Embassy of the United States

English Access Microscholarship

Call For Year 2009 Proposals

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce the availability of funding for the English ACCESS Microscholarship Program for 2009.  Since its inception, approximately 44,000 students in over 55 countries have participated in the program, which affords non-elite 14-18 year old high school students the opportunity to study English and gain an appreciation for American culture and democratic values.  The deadline for submitting a proposal in English to the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section is Monday, August 24, 2009.

Successful proposals will include the following program criteria:

• After school English language instruction must be for a minimum of two years with at least 180 instruction hours per year; and clearly indicate the number of instruction hours per week per students.
• The average total program cost per student should not exceed $1,200. 
• The proposed program should give students an understanding of American culture and values, with an emphasis on democratic principles and civic engagement. 
• New students must be 14-16 years old.
• Requests for scholarship renewals for current ACCESS participants will only be considered for those students 18 years of age or younger and who have a record of outstanding achievement in the ACCESS program as demonstrated by school records and test scores.
• Priority will be given to students from low-income families.
• ACCESS students should be grouped together in classes designed specifically for the program.
• The implementing organization will provide biodata for all past, present and future participants in its ACCESS program by means of the attached Excel spreadsheet and will assist ACCESS participants in registering with the U.S. State Department's alumni website at https://alumni.state.gov.
• The Embassy will organize an English summer camp in Phnom Penh for all ACCESS participants.
• The U.S. Embassy will make the final selection of participants based upon a list of nominees submitted by the implementing partner.
• Indicate how the implementing organization will meet program and financial reports requirement on a term by term basis.

Application Information

1. Organization

• Name of Organization (English and Khmer)
• Address (English and Khmer)
• Contact Information (Phone, fax, email)
• Web Site Address
• Project Coordinator (Name, title)
• Brief Background on Key People
• Background of Organization
• Previous United States Government Funding
• Examples of previous ACCESS program successes/results; student reaction to the program and attitudes toward the United States. 

2. Project

• Program Dates
• Partner School
  1. Name of the School
  2. Name of School Director
  3. Address, phone, fax, email
  4. School Background
• Program
  1. Method of Recruitment
  2. Curriculum Details - Total number of students to be enrolled per class, start and ending time for instruction, and again the number of hours of instruction per week and year per student, type of instruction (e.g. after school, weekend, full-time) and number of teachers.
  3. What are the names of the textbooks to be used?
  4. American Culture - In addition to teaching English, proposals should give students an understanding of American culture and values, with an emphasis on democratic principles and civic engagement.  The Embassy's Information Resource Center (IRC) is able to provide supplemental materials for this purpose upon request.
  5. The ACCESS students must be put in a class together; if not please indicate
  6. What does the implementing organization do if a student has to drop out?

3. Budget (including, but not limited to, the following)

• Tuition Fees (per student for a two-year program of instruction)
• Study Materials (textbooks, notebooks, pens, etc.)
• Transportation Costs (to and from school)
• Summer Camp Expenses (transportation, meals and incidental expenses, accommodations, travel/sickness insurance, etc.)
• Enhancement activities (for e.g. games, sports, music, local trips, special cultural projects such as the fourth of July, and/or developing leadership skills, building the spirit of team work, social responsibility, and tolerance)
• Organization Overhead for Project Management
• Cost Sharing or In-kind Contributions (by the organization or educational provider, if any)

For more information on the program, call Pheakdey Nhim at 023-728179 or 012 333 411.