The Education Amendments of 1976 authorized the Citizen Education for Cultural Understanding Program under Section 603 of Title VI of the National Defense Education Act, as amended. Not until the fall of 1978, however, did there appear to be any significant support for the funding of the program; but by the time an appropriation was visible in early spring 1979, the interest level across the country appeared exceptionally high. Then in response to publicity of the program and the wide dissemination of over 10,000 application booklets in April and May 1979, the Office of Education (Division of International Education of the Bureau of Higher and Continuing Education) received 473 applications for grant awards in June 1979, from every state but Alaska, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Wyoming. In September 1979 public announcement was made of 39 grant awards in this the first year of the program commencing October 1, 1979 and funded for one year. For the second cycle, 466 applications were submitted in February 1980. There are likely to be 36 grant awards for 1980, totaling $2 million, bringing the total number of projects for the first two years to 75 and the total federal outlay to $4 million.