1. SUMMARY:
The Department is pleased to announce the FLO Professional Development Fellowship program open to spouses and partners of direct-hire US Government employees under Chief of Mission Authority. This program is designed to assist those spouses and partners who are not in a position to pursue their career paths overseas to maintain, enhance, and/or develop their professional skills.
Subject to budgetary considerations, fellowships of up to $2,500 will be granted on a reimbursable basis for enrichment activities. Once activities are completed, the grantee will submit the necessary documents to support the reimbursement request and will be reimbursed accordingly. Selected applicants must fund a minimum of 25% of the cost of the proposed activities while the Fellowship stipend will cover the additional cost up to the $2,500 maximum. Details are found below in paragraphs 5 and 6. Activities can include, but are not limited to, continuing education and distance learning through an accredited university, professional development, participation in professional conferences, and dues for membership in professional organizations. Program considerations for 2012 are outlined in paragraph 2. End Summary.
2. PROGRAM CONSIDERATIONS:
The 2012 program will have a minimum grant amount of $1000 and a maximum of $2500. The Selection Committee will not consider any requests that do not meet the minimum amount requirement. The 2012 cycle is announced in order to align with the upcoming fiscal year. As a result, the 2012 fellowship period will cover activities that commence on October 1, 2011 and conclude no later than August 15, 2012.
3. ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants must be the spouse or partner of a direct-hire US Government employee assigned to or residing at an overseas post under Chief of Mission authority. Spouses and partners of those employees assigned to unaccompanied posts are also eligible to apply. (See Selection Criteria, paragraph 8). Spouses and partners of those employees on domestic assignments will not be considered. Previous fellowship awardees who meet the eligibility requirements may apply again. However, applicants who have been awarded fellowships for two consecutive program cycles must wait one program cycle before reapplying.
4. APPLICATION PROCEDURES:
Applicants should submit a completed application form found here.
Applications must contain a one-to-two sentence synopsis followed by a detailed description of the proposed professional development program of activities. The program should be directly related to the applicant’s professional interests and the proposal must explain how the activities will enhance the applicant’s skills or future employment potential. As noted above, proposals may include a wide-range of activities. Proposals should provide a detailed breakdown of the expenses involved and give an indication of how the stipend would be used. Applications should be limited to two (2) pages (see application form).
All applications received will be acknowledged by email within three business days of receipt. Unacknowledged applications will not be considered.
5. REIMBURSED COSTS:
Selectees should be aware that the Fellowship will reimburse costs up to $2500 and the applicant will be responsible for a minimum of at least 25% of the proposed cost.
6. NON-REIMBURSED COSTS:
Travel, transportation, lodging costs, per diem, child care costs and startup business costs are not reimbursable under this program.
Example 1
Proposal to Enroll in Distance Learning Program at The University of Maryland
Reimbursable Program Expenses: $4000
25% of Total expenses $1000
Self-funded component of proposal $1500
Grant request amount $2500
Example 2
Proposal to Attend Corporate Technology Conference in Phoenix, AZ
Reimbursable Program Expenses $2500
25% of Total Expenses $625
Self-funded component $625
Grant request amount $1875
7. SELECTION COMMITTEE
Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Family Liaison Office (FLO) and will include representatives from the geographic bureaus and the Office of Overseas Employment.
8. SELECTION CRITERIA
In selecting grantees, the Selection Committee will consider the following factors:
a. Unavailability of employment options in the applicant's profession at her/his current post of assignment.
b. Correlation between the proposed activity and professional development of the applicant.
c. Where applicable, a connection between the proposed activity and other effort(s) on the part of the applicant to maintain/refresh her/his professional skills (i.e. if the proposal is part of a larger professional development plan). Additionally, favorable consideration will be given to those activities that will benefit the community as a whole through provision of services that are otherwise not readily available or alternatively are in great demand.
Proposals from applicants residing at Historically Difficult to Staff (HDS) posts will receive preference as will proposals from posts where no Bilateral Work Agreement or de facto work arrangement is in place. A list of HDS posts follows at the end of this cable; the link to the bilateral and de facto list follows: http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c24338.htm
9. PROJECT COMPLETION
Fellowship recipients are required to commence and complete the activity during the 2012 Fellowship program cycle, i.e., October 2011-August 2012. There will be no extensions and no exceptions to this requirement. Fellowship recipients will be required to submit a Project Report describing program activities and accomplishments as well as a Financial Report providing a detailed budget of the project. Specific details on project completion requirements will be sent to selectees.
These fellowships are not only a benefit for those selected but constitute a financial commitment on the part of the Department as well. It is imperative that anyone accepting one of these fellowships understand this commitment and, should they decide to withdraw, notify the Family Liaison Office as soon as possible.
10. APPLICATION DEADLINE
Proposals are due in M/DGHR/FLO no later than May 15, 2011.
Proposals can be submitted as follows:
- faxed to M/DGHR/FLO Attn: FLO Fellowship at (202) 647-1670
- emailed to FLOAskFellowship2012@state.gov
- mailed or hand carried to M/DGHR/FLO, Department of State, 2201 C ST, NW, Room 1239 HST, Washington, DC 20520
Selectees will be notified on or about August 23, 2011 and will be required to sign a grant agreement. The 2012 program cycle will begin October 1, 2011 through August 15, 2012. Expenditures covered by the grant can only occur after the fellowship grant agreement has been signed.
11. POINTS OF CONTACT
For additional information, email FLOASKFellowship2011@state.gov or call (202) 647-1076.
12. HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT TO STAFF (HDS) POSTS
AF Posts
Abidjan, Abuja, Asmara, Bangui, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Djibouti City, Douala, Freetown, Khartoum, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Ndjamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Praia, Yaounde
EAP Posts
Dili, Kolonia, Majuro, Medan, Naha, Port Moresby, Shenyang
EUR Posts
Banja Luka, Chisinau, Minsk, Pristina, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
NEA Posts
Baghdad, Jeddah, Riyadh, Sanaa
SCA Posts
Ashgabat, Astana, Dhaka, Dushanbe, Kabul, Kolkata, Lahore
WHA Posts
Ciudad Juarez, Georgetown, Hermosillo, Kingston, Nogales, Paramaribo, Port-Au-Prince
