The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)’s Public-Private Partnership Unit (P3) develops and engages in strategic collaboration that leverages the expertise, networks, and resources of the U.S. Department of State. We create partnerships with the private sector, foundations, and academic institutions worldwide to help expand the scope, reach, and effectiveness of ECA programs while also advancing U.S. foreign policy goals.

We provide businesses and organizations with opportunities to engage and support communities around the world.

“It is the policy of my Administration to advance its national security and foreign policy goals by harnessing the ideas, perspectives, support, and contributions of a diverse array of partners, such as State and local governments, academic and research institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and civil society.” - President Biden’s memorandum on Revitalizing America’s Foreign Policy and National Security Workforce, Institutions, and Partnerships

To learn more about available opportunities, please contact our Partnerships team at ECApartnerships@state.gov


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Public-Private Partnership

U.S. Department of State Exchange Programs directly contribute to America’s prosperity and security by building mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Barriers that often divide us, like language, ethnicity, religion, and geography, break down when people share ideas. Through exchanges, Americans and people of other countries develop new skills, explore ways to create positive change in our communities, and establish the trust we need to create a more secure, prosperous, and democratic world.

The partnership opportunities are expansive and focus on exchanges in business, education, technology, culture, journalism, professional development, mentoring, youth/students, etc. Programs like TechWomen, International Visitor Leadership Program, Mandela Washington Fellowship/Young African Leaders Initiatives, Future Leaders Exchanges, Sports Visitor Program, American Film Showcase, and many more. ECA manages over 130 programs with 100 countries annually. There are 1 Million+ alumni of ECA programs and 66 million people visit our American Spaces. Lastly, 1 in 3 current world leaders are alumni of ECA exchange programs.

A sample of ECA programs & themes is below. Our partnership team can help match objectives with programing in collaboration with corporations, foundations or academic institutions. Please reach out to ECA Partnerships to discuss benefits and opportunities.

ECA Programs & Themes
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Women’s Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) 
The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) provides female entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks, and access needed to start and scale successful businesses. The program harnesses the power of private-public partnerships and alumni networks to help women grow personally and professionally, and aid U.S. Embassies in reaching their economic, outreach, and women, peace, and security goals.

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STEAM and Technology

TechWomen
TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East together with their professional counterparts in the United States for a mentorship and exchange program. TechWomen provides participants access to networks, resources, and knowledge to empower them to reach their full potential.

TechGirls
TechGirls aims to inspire girls from the Middle East and North Africa to pursue higher education and careers in technology through hands-on skills development. The centerpiece of the program is a weeklong technology camp that provides participants with an in-depth examination of technology-related topics, such as Java programming and mobile application development, and engages them in 45+ hours of hands-on instruction. The camp is complemented by additional activities such as site visits to technology companies, leadership clinics, community service opportunities, job shadowing, and cultural events.

TechCamps
ECA's TechCamp program leverages cutting-edge communications and private sector expertise to build networks of influential activists around the world to advance shared policy objectives. Through participant-focused workshops and creative follow-on projects, TechCamp builds participant capacity to counter disinformation, support good governance, and mitigate violent extremism. TechCamp also boosts U.S. economic engagement around the globe by highlighting U.S. technical and private sector innovation.

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Professional Development and Mentoring

International Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience this country firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Professional meetings reflect the participants’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States. Each year nearly 5,000 International Visitors come to the U.S. on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). More than 200,000 International Visitors have engaged with Americans through the IVLP, including more than 500 current or former Chiefs of State or Heads of Government.

YALI
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is the U.S. government’s signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. Nearly 1 in 3 Africans are between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60 percent of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35. YALI was launched in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across sub-Saharan Africa. The program includes the Mandela Washington Fellowship, YALI Regional Leadership Centers (RLCs), and the YALI Network.

YSEALI
The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program is a professional development exchange program for the best and brightest community leaders from Southeast Asia, working in the fields of civic engagement, NGO management, economic empowerment, governance, legislative process, environmental and natural resources management. The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program provides participants a month-long fellowship at U.S.-based non-profit or other organizations, government offices or legislative bodies. Fellows will work with community leaders to enhance their practical expertise, leadership skills and professional contacts to address issues in their home communities.

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Educational Programs

Alumni Affairs
The Office of Alumni Affairs collaborates with U.S. embassies and consulates abroad to leverage the expertise, energy, and enthusiasm of exchange alumni in support of shared goals. Every day, exchange alumni make a difference in their communities and around the world, in health care, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, volunteerism, the democratic process, technology, and much more.

American Spaces
American Spaces are modern physical settings tailored for engaging with foreign audiences in support of United States foreign policy objectives. They serve to build bridges between people of the United States and other countries, increasing understanding, collaboration and partnership. There are more than 600 open-access cultural centers located in more than 140 countries.

English Access Microscholarship Program (Access)
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged students, primarily between the ages of 13 to 20, in their home countries. Access programs give participants English skills that may lead to better jobs and educational prospects. Participants also gain the ability to compete for and participate in future exchanges and study in the United States. Since its inception in 2004, approximately 150,000 students in more than 80 countries have participated in the Access Program.

English Language Teaching Worldwide Partnerships
Through the English Language Fellow (EL Fellow) Program, highly qualified U.S. educators in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) participate in 10-month-long fellowships at academic institutions throughout the world. The EL Fellow Program fosters mutual understanding, promotes English language learning and enhances English teaching capacity abroad. Through projects sponsored by U.S. embassies, EL Fellows share their professional expertise, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures.

Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program
The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program provides scholarships for high school students from Europe and Eurasia to spend an academic year in the United States, living with a family and attending an American high school.

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Climate Change & Environment

Cultural Heritage
The ancient and historic monuments, objects, and archaeological sites of the world enrich and inform today's societies, and help connect us to our cultural origins. The Department's Cultural Heritage Center specializes in the protection and preservation of these irreplaceable resources, working on many fronts to safeguard the patrimony of other countries.

Arctic Indigenous Cultural Heritage Initiative
The Arctic Indigenous Cultural Heritage Initiative supports the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage within Arctic Indigenous communities. The U.S. recognizes the importance of cultural heritage and understands the deep appreciation Arctic Indigenous communities have for their land and environment. Additionally, climate change threatens many aspects of community resilience in the Arctic, not least of which is the disappearance of Indigenous cultural heritage. Through the Initiative, the United States demonstrates American leadership in the preservation of cultural heritage and strengthens U.S. friendships with Arctic countries.

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Culture, Music and Sports

Sports Visitor Program
Sports Visitors are young non-elite athletes and coaches chosen by U.S. missions overseas to visit the United States for a fast-paced two week exchange program. These sports-themed programs offer participants the opportunity to interact with Americans and experience American society, culture, and values firsthand. The activities include sessions on nutrition, strength and conditioning, gender equity in sport, Title IX, sport and disability, and team building. Special emphasis is placed on the visitors’ development of personal action plans that they use upon their return home.

American Film Showcase
The American Film Showcase brings award-winning contemporary American documentaries, feature films and animated shorts to audiences around the world, offering a view of American society and culture as seen by independent filmmakers. The Showcase highlights the value of film in fostering understanding and cooperation, dialogue and debate.

What our partners say about us

–Kellie Kreiser, Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management

“Thunderbird is incredibly delighted to be partnering with ECA on the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs. AWE is allowing the DreamBuilder program to have a much greater global reach, helping women all over the world start and grow small businesses. By working together, women entrepreneurs are not only getting access to our high impact online training, but are receiving the high-touch wrap around services that will ensure success.”

–Tracy Bame, Freeport-McMoRan

“Freeport-McMoRan is so pleased that our investment in building and implementing DreamBuilder across Spanish and English-speaking countries is now being scaled even further through our partnership with the Department of State ECA Bureau. This is a testament to the power of public-private partnerships, and how resources and collaboration can maximize the positive impact for so many women around the world.”

News & Highlights
October 24, 2022
Leveraging WhatsApp for Women-Led Business in Africa
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October 21, 2022
ACE Health Foundation Partnership
October 3, 2022
Bringing the Taste of Tobago to the Big Apple and Beyond
image of adelaide holding dried avocados
September 19, 2022
From Desperation to Dream Come True: Orchard Avocado Oil in Tanzania
Through her business, Lamiaa Salah has helped hundreds of Egyptian women to find jobs.
September 8, 2022
Shrinking the Employment Gap for Egyptian Women
August 31, 2022
The 2022 IVLP Entrepreneurship Initiative Promotes Economic Development to Benefit Communities

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Contact Us

U.S. Department of State
Public-Private Partnerships Unit
Office of Policy and Evaluation
ECA/P/PPP - SA-5, Floor 5
2200 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20522-0505
ECAPartnerships@state.gov