On February 13, 2025, recipients of State Department grant funding were informed of a 15-day temporary pause on all disbursements, effective February 12, and applying to all current and future grant payments scheduled during this period. The pause was set to expire on February 27 and yet no federal action has been taken to lift it. This effectively suspends international education and exchange programs, including Fulbright, the Gilman Scholarship program, the IDEAS program, and the Critical Language Scholarship Program.
This continued funding freeze harms every aspect of the international education and exchange sector and leaves programs, participants, and implementing partners in a state of limbo and financial hardship.
NAFSA, the Alliance for International Exchange, and the Forum on Education Abroad have launched an advocacy campaign urging Congress to restore funding for these programs immediately.
Take Action
- Urge Congress to demand that funding be restored for these proven programs—for which Congress has passed laws directing the administration to implement. Please take the additional step of customizing this message with specific examples of how this funding suspension is having a direct impact on your communities.
- Share your examples of the immediate and potential effects of the funding freeze and other executive actions affecting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) programs, National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding, and extreme vetting of international students and scholars. Entries may be submitted anonymously.