FY 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program Assistance Award

: The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) seeks to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and foreign publics through carefully designed professional programs. IVLP projects support U.S. foreign policy objectives. Participants are current or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, science, non-government organizations (NGOs), the arts, and other key fields. They are selected by officers of U.S. embassies overseas and are approved by the DOS staff in Washington, D.C. Since the program's inception in 1940, nearly 200,000 distinguished International Visitors have participated in the program. More than 335 program alumni subsequently became heads of state or government in their home countries. All IVLP projects maintain a non-partisan character. The Bureau seeks proposals from U.S. public and private nonprofit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3)for development and implementation of professional programs for Bureau-sponsored International Visitors to the U.S. Once the awards are made, separate proposals will be required for each group project [Single Country (SCP), Sub-Regional (SRP), Regional (RP), and Multi-Regional (MRP)] as well as less formal proposals for Individual and Individuals Traveling Together (ITT) and On Demand projects. Each project will focus on a substantive theme. Some typical IVLP projects themes are: (1) agriculture; (2) counterterrorism; (3) democracy and human rights (4) economic and business development; (5) education; (6) environmental issues; (7) freedom of information; (8) international crime; (9) media; (10) rule of law; (11) science and technology; (12) tolerance and diversity; (13) U.S. foreign policy, and (14) U.S. government and political systems, and (15) Women's Issues.