Nationwide Network Turned Every $1 in Federal Funding into $11 for Local Communities
The Washington, DC-based nonprofit Global Ties U.S. announced today new topline economic impact data showing an 11:1 return on the federal investment in international exchange programs for U.S. communities nationwide.
Calculated annually based on data self-reported by the Global Ties Network, comprising more than 80 Community-Based Member organizations across the United States, the economic impact data captures how core federal funding for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is leveraged into additional funding, in-kind support, and local spending in U.S. communities over the course of a program year.
The data from 2023 indicated that the Global Ties Network turned $7.1 million in federal funding for the IVLP into $81.7 million for U.S. communities and economies. The 11:1 return on investment is up from 8:1 the previous year, as local organizations and communities continue to rebound from the effects of the pandemic.
The data this year also showed 24,610 local volunteers across the United States contributed over 250,000 hours of service to support exchange programs and community engagement with international leaders, an increase of more than 30% from the previous year.
Global Ties U.S. President and CEO Katherine A. Brown, Ph.D., said today: “We are proud to report the significant economic impact of the Global Ties Network on U.S. communities. We already know that over 90% of U.S. Department of State Educational and Cultural Exchange funding is spent in the United States or invested directly in its citizens or organizations (see HERE from the Alliance for International Exchange).”
Katherine continued: “Our new data showing an 11:1 return on the federal investment by the Global Ties Network translates into significant benefits for local people and businesses in the United States. Taken together with the findings from the second year of the Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study, released in the summer, we are seeing the clear positive impact of exchange programs at the local level here at home.”
In addition to this strong economic return, Global Ties U.S. earlier research has underscored how international exchange programs positively impact U.S. cities’ economies and develop workforces for local businesses. The 2024 Community Impact Study (HERE) showed that across the United States, people benefit from hosting these programs in their communities:
- 63% have learned new skills that help them to do their job better.
- 75% agreed that participation in these programs has enhanced the prestige of their organization or strengthened their personal reputation.
Next up, the Global Ties U.S. Annual Report, published in December, will provide further evidence of the ways in which the Global Ties Network supported national security and generated economic impact at the local level in the United States this past year.
This national-level economic impact data from the last reporting year, 2023, is being broken down into state-level impact factsheets for every Community-Based Member of the Global Ties Network by early 2025.
About Global Ties U.S.
Global Ties U.S. is the national leader for connecting people and communities in the United States with global leaders through international exchange programs. Since 1961, Global Ties U.S. has powered a community-based network of 80+ nonprofit organizations that serve all 50 U.S. States and implement the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and a wide variety of other international exchange and public diplomacy programs. The work of Global Ties U.S. advances U.S. strategic priorities abroad and boosts prosperity at home by harnessing the diplomatic potential of our country’s greatest asset: our people.
About the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)
The IVLP, the United States’ flagship professional exchange program, is implemented by Global Ties Network member organizations through a 64-year partnership with the U.S. Department of State. The IVLP annually connects more than 4,000 current and emerging global leaders with U.S. counterparts on projects that support foreign policy priorities. The IVLP will celebrate its 85th anniversary in 2025. The Global Ties Network also implements a wide variety of other exchange and public diplomacy programs.