Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2013 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program

On April 18, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the availability of a competitive grant funding opportunity to promote immigrant civic integration and prepare permanent residents for citizenship. USCIS will offer nearly $10 million in competitive funding for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country. This funding opportunity is for organizations that prepare permanent residents for citizenship by offering both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services. Applications are due by May 22, 2013.

How to Apply

• Program Requirements
• Determining the Eligibility of an Organization
• Past Grant Recipients
• Application Information
• Contact Information
• Background

Program Requirements

The funded program must include the following two components:

1) Citizenship instruction to prepare permanent residents for the civics (U.S. history and government) and English (reading, writing and speaking) components of the naturalization test. Program design must include:

a) The use of a nationally standardized test of English proficiency for student placement and assessment of progress.
b) The provision of at least 40 hours of citizenship instruction over a 10-15 week class cycle for students at or below the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) high beginning level.
c) At least 24 hours of citizenship instruction over a 10-15 week class cycle for all other students.

2) Naturalization application services to support permanent residents in the naturalization application and interview process, within the scope of the authorized practice of immigration law. Services must include:

a) The provision of naturalization eligibility screening.
b) The preparation and submission of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative.
c) Ongoing case management.

Note: Services may also include interview preparation, a representative’s appearance at the naturalization interview, and filing of other forms or documents (such as Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions), if applicable.

Determining the Eligibility of an Organization

1) Eligible applicants are organizations with public or non-profit status. This includes, but is not limited to:

a) Public or private non-profit organizations;
b) Public school systems, universities and community colleges;
c) Civic, community and faith-based organizations;
d) Adult-education organizations;
e) Public libraries;
f) Volunteer and literacy organizations; and
g) State and local governments.

2) To be eligible for funding, applicants and/or sub-awardees must demonstrate at least one year of experience in the past five years providing citizenship instruction.

3) Applicants and/or any sub-awardees that propose to provide naturalization application services must have at least one year of experience in the past five years providing naturalization application services, and must at the time of application:

a) Be recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and have at least one BIA-accredited representative employee to provide clients with naturalization representation; or
b) Have at least one attorney employee to provide clients with naturalization representation.

Past Grant Recipients

Current awardees funded under the fiscal year (FY) 2012 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program funding opportunity DHS-12-CIS-010-002 are not eligible to apply for the FY 2013 funding opportunity because the FY 2012 program’s two-year period of performance will not expire before the start of the new program.

Application Information

Organizations must apply electronically for this grant using the application package and instructions available at www.grants.gov. Detailed application instructions can be found in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and on www.grants.gov.

All applicants and sub-applicants applying for federal funding must have a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Data Numbering System (DUNS) number and must register with the System for Award Management (SAM).

The Grants.gov website at www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining a DUNS number and registering with SAM. USCIS strongly encourages applicants to obtain or update all registrations related to Grants.gov in advance of the May 22, 2013 deadline. USCIS has developed a tip sheet to help applicants prepare their proposals.

Contact Information

For additional information and updates on the FY 2013 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, visit www.uscis.gov/grants or contact the USCIS Office of Citizenship by email at citizenshipgrantprogram@uscis.dhs.gov.

A stakeholder engagement will be held on April 23, 2013 to address questions regarding the grant program. For more information on this engagement, visit www.uscis.gov/nationalevents. To learn more about applying for federal funding opportunities, visit www.grants.gov or contact the Grants.gov support line at 1-800-518-4726.

Media inquiries should be directed to the USCIS Office of Communications at 202-272-1200.

Background

Since the creation of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program in fiscal year (FY) 2009, USCIS has awarded a total of $23.2 million through 142 grants to immigrant-serving organizations that provided citizenship preparation services to more than 51,000 permanent residents in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

Through this grant opportunity, USCIS seeks to expand the availability of high-quality citizenship preparation services. Increased learning opportunities and additional citizenship instruction resources in communities will help permanent residents improve their English-language skills, increase their knowledge of U.S. history and government, and understand the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. Expanding the availability of citizenship preparation programs will help to ensure that permanent residents who are committed to the goal of U.S. citizenship have access to the support they need to be successful.