WASHINGTON, DC: NOVEMBER 16, 2017 — The U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators are pleased to announce the launch of a new 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grant competition, thanks to the generous support of Chevron Corporation, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Innovation Fund grants fuel partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere to create new student exchange and training programs. Innovation Fund grants build institutional capacity, increase student mobility, provide more student exchange and training opportunities and enhance regional education cooperation in the Americas. The goal of 100,000 Strong in the Americas—the leading education initiative in the Western Hemisphere—is to increase the annual number of U.S. students studying in Latin America and the Caribbean to 100,000 and bring 100,000 students to the United States by 2020.

The U.S.-Argentina Workforce Development Innovation Fund Competition will award up to 11 new grants to support partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and Argentina. This grant competition is open to proposals that will focus on promoting student exchange and training programs in the fields of Economic Development and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and economic development, with a special emphasis on energy, geosciences and national resource management. Innovation Fund grants are $25,000 each, and university teams are encouraged to consider committing additional resources to leverage the grant award. The deadline to submit proposals for this Innovation Fund grant competition is March 15, 2018.

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The 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund is the public-private sector collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, corporations, foundations, regional governments, and Embassies working together to inspire U.S. universities and colleges to team up with universities and technical education institutions in the Western Hemisphere to create new student exchange and training programs. Innovation Fund grants build institutional capacity, increase student mobility, stimulate regional education cooperation, and contribute to workforce development.

Since January 2014, the Innovation Fund has awarded 134 grants to teams of 263 higher education institutions from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere region. Innovation Fund grants facilitate partnerships between universities and community colleges in the United States and higher education institutions in the Western Hemisphere to increase student exchange and training opportunities and to strengthen connectivity and collaboration between higher education networks throughout the Americas.

Learn more: www.100kStrongAmericas.org and follow at: #100KStrongAmericas.

The mission of Partners of the Americas is to connect people and organizations across borders to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. These partnerships create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems. Inspired by President Kennedy and founded in 1964 under the Alliance for Progress, Partners is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization with international offices in Washington, DC. Learn more at www.partners.net or via Twitter @partnersamerica.

With nearly 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education. Learn more at www.nafsa.org and www.connectingourworld.org and on Twitter at @NAFSA and @ConnectOurWorld.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. Through its subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide, the company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemicals and additives; generates power; and develops and deploys technologies that enhance business value in every aspect of the company’s operations. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron: www.chevron.com.

Press Contact: Taylor Nelson  |  tnelson@partners.net  |  (202) 637-6206