In 2023, as part of ongoing efforts to increase the global impact of U.S. Department of State exchange programs, the Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) will award 259 small grants to recent International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni from 103 countries. The IVLP is the Department's premier professional exchange program, bringing current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields to the United States to experience it firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. ECA's IVLP Impact Awards initiative provides follow-on support to alumni to build on their exchange experience in the United States and implement innovative and meaningful projects to address challenges and promote opportunities in their home communities all over the world.
The 2023 impact project themes will cover key U.S. and partner nation foreign policy priorities, including promoting media literacy and countering disinformation, advancing climate solutions, supporting democratic governance, and more. Individual alumni will receive up to $5,000 USD each to implement their projects. Since the IVLP Impact Award initiative's launch in 2022, over 200 IVLP alumni recipients have implemented impact projects, inspired by their exchange experience in the United States, to effect positive changes at home.
