Educational exchange initiatives have long been used as a tool to both foster international cooperation and promote the development of the technical and linguistic skills needed to operate in an increasingly globalized world. In spite of the potential benefits, opportunities for educational exchange within the Americas are not as robust as in other regions of the world. To address this, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US Department of State, under cooperative agreements with Partners of the Americas, and in collaboration with regional public-private sector leaders, manages the hemisphere-wide 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K) Innovation Fund. The 100K Innovation Fund is a public-private partnership that has leveraged over US$22 million to stimulate and support higher education institution (HEI) partnerships and expand training opportunities for student mobility across the Americas. By focusing on building HEI partnerships, the Innovation Fund’s unique model prioritizes sustainable impact. This event presents the findings of a new impact study conducted by the Inter-American Dialogue, which evaluates the Innovation Fund’s success in three key areas: student development, inclusion and access; HEI development and growth; and donor-partner motivations and perceived impact. The panelists, which included program implementors, donor-partners, and HEI representatives, shared their own experience with the 100K Innovation Fund and will comment on the key findings of the study.
