Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS PRISTINA FY20 03

The University Support Grants Program (Funding Opportunity Number PAS PRISTINA FY20 03) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kosovo, under CFDA 19.900. It is designed to fund practical, implementable projects that strengthen Kosovo's higher education sector through targeted capacity building, accountability, and student support initiatives. The program is framed around improvements that can be demonstrated through clear planning and measurable results, with an emphasis on communicating outcomes publicly.

Applicants are invited to propose programs that address and implement activities in one or more of three closely related areas. The first priority is strengthening the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA) and/or the broader accreditation process, specifically to support Kosovo in regaining membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). This can include efforts that improve accreditation standards, procedures, internal quality assurance alignment, transparency, or stakeholder confidence in accreditation decisions. The second priority focuses on building or expanding a system for monitoring and evaluating teaching in higher education classrooms, which could involve developing evaluation tools, observation or peer review models, student feedback mechanisms, faculty development linkages, or institutional processes that ensure teaching quality is assessed consistently and used for improvement. The third priority is the creation or enhancement of student orientation programs that help students understand how universities function, what is expected of them academically and professionally, and how they can navigate their studies more effectively. While proposals may target any of these areas, the solicitation emphasizes that proposals should clearly connect themes, suggesting preference for approaches that integrate accreditation/quality assurance, teaching evaluation, and student preparedness into a coherent program rather than treating them as isolated activities.

A major requirement of this opportunity is a strong monitoring and evaluation (M and E) component built directly into the program design and budget. Proposals are expected to include adequate funds for M and E and to provide a detailed explanation of how program performance will be tracked, what indicators will be used to judge success, how challenges will be identified, and how learning will be incorporated during implementation. In other words, applicants should plan from the start how they will measure outputs and outcomes, document progress, and demonstrate whether the intervention made a meaningful difference.

The program also places notable weight on public outreach and visibility. Applicants must include a robust media plan describing how they will communicate activities and results, especially through online platforms and digital content. Successful grantees should be prepared to share their online activities and posts with the Embassy's Public Affairs Section (PAS), indicating an expectation of coordination on public-facing messaging, amplification of content, and broader dissemination of project achievements and lessons learned.

In terms of basic funding parameters, the award ceiling is USD 50,000, and the Embassy anticipated making around 10 awards. The opportunity was originally posted on April 2, 2020, with an original closing date of May 15, 2020. The eligible applicant category is listed broadly as "Others" (with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement), and the funding instrument is a grant under the activity category "Other," reflecting that projects may span multiple higher education improvement functions rather than fitting neatly into a single standard category.

Overall, this NOFO is aimed at helping Kosovo advance higher education quality and institutional credibility by strengthening accreditation systems, making classroom teaching quality more measurable and improvable, and supporting students through structured orientation that clarifies expectations and roles. Competitive proposals under this program would typically be expected to present a clear theory of change linking activities to higher education outcomes, include concrete deliverables and timelines, demonstrate credible partnerships or institutional buy-in where relevant, and show how results will be measured and communicated in a way that is transparent and useful to stakeholders.

  • The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kosovo in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "University Support Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Apr 02, 2020.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by May 15, 2020. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
Apply for PAS PRISTINA FY20 03

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - University Support Grants Program (PAS PRISTINA FY20 03)

What is the University Support Grants Program (PAS PRISTINA FY20 03)?

The University Support Grants Program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kosovo (Public Affairs Section), under CFDA 19.900. It funds practical, implementable projects intended to strengthen Kosovo's higher education sector through targeted capacity building, accountability improvements, and student support initiatives.

Which U.S. government entity is offering this grant?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Kosovo, through the Embassy's Public Affairs Section (PAS).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PAS PRISTINA FY20 03.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 19.900.

What is the main purpose of the funding?

The funding is intended to support projects that produce clear, measurable improvements in Kosovo's higher education sector. The program emphasizes strong planning, measurable results, and public communication of outcomes.

What types of projects are encouraged?

The program invites proposals that address activities in one or more of three closely related areas: strengthening accreditation systems (including support to the Kosovo Accreditation Agency and the accreditation process), building or expanding teaching evaluation systems, and creating or enhancing student orientation programs.

What is the first priority area: accreditation?

The first priority area focuses on strengthening the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA) and/or the broader accreditation process, specifically to support Kosovo in regaining membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). Proposed activities may include improving accreditation standards and procedures, aligning internal quality assurance practices, increasing transparency, and building stakeholder confidence in accreditation decisions.

What is the second priority area: monitoring and evaluating teaching?

The second priority area supports building or expanding systems to monitor and evaluate teaching in higher education classrooms. This can include developing evaluation tools, establishing observation or peer review models, creating student feedback mechanisms, linking evaluation results to faculty development, and developing institutional processes that apply teaching-quality assessment consistently and use it for improvement.

What is the third priority area: student orientation programs?

The third priority area supports creating or enhancing student orientation programs. These programs are intended to help students understand how universities function, what is expected academically and professionally, and how to navigate their studies more effectively.

Do proposals need to address all three priority areas?

No. Proposals may target any one or more of the three areas. However, the solicitation emphasizes that proposals should clearly connect themes, indicating a preference for approaches that integrate accreditation/quality assurance, teaching evaluation, and student preparedness into a coherent program rather than treating them as isolated activities.

What does it mean to "connect themes" in a proposal?

Based on the solicitation language, applicants are expected to show how selected activities reinforce each other across the priority areas (for example, linking teaching evaluation improvements to quality assurance goals, and aligning student orientation with institutional expectations and accountability). The intent is a coherent program design rather than separate, unrelated components.

What is required for monitoring and evaluation (M and E)?

A strong monitoring and evaluation component is a major requirement and must be built into both the program design and the budget. Proposals are expected to explain how performance will be tracked, what indicators will be used to judge success, how challenges will be identified, and how learning will be incorporated during implementation.

Does the budget need to include dedicated M and E funding?

Yes. The opportunity states that proposals are expected to include adequate funds for monitoring and evaluation and to describe how that M and E effort will work during implementation.

What kinds of results does the program expect applicants to demonstrate?

The program is framed around improvements that can be demonstrated through clear planning and measurable results. Applicants are expected to measure outputs and outcomes, document progress, and demonstrate whether the intervention made a meaningful difference.

Is public outreach or visibility required?

Yes. The program places notable weight on public outreach and visibility. Applicants must include a robust media plan describing how they will communicate activities and results, with particular emphasis on online platforms and digital content.

What does the media plan need to cover?

Based on the description provided, the media plan should describe how project activities and results will be communicated publicly, especially through online platforms and digital content. The plan should reflect an intention to share outcomes publicly and support broader dissemination of achievements and lessons learned.

Will grantees need to coordinate communications with the U.S. Embassy?

Yes. The solicitation indicates that successful grantees should be prepared to share their online activities and posts with the Embassy's Public Affairs Section (PAS), suggesting coordination on public-facing messaging and amplification of content.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is USD 50,000.

How many awards were anticipated?

The Embassy anticipated making around 10 awards.

When was this opportunity posted and when was it originally due?

The opportunity was originally posted on April 2, 2020, with an original closing date of May 15, 2020.

What is the funding instrument?

The funding instrument is a grant.

What is the listed applicant eligibility category?

The eligible applicant category is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is listed as "Other," reflecting that supported projects may span multiple higher education improvement functions rather than fitting into a single standard category.

What makes a proposal competitive under this NOFO?

Based on the information provided, competitive proposals would typically include a clear theory of change linking activities to higher education outcomes, concrete deliverables and timelines, credible partnerships or institutional buy-in where relevant, a strong M and E plan with indicators and learning processes, and a robust communications plan to share results transparently and publicly.

Is there an emphasis on practical implementation?

Yes. The grant is described as supporting practical, implementable projects, with an emphasis on planning and measurable results that can be communicated publicly.

Does the program specifically mention ENQA?

Yes. One of the stated aims within the accreditation priority is to support Kosovo in regaining membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

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