Apply Now: Fully Funded 2026 Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program

The 2026 Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program is now accepting functions! This totally funded fellowship affords younger civil society leaders from world wide the chance to spend three transformative months within the United States, gaining hands-on expertise and constructing a worldwide community of changemakers.

The 2026 Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program application is open from April 23, 2025 to May 22, 2025.

Apply Now

The CEE Program is a dynamic international community of innovators working with communities to deal with vital twenty first Century points. CEE equips devoted visionaries with the experience, abilities, and assets to develop multisector approaches and construct wholesome and engaged communities within the U.S. and world wide.

A transformational management growth expertise, CEE is a year-long program designed to allow civil society leaders, ages 21-27, to harness the ability of networks, relationships, and data for the general public good.

Fellowship elements embrace:

• Three-month Practicum within the United States: IREX matches CEE fellows to civil society organizations all through the United States. Designated supervisors and friends help the fellows by means of a three-month, hands-on skilled practicum.
• Leadership and Civic Engagement Academy: CEE fellows discover this system themes by means of interactive curriculum that features service studying, face-to-face trainings, mentorship, skilled teaching, and inclusion in a worldwide community.
• Community Engagement Project (CEP): With the assistance of their U.S. host group and mentors, CEE fellows design and plan a group engagement venture to hold out after they return home. Once the fellows depart the U.S., they put these tasks into motion of their home communities.
• Community Engagement Project (CEP) Exchange: Select U.S. hosts and CEE specialists will journey to a CEE alumnus’ nation and work collaboratively to help the guy’s venture implementation and convey again what they study to strengthen communities throughout the United States or their home nation.

Application Information

If you might have any questions on this system or our eligibility necessities, please evaluate our FAQ document or electronic mail our staff at apply.CEE@irex.org.

Eligibility Requirements

Competition for the CEE Program is merit-based and open to rising civil society and group leaders who meet the next standards:

• Age 21-27;
• Citizen of one of many eligible nations listed under;
• Currently residing and dealing of their home nation on the time of application;
  • Special consideration may be given to people residing out of the country who’ve refugee standing and are engaged on behalf of their home group.
• Has a minimal of two-years skilled or volunteer expertise, engaged on group or civil society points, on the time of application;
• Working on a group engagement initiative of their home nation, both in an expert or volunteer capability, with a demonstrated intent and imaginative and prescient to pursue a profession working to help civil society or inside the civil society sector;
• Able to start the CEE Program within the United States in 2026;
• Able to obtain a U.S. J-1 Visa;
• Committed to returning to their home nation after completion of this system and implementing a community-based venture; and,
• Proficient in spoken and written English on the time of application.
  • Semifinalists can be required to take a Duolingo English language take a look at
  • Finalists ought to have the ability to fulfill most communication targets, even on unfamiliar matters. They ought to perceive the principle concepts of each concrete and summary writing and they need to have the ability to work together with proficient audio system pretty simply.

Individuals within the following circumstances are NOT eligible for the U.S.-based CEE Program:

• U.S. residents and/or everlasting residents of the United States;
• Individuals taking part in tutorial, coaching, or analysis applications within the United States or different nations on the time of application;
• Individuals residing or working exterior their home nations on the time of application until the person is a refugee or holds particular refugee standing and is engaged on behalf of their home nation/group;
• Individuals who’ve participated in an change customer program sponsored or funded by the U.S. authorities (e.g., U.S. Department of State Public Affairs Section of U.S. embassies, or different U.S. authorities businesses) who haven’t fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the point of application;
• Individuals who’ve utilized for U.S. everlasting residency previously three years; and
• Other standards to be decided in session with ECA, together with public-health associated standing primarily based on steerage from federal businesses on the time of application.

Financial Support

The program covers the price of most bills related to:

• J-1 visa help
• Round-trip journey from contributors’ home metropolis to the U.S.
• Monthly allowance to cowl housing, meals, and different residing bills whereas within the U.S. and
• Accident and illness well being advantages

Eligible nations by area

Africa: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Europe and Eurasia: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia.

South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Peru, and Venezuela.

 

Source:

Related