The Department of Education has announced more than $2 million for a new Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) grant. From the $2.18 million available, an estimated 27 awards will be made for a 12-month period, with grants ranging from $70,000 to $120,000, depending on the size and scope of the project. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2022.

The UISFL program, under Title VI International Education of the Higher Education Act, provides grants to plan, develop and implement projects to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages. Awards are available for institutions of higher education, consortia of institutions, or partnerships between institutions and nonprofit educational organizations. Nonprofit educational organizations include professional or scholarly associations or foreign language societies. 

For the FY 2022 grant cycle, two competitive preference priorities and one invitational preference priority are included in the announcement: 

• Competitive preference 1 is for applications from Minority-Serving Institutions or community colleges, individually or as part of a consortium. 
• Competitive preference 2 is for institutions that require at least two years of foreign language study for entry or graduation. 
• The invitational preference is for institutions that teach Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) or that provide educational programs in Area Studies or International Studies, which focus on contemporary topics in conjunction with LCTL. LCTL is defined as “any modern foreign language, except French, German, or Spanish.” 

Private, nonprofit colleges are eligible for any of these preference areas. 

The Department will hold a pre-application webinar for prospective applicants that will be available on the UISFL program website. For potential grantees who are unfamiliar with the grant making process, information about the discretionary grant process and resources on the funding basics are available on the Funding 101 Basics website.