Federal grant programs / Department of State

Professional and Cultural Exchange Programs - International Visitor Leadership Program (19.402)

Also known as International Visitor Leadership Program

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$308 million
• Grant awards27
• Typical award$9.5 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$60.7 million
• Size rank494 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants (cooperative agreements)

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $90.4 million in fiscal 2021 to $60.7 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 494th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 11 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 6 states and territories.

What the program funds

As authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) seeks to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange programs.. The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) brings influential foreign leaders in government, business, tech and innovation, academia, arts and culture, , and other critical fields to the United States for short-term visits to build strategic relationships, showcase American professional leadership, and advance U.S. national security priorities. Staff at U.S. embassies worldwide nominate participants; there is no application process. Of the 700+ USG exchange alumni who have become heads of state or government, over 500 participated in the IVLP. To implement the IVLP, ECA works with a network of non-profit organizations, including approximately 70 community-based organizations across the country. Nearly 100 percent of funding for the IVLP remains in the United States, particularly benefitting local travel and hospitality industries in cities and towns across the country.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended (Fulbright-Hays Act) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State awards grants and cooperative agreements to educational and cultural public or private nonprofit foundations or institutions. Applications may be submitted by public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Organizations must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application. Please refer to the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's MyGrants (formerly SAMS Domestic) announcement for further eligibility criteria.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funding is provided for nonprofit organizations to support their work in planning, organizing, and directing programs of travel, observation, consultation, study, and practical experience for foreign visitors from countries throughout the world selected and assigned by the Department. Programs are intended to bring U.S. embassy selected International Visitors into contact with influential Americans and representative organizations and institutions across the United States, with the intention of increasing communication and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients are responsible for insuring that programs are balanced, non-political, non-partisan, and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and cultural life. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs seeks balance and diversity in terms of itinerary, geography and community-size; the range of opinions to which visitors are exposed; the professional backgrounds of those commenting on the issues; the ethnic, socio-economic and age diversity of the American people; and other factors which may be of particular relevance to the particular subject or particular visitor(s) for whom programming is being arranged. Please refer to the Grants.gov or the U.S. Department of State's MyGrants (formerly SAMS Domestic) announcement for further information.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

$471,303 to $13,947,701.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to nonprofits.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.