May 3, 2023: Partners of the Americas, along with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, announce the new 100,000 Strong in the Americas Climate (100K CLIMA) grant competition for higher education institutions in the United States with regional education institutions in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The new 100K Strong Climate and Inclusive Education initiatives, announced at the Summit of the Americas, will expand opportunities for U.S. colleges and universities to build partnerships with regional education institutions in Latin America. This first 100K Strong CLIMA competition supports the Department’s policy goals for a greener, more inclusive, and prosperous Hemisphere through expanded regional education collaboration.
Six grants of approximately $50,000 each will be awarded in this 100K Southern Cone competition to support innovative higher education partnerships to create and implement climate-focused, inclusive, student and faculty exchange programs during 2023-2024 between the United States and Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.
In her remarks, U.S. Ambassador Bernadette M. Meehan affirmed that “The 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund strengthens our partnerships and educational systems based on our shared values. Together we are reinforcing U.S.-Chile connections with higher education, the private sector, and civil society to build a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable world.”
On behalf of CAF, Christian Asinelli, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Programming, stated that: “We are confident that the results of this call will contribute to strengthen the environmental awareness of the new generations and promote a change in our ways of consumption and interaction with the environment. At CAF, we will continue working to promote educational and training initiatives across the Americas, especially those aimed at protecting and caring for our ‘Common Home’.”
In addition, John McPhail, President and CEO of Partners of the Americas, shared this: “By working together through cross-border partnerships, higher education institutions and the public and private sectors can expand climate action, share effective models, and collectively achieve much more than is possible when working in isolation. Partners of the Americas is dedicated to supporting the region’s higher education institutions in this work and is thrilled to offer this opportunity to expand strategic partnerships, student training, and climate action.”
Teams of HEIs between the U.S. and Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are invited to form partnerships and submit proposals to create and implement new models of inclusive education and exchange programs for students and faculty during 2023-2024 Thematic areas in this 100K Strong grant competition focus on climate action, including Biodiversity Protection; Bio-Economy and Sustainable Value Chains; Climate Justice; Climate Technology; Conservation and Reforestation; Endangered/Threatened Species Management and Protection; Environmental Protection; Green/Climate Finance; Renewable Energy; STEM for Climate Purposes; Sustainable Land Use; Water Protection and Restoration; and other related areas.
Please see the Request for Proposals (RFP) for 100K grant requirements and the full list of thematic areas.
The deadline to submit a grant proposal is July 31, 2023. For more details, please see the RFP at www.100kstrongamericas.org/grants.
The 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K) Innovation Fund is the public-private sector collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, U.S. embassies, and Partners of the Americas working in collaboration with regional private, public, and academic sectors to stimulate innovative partnerships and inclusive exchanges for students and faculty between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. As of May 2023, after 34 competitions over 10 years, the 100K Strong Innovation Fund has awarded 306 grants ($25,000-$35,000 each) to teams of 572 higher education institutions (HEIs) working across 25 countries and 49 U.S. states. As a result of 100K Strong partnerships, upwards of 9,000 students and faculty have participated in dynamic, inclusive exchange and training programs throughout the Americas. The 100K Network, a virtual platform for higher education collaboration, includes more than 4,000 individual members representing approximately 2,300 HEIs in the Western Hemisphere.
To Join the 100K Network: www.100KStrongAmericas.org // Follow: #100KStrongAmericas
The mission of Partners of the Americas is to connect people and organizations across and within borders to serve and change lives through lasting partnerships. These partnerships create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems. Inspired by President Kennedy and founded in 1964, under the Alliance for Progress, Partners is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with international offices in Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.partners.net or via Twitter @partnersamerica.
The mission of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, is to promote sustainable development and regional integration by means of financing projects in the public and private sectors, providing technical cooperation, and other specialized services. Created in 1970, it is made up of 20 countries, 18 Latin American and Caribbean, together with Spain and Portugal, and 13 private banks, it is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge for the region. For more information, visit https://www.caf.com.
Press Contact: Rachel Falek