Round 28 of the Critical Language Projects is CLOSED.
As part of the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP), program alumni, current exchange teachers, mentor teachers, administrative representatives, and U.S. schools and districts are eligible and encouraged to apply for grants to fund Critical Language Projects (CLPs). These projects may range from $500 to $3,000 and are designed to complement the TCLP experience by contributing to the enhancement of critical language programs in U.S. schools and furthering the teaching of English, Arabic, or Mandarin as a Foreign Language in the home countries of the international alumni. In addition, CLPs promote mutual understanding and lasting relationships between program alumni and their U.S. colleagues.
To apply for a CLP grant, TCLP alumni teachers and schools should submit a completed application via https://ais.americancouncils.org/tclpgrants. Please contact tclp@americancouncils.org with any questions.
Please note: Round 28 in the Spring of 2025 will be the final round of CLP grants awarded by TCLP. This is because the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP), funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by American Councils for International Education, is coming to an end. The 2023-2024 academic year was the final year of the Arabic program. The 2024-2025 academic year is the final year of the Mandarin program.
Learn More & Plan Your Project
- Watch the webinar to learn how you can implement a CLP in your school or community
- Organize your ideas with a CLP logic model
- Develop the details even further using a CLP action planning guide
- Review the Top 11 Reasons Why CLPs Are Not Selected
- Compare your application with examples of a weak CLP application and a strong CLP application
Application Eligibility
- Applications may be submitted by: TCLP program alumni, current exchange teachers, current U.S. host school administrator representatives, and current mentor teachers. Grants will be awarded to one recipient as designated by the proposal.
- Multiple applicants from the same school district may not apply for a total of more than $3,000 of funding within one round.
- Applicants may not apply while they currently have an open follow-on grant with any U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program (including TCLP, The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) or the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program). Applicants MAY apply for both a CLP grant and for a TCLP Host School Critical Languages Development Allowance, but schools are not eligible to receive more than a total of $4500 per calendar year as recipients of CLP grants and the Host School Critical Languages Development Allowance.
- Applicants may not be awarded more than two CLP grants within two consecutive years.
- Applicants may not be awarded more than three total CLP grants.
- Proposed projects must be implemented in U.S. schools and communities that have hosted an exchange teacher through TCLP or in the home countries of the TCLP international alumni.
- Submitting separate proposed projects that share or overlap the same project activities and/or benefit the same participants may make these overlapping applications ineligible.
- Applicants must submit a complete application packet online, including a completed application form, project proposal, budget and budget narrative, timeline, CVs for project staff, and, as necessary, support letters from participating schools and proposed partners.
Applications not meeting these technical eligibility requirements will not be forwarded to the selection committee for review.