The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of daily life around the world, including education and exchange activities. Schools, colleges and universities, and other organizations worldwide have cancelled in-person classes, meetings, and exchange programs. Young people are working to adapt to learning from home, travel is severely curtailed for the foreseeable future, and exchange programs for tens of thousands of young people this summer have been cancelled. These difficult times mean we need to find innovative ways to sustain learning and connections among young people who are isolated.
The Stevens Initiative is providing resources to help education, exchange, and non-profit organizations in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa conduct virtual exchange programs to engage young people and educators affected by the pandemic. Applicants can review the competition rules below and apply on a rolling basis until a final deadline on June 12. The maximum grant period of performance window is June 1 to August 31, 2020. The Initiative strongly recommends applicants propose their period of performance begins no sooner than 30 days after proposal submission.