Funding Opportunities – May 2025

Maia Moore Explains

Applications Open for chapter facilitators to organize group travel exchanges;
also project grants. Individual travel grants will be announced later.

Partners of the Americas is launching an ambitious new funding initiative this year, offering group travel exchanges alongside traditional individual grants and project funding. Grants will be focused on this year’s themes: Access to education and economic growth and entrepreneurship, said Maia Moore, Associate Director of Community and Volunteer Engagement. “We hope to sponsor two group exchanges with nine participants each, plus six individual travel grants. We also hope to award $20,000 in project grants.”

The funding comes from the U.S. State Department’s 2024 budget, which has supported the Education and Culture Program for 42 years.

Maia hosted informational webinars about the facilitator application process and the project grants, with recordings available on the websites in both English and Spanish.

New Group Exchange Model Seeks Chapter Facilitators

While individual travel grants are familiar to members, group travel grants are new for many and require a shift in thinking about exchanges. Maia is seeking applications from chapters for facilitators to design and implement one of two group exchanges. Recipients will have a $10,000 budget to plan activities focused on one of this year’s themes for nine participants.

The group exchange concept isn’t entirely new to Partners. The first exchange in 2023 brought ten Caribbean environmental leaders to Washington, D.C. They returned home to implement projects developed during their exchange to improve their local communities. Dr. Aletha R. Cherry, President of Georgia-Pernambuco Partners, was a leader in Chapter involvement in 2024 by co-organizing “Raíces y Caminos” with Maia. The exchange brought eight afrodesendant change agents from five Latin American and Caribbean countries to Atlanta, Historic Savannah, and Washington, D.C. where they grew their networks and confidence in supporting their communities.

“My dream,” Aletha said of the successful program her Chapter hosted.

Facilitator Applications Open for Group Exchanges

Apply by June 30^th, 2025, 12pm ET to design group exchanges as a facilitator for this new initiative! We would love you to co-host one of the two group exchanges this year. Facilitators can be from Partners Chapters in the U.S., Latin America, or the Caribbean or from Organizational Chapters. Recipients will receive a $10,000 grant to design and implement a 7-10 day exchange program with activities that promote one of this year’s themes.

As a facilitator, you will:

Design and implement an engaging agenda for a cohort of nine participants from the Western Hemisphere.

Connect participants with local organizations and leaders in your community

Facilitate activities related to access to education or economic growth/entrepreneurship

Have the option to include up to three days in Washington, D.C. with Department of State connections

Applications must include proposed agendas and budgets using the provided templates. Learn more about Group Exchange Facilitation Funding here.

Individual Travel Grants Coming Later

While the organization will continue to offer travel grants for individuals, those applications won’t open until later this year. Partners plans to award six individual travel grants in 2025, though this number is subject to change. Applications to participate in the group exchanges will also open later this year. More information on participating in the exchanges to come, so stay tuned.

Project Funding, Four grants up to $5,000

Partners is also offering $20,000 in project grants, a more familiar initiative to Partners members. Apply by June 16^th, 2025, 12pm ET for up to $5,000 to implement a project aligned with one of this year’s themes within your chapter or with – hopefully – another chapter(s). These projects give Partners chapters or Organizational chapters the means to make a meaningful impact locally.

Past initiatives include Utah-La Paz/Altiplano, Colorado+, and Texas collaborations on Lake Titicaca cleanup, with a July holiday eco-camp in a town on the Bolivian shores of the lake and free Saturday GPS online training to Peruvian university students in Puno from a University of Texas San Antonio professor.