The U.S. Department of Education offers grant funding for the study and development of instructional materials meant to provide a greater understanding of language and nationalities abroad. Some of the types of studies these funds can be used for are review and updating of current foreign language and culture educational materials, research on more effective types of training materials and developing additional materials for publication that can be used for further instruction regarding international area and/or language fields. This funding is available to individuals. Further details can be found at www.ed.gov.
The American Overseas Research Centers grant provides funding for the building or operation of research facilities overseas to provide post-graduate study, symposiums and further research of the surrounding area. The money from this grant can be used for upkeep and maintenance of the facility, travel for students or visiting scholars and faculty, research materials and staff salaries to name a few. These grants are only available to institutes of higher education.
The Fulbright-Hays grant provides funding for groups of faculty members, graduate students or college juniors and seniors to conduct research and studies abroad. The minimum amount of members required is three plus a project director. Skills necessary for inclusion in one of these groups are having a proficiency in the language needed, you must have a high degree of competency in the area of research being done and you must have completed at least one semester in intensive language and one course in cultural studies relevant to the area being studied. Grantees must be institutes of higher education, nonprofit organizations and state education agencies. For more qualifications, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website.