Foundations and Organizations Supporting International Exchanges and/or Short-term Travel

Maintained by the IRRT INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES COMMITTEE

Academy for Educational Development
http://www.aed.org

The Academy for Educational Development is involved in several exchange areas for individuals from the United States and all regions of the world.

America-Mideast Educational & Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST)
http://www.amideast.org/

AMIDEAST promotes cooperation between Americans and the people of the Middle East and North Africa.

American Council of Learned Societies
http://www.acls.org/

The American Council of Learned Societies supports humanistic scholarship through sponsorship of fellowship competitions, international exchange programs, and the creation of scholarly reference works and resources.

American Councils for International Education
http://www.actr.org/

The American Councils is an education, training, and consulting organization specializing in the countries of Eastern Europe, Russia, and Eurasia.

American-Scandinavian Foundation
http://www.amscan.org/

The foundation promotes educational and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Asia Foundation
http://www.asiafoundation.com/

The Asia Foundation promotes U.S.-Asian understanding and cooperation. The geographic focus is: Asia (Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam); Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tongo, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa).

Association for International Practical Training
http://www.aipt.org

The AIPT is a non-profit organization that promotes international understanding between the U.S. and other countries through on-the-job practical training exchanges for students and professionals.

Book Aid International
http://www.bookaid.org/cms.cgi/site

Book Aid International's (BAI) annual Exchanges and Training Programme (ETP) involves a personalised programme of training and capacity building and is a unique means of developing relevant skills to support the role of library and information professionals in promoting information access. Participants visit the UK and carry out a South-South exchange to follow up lessons learned. Since 2002, librarians from Tanzania Library Service Board, Kyambogo University (Uganda), Sierra Leone Library Board, Gambia National Library Service, Kenya National Library Service, Community Library Service (Namibia). Please contact BAI for further information.

CDS International
http://www.cdsintl.org/

CDS International facilitates exchanges in a variety of areas for individuals in the United States and other countries.

The Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange
http://www.cckf.org

The foundation promotes the study of Chinese culture and society.

Civic Education Project
http://www.civiceducationproject.org/

"The Civic Education Project (CEP), an international non-profit organization, has supported grassroots efforts to reform higher education in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia since 1991. In 2004 CEP completed its work in Europe and Eurasia and is now taking its highly successful programs to other world regions." CEP draws its Visiting Faculty Fellows (VFFs) from all over the world. From graduate students to retired professors, practicing lawyers to journalists, Fellows offer a wide range of experience and diversity to students and faculty. VFF's teach required and elective courses to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Community Colleges for International Development, Inc. (CCID)
http://ccid.kirkwood.cc.ia.us/index2.html

The CCID provides opportunties for community colleges to build global relationships that strengthen educational programs and encourage economic development. International activities include academic exchanges and professional development opportunities.

Council on International Educational Exchange
http://www.ciee.org/

The Council on International Educational Exchange is an organization that supports educational exchanges. The availability of the programs depend on the country of residence.

Council on Standards for International Educational Travel
http://www.csiet.org/

The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) is a private, not-for-profit organization which establishes standards for, monitors and disseminates information about reputable international youth education and exchange programs.

DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
http://www.daad.org

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) promotes international academic relations especially through the exchange of students and faculty.

Elsevier Foundation
http://www.elsevierfoundation.org/library.html

The Elsevier Foundation has announced a call for grant proposals under its "Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries" program. The Foundation will provide grants to libraries in the developing countries and their supporting organizations for programs to enhance libraries’ capacity in the fields of science, technology and medicine -- through library training and education; library infrastructure, technology or information services; and digitization and preservation of information. The Foundation especially encourages proposals that support partnerships between libraries in the developing countries and institutions in the developed countries. Proposals must be submitted by September 15, 2008, and will be awarded at the end of the 2008 calendar year.

Endeavour Awards
http://www.endeavour.dest.gov.au/

The Endeavour Awards is an internationally competitive, merit-based program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia-Pacific region to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to do the same abroad. A smaller number of awards are available for participants from Europe and the Americas. The Endeavour Awards provide individuals with a unique opportunity to take the next step in their academic or professional career. These are usually provided every year with a deadline in July.

European Culture Portal: Funds for Cultural Heritage
http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/portal/index_en.htm

You will find information on a number of different funding programmes run by the European Commission. Many of the programs are connected with new information technologies.

Goethe-Institut
http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/wis/sbi/enindex.htm

The Goethe-Institut supports professional exchange between German and American librarians and information specialists. We work in cooperation with various partners including the American Library Association (ALA), the Western European Studies Section (WESS) of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). Our services for Librarians include: Organization and implementation of study tours; Support for professional residencies in the US and Germany; Assistance in placing interns in the US and Germany; Coordination of German contributions to American library conferences; and Aid for American libraries in developing German collections.

The International Exchange Locator: A Resource Directory for Educational and Cultural Exchange
2005 ed.

Published by the Alliance for International and Cultural Exchange and the U.S. Department of State, this directory is the best one-stop source for sponsoring agency and funding information. Purchase information is available at http://www.alliance-exchange.org/store/index.htm#desc.

Investing in Women in Development (IWID) Fellows Program
http://www.iwid.org

The IWID fellowship program recruits mid-level professionals in Gender and Development and Gender Analysis for a one-year placement with a United States Agency for International Development field mission. Fellows are citizens of the United States.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
http://www.gf.org/

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation grants research fellowships for scholars and artists.

LASPAU - Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas
http://www.laspau.harvard.edu/

LASPAU designs, develops, and implements academic and exchange programs for individuals in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Laurasian Institution
http://www.laurasian.org/

The Laurasian Institution designs and administers international and cross-cultural educational programs with Asia.

Open Society Institute - Soros Foundation Network
http://www.soros.org/

The Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating and grantmaking foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. Open Society Institute initiates grants, scholarships, and fellowships on a regular basis throughout the year.

Peace Corps
http://www.peacecorps.gov/home.html

The Peace Corps is a United States agency dedicated to sending trained volunteers in the areas of education, environment, business, health, and agriculture to interested countries.

People to People Ambassador Program
http://www.ambassadorprograms.org

The People to People Ambassador Program provides foreign educational travel experiences for professionals, including library professionals. Through meetings, seminars and cultural activities, participants connect with people in similar professions overseas. The programs join common interests in uncommon places through journeys that enrich the world, one person at a time.

Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program
http://www.cdsintl.org/fromusa/bosch.htm

The foundation recognizes the importance of familiarizing American professionals and executives with the political, economic, and cultural environment of Europe and the Federal Republic of Germany by providing young American professionals (23-34) with executive level internships in the federal government and private sectors in Germany.

Rotary International - Ambassadorial Scholarships
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/index.html

The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program is Ambassadorial Scholarships. Since 1947 nearly 37,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Nearly 800 scholarships were awarded for study in 2005-06. Through grants totaling approximately US$500 million, recipients from some 70 countries studied in more than 70 nations.

Rotary International - Group Study Exchange
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/gse/index.html

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program of The Rotary Foundation is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 and in the early years of their professional lives. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

Rotary International - Rotary Grants for University Teachers
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/un_teach/index.html

Rotary Grants for University Teachers provide funds to higher education faculty to travel abroad to teach at colleges and universities in developing countries. The program is intended to build international understanding and foster development while strengthening higher education in low-income countries. The program also aims to establish ties between higher education institutions, leading to the exchange of ideas and information across the globe. The subjects taught by grant recipients must be relevant to the needs of the local population and contribute to the area's socio-economic development. For 2005-06, 20 grants were awarded.

U.S. Department of Education - Office of Postsecondary Education
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/index.html

The International Education Programs Service performs planning, policy development, and grant administration functions for the international education programs.

The International Education and Foreign Language Studies domestic programs are designed to strengthen the capability and performance of American education in foreign languages and in area and international studies. Overseas programs are intended to improve secondary and postsecondary teaching and research concerning other cultures and languages, training of specialists, and the American public's general understanding of the peoples of other countries.

U.S. State Department - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
http://exchanges.state.gov/

The Bureau promotes personal, professional, and instituional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad. The Web site lists exchange and study visit opportunities.

If you have any questions or if you know of any Web sites that you would like to recommend for the committee's review, please contact intl@ala.org .

Revised 6/08