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WASHINGTON, D.C., June 29, 2020 – GoAbroad recognized the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) with its Innovation in Diversity Award for FEA’s Access Partner Program. Announced during a virtual ceremony hosted last week by GoAbroad, the Innovation in Diversity Award recognizes efforts to strategically expand international educational opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups.
The award underscores a decade of consistent growth and expansion of scholarship offerings from FEA. Since developing the Access Partner Program, FEA has nearly doubled its capacity to give significant study abroad scholarships to underrepresented students. In 2019 alone, the program contributed $340,000 to FEA, allowing the organization to commit a total of $650,000 in scholarships to 166 minority, first-generation college, and community college students.
The FEA Access Partner Program brings together study abroad providers, institutions, and other international education leaders to increase scholarship opportunities for students with financial need seeking to participate in study abroad programs. The program has grown from its 2017 launch with eight Access Partners to include 14 today: CAPA The Global Education Network, CET Academic Programs, DIS, AIFS, The American University in Cairo, FIE: Foundation for International Education, GoAbroad.com, The Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA), The Intern Group, The School for Field Studies (SFS), School for International Training (SIT), Terra Dotta, University of Auckland, and the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC).
“We are honored to be awarded the GoAbroad Innovation in Diversity Award,” said FEA Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “The Access Partners are a unique group because they are almost all competitors, but they are united by a common goal—collaboratively increasing diversity in study abroad. This award would not be possible without their willingness to unite behind FEA’s mission.”
GoAbroad was founded in 1997 and remains the leading resource for meaningful travel. The GoAbroad Innovation Awards celebrate institutions, organizations, and individuals moving the field of international education forward and recognizes efforts to innovate the field. The winners are selected by the Innovation Awards Academy, a group of leading international education professionals.
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About the Fund for Education Abroad
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to provide scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population, making life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting minority and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs. FEA Access Partners participate on the FEA Access Advisory Board (AAB), establish best practices in international education and actively engage in FEA’s mission to increase the number of Americans studying abroad. FEA is a Guidestar Platinum participant, and has won the 2019 Scholarship Provider of the Year Award from the National Scholarship Providers Association, the 2015 Diversity Abroad Excellence in Diversifying International Education Award and GoAbroad.com’s 2015 Innovation in Philanthropy Award. Follow FEA at www.fundforeducationabroad.org, on Facebook and LinkedIn at Fund for Education Abroad, and on Twitter and Instagram: @FEAScholarships.
About GoAbroad
Launched and conceptualized in 1997, GoAbroad first set out to fill the information gap between students with a desire to travel abroad and companies offering international programs. As the travel industry has evolved and access to opportunities to see the world has grown, they’ve developed and evolved over the past two decades to meet the ever-changing needs of travelers, positioning ourselves as the resource for meaningful travel around the world.