U.S. Embassy in Colombia

The bi-national centers (BNCs) in Colombia are autonomous, non-profit cultural and educational institutions created during the Second World War to contribute to good relations between Colombia and the United States. Several BNCs were founded in 1942. Each month these Centers collectively host 32,500 students of English. In addition, they maintain a slate of cultural activities, a library and US educational advising programs. The BNCs liaison with the Embassy, under the auspices of the Public Affairs Section, in a wide array of mutually beneficial projects, but they do not depend economically on the U.S. government.

100,000 Strong in the Americas, the White House’s premiere education initiative for the Western Hemisphere, was launched in May 2011. The initiative increases educational mobility, providing students with critical skills and cross-cultural experiences to compete in the global workforce.

The innovation fund drives this vision forward

The central mechanism for implementing the White House’s vision is the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The Fund is scaled through strategic private sector and governments partnerships across the region.

The Innovation Fund addresses the workforce competitiveness challenge by awarding grants to higher education institutions that partner together to foster greater education cooperation and provide students with unique training and exchange opportunities.

Welcome to our section designed especially for English language teachers and learners. Look to our Resources box to find additional English tools and games.

Since 2007, in support of the Ministry of Education’s bilingual education program, the Embassy of the United States has provided financing and language expertise to programs that have benefited over 10,000 public school teachers and more than 45,000 students.

In addition, the Embassy has promoted economic and social empowerment to underserved communities by providing more than 1,500 scholarships to students within these backgrounds.

The Fulbright program is the official student exchange program sponsored by the Information and Cultural Section of the U.S. Embassy. It includes the following:

a) Fulbright/LASPAU

b) Fulbright/IIE, and

c) Humphrey.

Applications for the Fulbright IIE and LASPAU programs are considered in the American Embassy in March of each year.

The first two grants are designed for graduate level students wanting to obtain a Masters in the United States in the areas of humanities, social science, economics, business management, and education. The study of health sciences is not covered by these grants. The duration of the grant is two years, excluding pre-academic and intensive English course work.

The Youth Ambassadors Program (YAP) brings together high school students and adult mentors from countries across the Western Hemisphere to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities. YAP provides full scholarships for participants to engage in cultural and educational programming focused on leadership, diplomacy, and community service.

The Community College Initiative (CCI) Program seeks to foster mutual understanding between the citizens of the United States and the citizens of participating CCI countries. The CCI Program encourages a holistic learning and exchange experience and focuses on five program pillars: academics, cultural exchange, service learning, internships, and leadership and action planning. All pillars of the CCI Program are of equal importance. The CCI Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State.

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) is a Program that empowers entrepreneurs and innovative civil society leaders to strengthen capacity and advance their entrepreneurial ideas to contribute to social and economic development in their communities and region. Since the initiative’s launch in 2015, more than 1,000 YLAI Fellows from Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean have expanded their leadership and entrepreneurial experience through fellowships at businesses and organizations across the United States. Through the YLAI Entrepreneurship Institute and the individualized Fellowships, YLAI Fellows have accelerated their commercial and social ventures’ success and developed specific action plans to carry out upon return to their home countries. YLAI Fellows built networks, linkages, and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures.

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs is an initiative funded by the U.S. government to support and empower women entrepreneurs around the world. AWE gives enterprising women the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses. By promoting women’s economic opportunities and ensuring that women have the capabilities and resources needed to participate in the economy, AWE directly supports the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. In Colombia, AWE is implemented by the Sergio Arboleda University Entrepreneurship Center. Along with the university curriculum, the program includes access to the DreamBuilder platform, a friendly and easy-to-use online course that reinforces the entrepreneurial spirit, they participate in directed lessons related to administration. In addition, AWE women have the possibility to connect with networks of companies, entrepreneurs and mentors who share the same perspective in their own regions and in the U.S.