IDEAS Grant Announcement

Office of International Initiatives Awarded IDEAS Grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad

A grant submitted by Georgia State University’s Office of International Initiatives, in collaboration with GSU’s African American Male Initiative, has been selected for funding under the IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) Program. This grant program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad. Georgia State is one of 24 colleges and universities from across the United States, selected from 115 applicants, to create, expand, and/or diversify American student mobility overseas in support of U.S. foreign policy goals.  The grant will expand study abroad outreach to African American males at the university through a partnership between International Initiatives and the African American Male Initiative on campus.

The Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.

“We are committed to continuing our support for U.S. colleges and universities as they build their study abroad capacity now, in anticipation of a strong return to U.S. student mobility in the future… When American students study abroad, they support critical U.S. foreign policy goals by building relationships with foreign peers, sharing American culture and values, and developing valuable career skills. With these international experiences, the next generation of Americans is being equipped with the skills necessary to compete and succeed globally,” said Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad seeks to increase the capacity of accredited U.S. colleges and universities to create, expand, and diversify study abroad programs for U.S. students.  In addition to the IDEAS Grant competition, the program also offers opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators at U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a series of free virtual and in-person study abroad capacity building activities.

For a full list of 2020 IDEAS Grant recipients, as well as information on a free IDEAS webinar series on building study abroad resources for U.S. campuses, please visit the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad website at www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.com.

For further information about other study abroad resources and other exchange programs offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please contact [email protected] and visit https://studyabroad.state.gov/.