocal exchange overseas. The two U.S.-based components are the Sport for Community GSMP and the espnW GSMP. Together with the overseas reciprocal element, the full effort is designed to involve roughly 80 international and American participants in total. While the announcement does not list every operational detail in the excerpt, the structure clearly emphasizes hands-on, professional mentorship: international sports leaders are paired with American sports executives and practitioners for intensive learning, observation, and collaboration, with the expectation that participants take what they learn and translate it into concrete initiatives when they return home.
The program is explicitly focused on inclusion and the advancement of groups that are often marginalized in sports systems and in society more broadly. The GSMP highlights empowering women and people with disabilities as central aims, positioning sport as a platform for social inclusion and for elevating the status and visibility of underserved populations. In practice, that means the mentorships and exchanges are not only about improving athletic programs or organizational management, but also about helping participants develop inclusive approaches, accessible programming, and leadership pathways that open doors for people who have historically been excluded or underrepresented.
A major theme of the GSMP is relationship-building that lasts beyond the exchange itself. The opportunity describes an intent to foster mutually beneficial, ongoing connections between U.S. sports professionals and leaders in the international sports sector. It also emphasizes sustained alumni engagement, including continued ties through U.S. Embassy relationships, potential follow-on individual grants, and structured monitoring and evaluation. This signals that the program is designed as a multi-stage pipeline: recruit and mentor participants, support them as they implement ideas, and keep them connected to a broader network so the impact continues after the month-long experiences end.
Another defining feature is the emphasis on public-private partnerships and participant-led business plans. Rather than being only a training tour, the GSMP is framed as an applied program where participants develop practical, participant-driven plans that can be implemented in real communities. The intent is for these plans and partnerships to translate into measurable community benefits both in the United States and abroad, using sport to encourage civic engagement, inclusion, and stronger community structures. The announcement summarizes this as helping create a more secure and democratic global playing field, which reflects the program's larger diplomatic purpose: strengthening international ties and promoting shared values through the universal appeal and organizing power of sport.
In terms of eligibility and logistics, the competition was open to U.S. organizations, with the narrative emphasizing U.S. public and private non-profit organizations that meet the requirements of 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3). The source data also lists additional eligible applicant categories, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and certain nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), indicating a broader eligibility framing in the listing. The funding opportunity number is ECA ECAPEC 18 106, the original application closing date was June 1, 2018, and the listed award ceiling was $1,130,000.Apply for ECA ECAPEC 18 106
- The Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Global Sports Mentoring Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.415.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2018-04-12.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-06-01. (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 $1,130,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.
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