This federal assistance award supports the institute of the north for the FY 2025 arctic indigenous exchange program (aiep). The award authorizes $525,000.

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs awarded a $525,000 cooperative agreement to The Institute of the North on September 25, 2025, under the Professional and Cultural Exchange Programs - Citizen Exchanges (CFDA 19.415) program. This award supports the Arctic Indigenous Exchange Program (AIEP) for fiscal year 2025, with a performance period extending through October 1, 2027. The Institute of the North, a nonprofit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, will implement cultural and professional exchange activities designed to foster mutual understanding between Americans and international participants, with a particular emphasis on Arctic regional development and indigenous communities.

Under this cooperative agreement, The Institute of the North will deliver comprehensive exchange programming that includes participant recruitment, selection, placement, orientation, monitoring, and alumni engagement activities. The program advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by promoting people-to-people connections and exposing foreign participants to American values including freedom, rule of law, and economic opportunity, while simultaneously building international knowledge and networks among American participants. The AIEP specifically targets leadership development and civic engagement among Arctic youth and emerging leaders, contributing to the bureau's broader mission of strengthening civil society and building mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchange initiatives.