Opportunities for Foreign Educational Institutions: Grants for the Promotion of Italian Language and Culture
The Embassy of Italy announces a significant funding opportunity (Chapter 2562, management plan 2, F.Y. 2026) aimed at promoting the Italian language and culture within foreign educational institutions (non-university).
Resources may be granted for the following purposes:
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A) Creation and maintenance of Italian chairs: Contributions intended for the partial coverage of the salaries of Italian language teachers. Teachers must be hired directly by the educational institutions under local law contracts.
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B) Scholarships for study tours: Secondarily, partial contributions may be granted for study stays in Italy. These scholarships are reserved for students who have distinguished themselves with exceptional academic achievement in Italian language and culture courses.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Applications must be sent exclusively to the following email address: ambitalia.riga@esteri.it
Deadline: No later than April 2, 2026.
Useful documents can be found attached
Purpose of Contributions (Chap. 2562, Management Plan 2)
The contributions under Chapter 2562, management plan 2, are aimed at promoting the Italian language and culture in foreign non-university and non-equivalent (non paritarie) educational institutions, by supporting Italian language chairs and awarding scholarships and study tours.
Priority is given to foreign schools intending to establish or maintain Italian language courses (both curricular and extracurricular). Funds are intended for the partial salary coverage of teachers hired directly by the schools under contracts governed by local legislation.
Scholarship and study tour contributions can only be requested for students who have successfully completed Italian language and culture courses. Priority will be given to schools whose students have participated in competitions promoted by the MAECI (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation). These requests will only be considered after the assignment of funds to the chairs and only if residual resources remain.
Application Procedure (F.Y. 2026)
To request a contribution, educational institutions must exclusively use the forms attached to the ministerial message containing the annual operating instructions. Forms must be filled out digitally, without modifying the pre-set text, and duly signed by the Head of the requesting institution.
1. FORMS AND SUBMISSION TERMS
The following editable PDF forms are required for both the application and reporting phases:
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ANNEXES A and B: For contribution requests.
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ANNEXES A2 and B2: For the reporting (accountability) of received contributions.
2. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CONTRIBUTION REQUEST
The forms for the current financial year have been fully updated. Schools must only use the new attached models.
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Use of editable PDF: The forms are interactive. The Legal Representative may insert their signature (in .jpeg format).
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Software Compatibility: To preserve interactive features and calculation fields, files must be opened exclusively via Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Edge, or Internet Explorer.
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Admissibility Requirement: Only applications digitally completed on the provided PDF models will be processed. Handwritten forms or scans of hard copies will not be accepted, resulting in the application being inadmissible.
3. DUTIES OF THE SCHOOLS
A. Presentation of New Request (F.Y. 2026) The application consists of the following documents to be sent by April 2, 2026:
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Cover Letter: Written in Italian on letterhead, including school details (name, address, contact info), the Head’s signature, and a detailed justification for the request.
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Technical Forms (Ann. A and B):
Annex A for Italian chairs.
Annex B for scholarships/study tours.
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Note: The Legal Representative must provide a legible signature uploaded into the PDF in .jpeg format.
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B. Reporting of Previous Contributions (Ann. A2 and B2) Reporting is mandatory for all institutions that have received funds in the last five years, even if they are not submitting a new request. It is a necessary condition for the disbursement of any new funds.
Reporting Deadlines:
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Boreal (Northern) Calendar Schools: By June 30, 2026.
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Austral (Southern) Calendar Schools: By July 31, 2026.
