Meridian International Center

Meridian International Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization established in 2002, is a prime recipient of federal grants and a prime contractor for international exchange programs, public diplomacy events, reverse trade missions, and related services, operating exclusively without set-aside designations across 28 federal customer agencies. The organization competes full-and-open across its entire portfolio—661 recent awards spanning contracts and cooperative agreements with a combined potential value of $157 million and combined obligated dollars of $696.6 million.

Meridian's capability portfolio centers on organizing and executing complex international engagement activities: reverse trade missions that bring foreign buyers and stakeholders to the United States to meet American exporters; professional exchange programs connecting current and emerging foreign leaders with U.S. institutions and policymakers; speaker programs deploying American experts internationally; travel management and logistics for cultural delegations; and event coordination for conferences, symposia, and workshops focused on technology transfer and development. Representative work includes a $1.49 million Regional Asia Healthcare Technologies Reverse Trade Mission (USTDA, September 2023–September 2025), a $473.7 thousand Jordan Innovative Technology for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Reverse Trade Mission (USTDA, October 2024–October 2025), a $1.32 million cooperative agreement for the Next Level Hip Hop and Conflict Transformation Program (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through December 2027), and a $1.059 million cooperative agreement for the International Visitor Leadership Program fiscal year 2026 (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through January 2029).

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward the Department of State and its component bureaus. The top five funding agencies account for 61% of awards by count, led by the Bureau of Public Affairs (117 awards, $9.5 million combined potential value), the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (96 awards), the Office of the Secretary of State (90 awards, $59 thousand combined potential value), and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (61 awards). By potential value, the United States Trade and Development Agency anchors the portfolio at $86 million across 38 awards (63% of the combined potential value across top customers), followed by the Bureau of Public Affairs at $9.5 million. Meridian holds a $75 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with USTDA awarded March 21, 2022, through April 3, 2027, covering reverse trade missions, conferences, workshops, training, and related events domestically and internationally—this single vehicle carries 52 task orders valued at $50.2 million combined potential value and represents Meridian's largest contract vehicle. Secondary parent vehicles include an indefinite delivery contract (34 task orders, $412 thousand combined potential value), a blanket purchase agreement (29 task orders, $11.4 million combined potential value), and two smaller indefinite delivery vehicles.

Activity has remained relatively steady in recent years (10 awards in 2022 to 20 in 2024, declining to 4 in 2025 and 4 in 2026 year-to-date), with only 19 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months (combined potential value $2 million)—a minimal recompete exposure. Grant work comprises a substantial share of Meridian's footprint and centers on the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs cooperative agreements for international exchange programs: the International Visitor Leadership Program ($1.059 million, FY 2026 award through January 2029), the Arts and Music Envoy Program ($3.01 million, through December 2027), the Next Level Creative Arts programs ($1.32 million programs active through 2027), and the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program ($1.6 million, through March 2026). Additional grants flow from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for speaker programs, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for international speaker and exchange initiatives, the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs for public diplomacy programs, and the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs for U.S. Science Envoys support ($221.96 thousand, through January 2027). Contract work outside the USTDA vehicle includes a $703.1 thousand time-and-materials public relations contract with the Bureau of Public Affairs (through September 2026) and purchase orders from the Smithsonian Institution for travel management supporting the Cultural Heritage Forward program ($160.5 thousand, through December 2026, and prior $287.5 thousand order through March 2025).

Meridian operates as a 100% prime contractor with no subcontract footprint in the source data. The organization's primary NAICS coding reflects its event-management and professional-development focus: Convention and Trade Show Organizers (73 awards), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (38 awards), and Translation and Interpretation Services (31 awards). PSC codes align similarly, with Support–Professional: Other (141 awards) and Support–Administrative: Other (20 awards) dominating the classification. The organization's customer base and award concentration—concentrated in State Department public diplomacy and USTDA trade development—positions Meridian as a specialized platform for federal international engagement and cultural exchange work, with limited competition exposure outside the specific mission spaces of diplomatic exchange and development promotion.