News
On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) program and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
PDF of Upcoming Webinars - PDF (1M)
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar - February 20, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 NRC and FLAS Competition Updates
Click here to register for the February 20 webinar
Description
NRC Program Press Kit - PDF (6.2M)
Are you a student interested in attending a university with a National Resource Center (NRC) focused on a particular world region? Visit our Google map of grantees to find out which institutions are currently home to National Resource Centers for particular world regions, and to learn more about our other grant and fellowship programs.
The Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) program provides grants to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to establish, strengthen, and operate comprehensive and undergraduate Centers that act cooperatively as national resources for--
- Teaching of modern foreign languages, especially less commonly taught languages;
- Instruction in fields of study needed to provide full understanding of areas, regions, or countries in which such languages are commonly used;
- Research and training in international studies and the international and foreign language aspects of professional and other fields of study; and
- Instruction and research on issues in world affairs that concern one or more countries.
The NRC Program contributes to the purposes of the programs authorized by part A of title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
A Center’s area of focus for research, teaching, training, instruction, and project activities must be aligned with both of the following requirements:
- The area of focus must be a geographic world area or a geographically designated region that spans multiple world areas.
- Research, teaching, training, and instruction in specific languages, countries, regions, societies, or other units of analysis related to the area of focus described in this paragraph (1) must be conducted at the institution.
A comprehensive Center is an administrative unit of an eligible institution of higher education that independently or through collaboration with other administrative units--
- Provides intensive modern foreign language training, especially for less commonly taught languages, in the Center’s area of focus;
- Contributes significantly to the national interest in advanced research and scholarship in the Center’s area of focus;
- Employs a critical mass of scholars in diverse disciplines related to the Center’s area of focus;
- Maintains important library collections related to the Center’s area of focus;
- Makes training available in language and area studies in the Center’s area of focus, to graduate, postgraduate, and undergraduate students;
- Addresses national needs for modern foreign language and area studies expertise and knowledge, including through, but not limited to, the placement of students into postgraduate employment, education, or training in areas of need; and
- Disseminates information about the Center’s area of focus to audiences in the United States.
An undergraduate Center independently or through collaboration with other administrative units—
- Teaches modern foreign languages, especially less commonly taught languages, related to the Center’s area of focus;
- Prepares undergraduate students to matriculate into advanced modern foreign language and area studies programs and professional school programs;
- Incorporates substantial content related to the Center’s area of focus into baccalaureate degree programs;
- Engages in research and curriculum development designed to broaden knowledge and expertise related to the Center’s area of focus;
- Employs faculty with strong language, area, and international studies credentials related to the Center’s area of focus;
- Maintains library holdings sufficient to support high-quality training and instruction in the Center’s area of focus for undergraduate students;
- Makes training related to the Center’s area of focus available predominantly to undergraduate students in support of the objectives of a undergraduate education;
- Addresses national needs for language and area studies expertise and knowledge, including through, but not limited to, the placement of undergraduate students into postgraduate employment, education, or training in areas of need; and
- Disseminates information about the Center’s area of focus to audiences in the United States.
Notes:
- Equipment costs exceeding ten percent of the grant are not allowable.
- Funds for undergraduate travel are allowable only in conjunction with a formal program of supervised study in the subject area on which the center focuses.
- Grant funds may not be used to supplant.
Contact
E-mail: NRC-FLAS@ed.gov
Staff Contact | Portfolio | Phone # |
Sarah Beaton | Advanced Training and Research Division Director | (202) 453-7221 |
Carolyn Collins | Western Hemisphere (Canada, Latin America and Caribbean) | (202) 453-7854 |
Brian Cwiek | East Asia/Pan-Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands | (202-987-1947 |
Tim Duvall | Middle East, Western Europe | (202) 453-7521 |
Tanyelle Richardson | Africa, International | (202) 453-6391 |
Dana Sapatoru | Russia/East Europe/Eurasia | (202) 987-1944 |
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
International and Foreign Language Education
National Resource Centers Program
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
Program Classification
Program Office: International and Foreign Language Education
CFDA Number: 84.015A
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants
Also Known As: National Resource Centers, NRC
|| Competition Timeline || Application Materials || Tips & Assistance || Eligibility ||
Competition Timeline
The Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) program operates on a four-year grant cycle and competitions are announced in the Federal Register. To learn about future NRC program competitions, please check this website and subscribe to the International and Foreign Language Education office newsletter listserv to receive updates.
Last competition: FY 2022
Next competition: FY 2026
Application Materials
The FY 2022 competition is closed. The deadline to apply was February 14, 2022. All information below regarding the FY 2022 competition is for reference only.
Applications for the NRC program must be submitted online through Grants.gov. Institutions interested in applying for both NRC and FLAS grants are required to submit two separate applications (one for each program).
- Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2022 dated December 16, 2022 | PDF
- FY 2022 NRC Application Instructions: MS Word (475K)
- For reference: FY 2022 Consultation on Areas of National Need with Federal Agencies: MS Word (103K)
Tips and Assistance
NRC Program Press Kit - PDF (6.2M)
On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar - February 20, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 NRC and FLAS Competition Updates
Click here to register for the February 20 webinar
Linked below is a provisional version of the FY 2026 NRC Technical Review Form reflecting the recent revisions to program regulations. A final version (with points assigned for each selection criterion) will be included in the application package published when the competition is officially announced.
PRIOR COMPETITION MATERIALS
IFLE hosted a pre-application webinar for the FY 2022 competition on November 10, 2021. The webinar covered a variety of topics, including NRC and FLAS program requirements, selection criteria, updates to the application process, as well as time for questions and answers.
- CLICK HERE to stream the FY 2022 Application Technical Assistance Webinar on YouTube
- Webinar Slide Deck: PowerPoint (3.7M)
- FAQs: PDF (371K)
IFLE also developed a crosswalk document to accompany the Technical Review Form used by panel reviewers to evaluate and score how well applicants responded to program selection criteria. Applicants were able to use this document to better understand the specific language and the similarities and differences of each criterion for the NRC and FLAS competitions.
- Crosswalk for FY 2022 NRC and FLAS Technical Review Form: MS Word (34K)
Eligibility
Who May Apply: An institution of Higher Education or a combination of institutions of higher education.
FY 2024
Appropriation: $29,332,911
Number of Continuation Awards: 113
Average Award: $259,583
List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (37K)
Application Narratives of Funded FY 2022-2025 NRCs
Google Map of FY 2024 IFLE Grantees
FY 2023
Appropriation: $29,332,911
Number of New Awards: 15
Number of Continuation Awards: 98
Average Award: $259,583
FY 2023 List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (37K)
Application Narratives of Funded FY 2022-2025 NRCs
Google Map of FY 2023 IFLE Grantees
FY 2022
Appropriation: $25,560,561
Number of New Awards: 98
Number of Continuation Awards: 0
Average Continuation Award: $260,822
FY 2022 List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (123K)
Application Narratives of Funded FY 2022-2025 NRCs
Google Map of FY 2022 IFLE Grantees
FY 2021
Appropriation: $23,709,231
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 100
Average Continuation Award: $237,092
List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY2018 NRC/FLAS Applications
FY 2020
Appropriation: $23,596,357
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 100
Average Continuation Award: $235,964
List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY2018 NRC/FLAS Applications
FY 2019
Appropriation: $22,743,107
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 96
Average Continuation Award: $236,907
List of Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY2018 NRC/FLAS Applications
Useful Links
- Notice of Final Rule (August 27, 2024) with regulatory updates to the NRC program (see “Regulations” section below for a list of upcoming technical assistance webinars)
- Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (February 22, 2024) regarding regulatory updates to the NRC program
- Program Administration Manual for FY 2022-2025: PDF (2.63M)
- FY 2022 Consultation on Areas of National Need with Federal Agencies: MS Word (103K)
- Related Program - Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program (FLAS)
- International Resource Information System (IRIS): a performance reporting system and searchable database for 14 international education programs
- OPE - Applicant and Grantee Resources
- FY 2022-2025 NRC/FLAS Project Directors Meeting
- Contact List for FY 2022-2025 NRC and FLAS Programs (as of 20 Oct 2022): Excel (75K)
- Engage with IFLE Flyer: PDF (137K)
- Excerpts of Select Quotes from Remarks by Ambassador Lee Litzenberger, Retired: PDF (186K)
- FLAS Funds Reminders for 2022 Project Directors Meeting: PDF (327K)
- Google Map of FY 2022 IFLE Grantees
- IFLE Peer Review Flyer: PDF (334K)
- IFLE Programs of Particular Interest to NRC/FLAS: PDF (124K)
- Snapshots of FY 2022-2025 NRC and FLAS Grantees: Excel (60K)
- U.S. Government All Language Programs Website
Legislation
- Consultation with Federal Agencies on Areas of National Need – The Higher Education Act requires that the Secretary consult with federal agency heads in order to receive recommendations regarding areas of national need for expertise in foreign languages and world regions.
- Title VI, Part A, Section 602(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
- 20 USC Section 1122 and Sections 1132-1137
Regulations
- On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar - February 20, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 NRC and FLAS Competition Updates
Click here to register for the February 20 webinar
- October 24, 2024
- 34 CFR 655 and 34 CFR 656
- Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), Parts 75, 76, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99
- On August 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with updates to the EDGAR provisions.
- The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485.
- The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.
Performance Report
Grantees under this program are required to submit an annual performance report (APR) through the International Resource Information System (IRIS). The Department provides grantees with the required password and other information needed to access the IRIS system. IRIS also includes a publicly accessible searchable database of abstracts of projects funded under OPE's international education programs.
NOTE: These FAQS apply to both the National Resource Centers and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Programs.
Please refer to the below PDF document for the complete listing of frequently asked questions and answers for the Fiscal Year 2022 National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships programs:
- PDF (371K)