The Forum on Education Abroad Partners with NAFSA and the Alliance for International Exchange on Advocacy Campaign to Restore International Education and Exchange Funding

3/3/2025

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. Department of State’s ongoing freeze on funding for current and future grants is continues to wreak havoc on students and faculty who are currently abroad or planning to do in the next six months. The Forum on Education Abroad is collaborating with NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Alliance for International Exchange to increase awareness of the impact of the funding freeze and asking Congress to demand that freeze be immediately lifted.

The Trump administration initiated a 15-day suspension on all current and future State Department grant disbursements, severely impacting key scholarship programs including Fulbright, Gilman, IDEAS, and the Critical Language Scholarship programs. This freeze jeopardizes the health, safety, and future of American students, youth, and professionals currently abroad or scheduled to go abroad in the coming months. Funding for scholarships that bring international youth, students, and professionals to the U.S. on exchange programs has also been frozen, jeopardizing the well-being of more than 7,400 international exchange participants currently in the United States, as well as the future of more than 9,000 American students, scholars, and faculty scheduled to take part in exchanges within the next six months.

Take Action Now!

Write a personalized letter to Congress: Visit Nafsa.org/SaveECAFunding to use the email template to urge Congress to demand that funding be restored. It is important that you customize the message on NAFSA’s website with specific examples of how this funding cessation is having a direct impact on your students and community.
Post on social media: The Forum has developed sample social media messages, graphics, and hashtags (#SaveStudyAbroad #SaveGilman) for you to use to spread the message on your social networks. Access the social media toolkit here.

Dedicated Collaboration to Make a Difference

Know that The Forum will continue to partner with NAFSA and the Alliance to advocate on this and other pressing matters as they arise.

In addition to continued communication about this topic, I was pleased to welcome special guests Mark Overmann, Executive Director of the Alliance for International Exchange, and Jill Allen Murray, Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, to our Annual Business Meeting, which was scheduled for Thursday, February 27, during The Forum’s virtual Annual Conference.

During the Business Meeting, which is usually the time for the annual update on the organization’s activities, financial position, and priorities, we took the opportunity for membership to gather in community as we address emerging challenges facing our field. Mark, Jill, and I were able to discuss recent executive and administrative actions taken by the Trump-Vance administration, including the ECA funding freeze, and U.S. federal agencies that may impact international education.

As mentioned during the meeting, these three organizations will continue to work together on advocacy efforts to make sure that the entire international education field is coordinated and sharing our collective information and calls to action. Please know that we are committed to supporting the field of international education and its strong community members to ensure that we are dedicated to The Forum’s vision: a future in which education abroad is integral to the mission of higher education, meets the Standards of Good Practice, and is accessible to all students.

Sincerely,
Melissa Torres
President & CEO
The Forum on Education Abroad

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