The Government has provided up to €660,000 to appoint Irish language assistants from Ireland to third-level colleges in the United States.
The money is being paid over three years to the Fulbright Commission, the academic exchange programme, to promote Irish in the US at university level.
Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív is urging Irish language graduates to apply for the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) programme.
"The scheme is considered to be a good way to make the academic community of the United States aware of the Irish language and its rich heritage as one of the oldest vernacular languages in Europe. I strongly encourage graduates with Irish to apply.
"This is an excellent opportunity to travel, to gain valuable teaching practice, to experience living in the United States and to use their Irish in a new and exciting environment," he said.
The grant will be provided from Ciste na Gaeilge, which is used to fund Irish language organisations and projects. The aim of the FLTA programme is to reinforce the teaching of foreign languages in the US by providing speakers as tutors.
The announcement comes just a day after Mr Ó Cuív said Gaelic-speaking Irish expats should set up Gaeltachts abroad and that the State was already helping to fund projects that promote the language in overseas communities.