Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) | EE ERT 16 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for EE ERT 16 003

The Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) is a U.S. Department of State funding opportunity designed to support research and training programs focused on Eastern Europe and the independent states that emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The intent is to strengthen U.S.-based expertise, analysis, and educational capacity related to these regions by funding organizations that can conduct serious research, develop specialists, and deliver structured training activities. The opportunity sits within the Department of State's broader education-related efforts to improve understanding of critical international regions and to ensure the United States maintains a deep bench of knowledgeable scholars and practitioners.

This opportunity was issued by the Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, indicating a strong emphasis on rigorous, policy-relevant knowledge production and the cultivation of expertise that can inform U.S. foreign policy understanding. While the program is fundamentally educational in its funding classification, it is also closely tied to national-level analytical needs: applicants are expected to have demonstrated interest and capability in producing credible research and offering training that builds regional and country-specific competence.

The funding mechanism is a discretionary grant, meaning awards are made competitively based on the merits of submitted proposals rather than by formula or entitlement. The assistance listing identifier associated with the program is CFDA 19.300, which corresponds to Title VIII programming. The funding opportunity number is EE ERT 16 003, and the original application closing date listed for this particular announcement was April 21, 2017, with a creation date of March 8, 2017. The notice lists an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that the ceiling was either not specified in the public summary data or was to be defined in the full solicitation materials, rather than implying no funding would be awarded.

Eligible applicants are U.S. organizations, specifically including nonprofits that have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS and are not institutions of higher education, along with an additional category labeled "Others." At the same time, the description explicitly references U.S. institutions of higher education, which suggests that universities may be central participants in the overall Title VIII ecosystem, even if the eligibility field in the extracted summary emphasizes nonprofits outside higher education. In practice, this kind of structure often allows universities to participate through affiliated nonprofit entities, partnerships, consortia, or other eligible organizational arrangements, but the precise interpretation would depend on the full text of the solicitation and its definitions.

In terms of what projects are meant to do, the core activities revolve around conducting research and offering training connected to Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet independent states. A strong application would typically be expected to lay out a coherent program plan, identify the target countries or themes within the region, explain the research questions or training objectives, and demonstrate the applicant's ability to implement the work with qualified personnel and credible methods. Because the administering bureau is Intelligence and Research, proposals that combine scholarly rigor with practical relevance, produce usable findings, and build durable expertise are generally aligned with the spirit of the program.

Overall, Title VIII in this announcement functions as a federal investment in U.S. capacity to understand strategically significant regions through structured research and training. It invites organizations with demonstrated competence to propose programs that deepen regional knowledge, cultivate specialists, and contribute to a stronger foundation of informed analysis about Eastern Europe and the independent states of the former Soviet Union.

• The Bureau of Intelligence and Research in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Program for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-04-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for EE ERT 16 003

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: