Through the 2026 Venezuela round, IIENetwork member institutions may now nominate up to 5 international students ​​​​financially impacted by the June 2026 earthquakes in Venezuela.

Nominations should identify as specifically as possible how the student(s) were financially impacted by this disaster.  

IIE will award selected students with a one-time grant of $2,000. Funding can be used for educational, living, or health expenses for summer 2026 or the upcoming fall 2026 semester.

To find out if your institution is an IIENetwork member, visit www.iie.org/membership or email membership@iie.org. If your institution is not a member, please reach out to ESF@iie.org with any questions.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria 

• Nominations must be submitted by an administrator at an IIENetwork Member institution in the United States. An institution may not nominate more than 5 students. Students may not submit their own nomination.
• Nominees generally must be studying in the United States on an F-1/J-1 or F-2/J-2 visa. If the student is on another visa, you may explain the situation in the application. ESF cannot fund permanent residents or citizens of the United States.
• Nominees must be currently in the United States and matriculated in your institution as of the summer 2026 term. It is not required that the student be enrolled in classes during the summer, as long as they remain a student at your institution.  
• Nominators must provide unique and accurate information for each nominee, demonstrating the financial hardship that nominees face as a result of the relevant emergency. 
• U.S. host campuses nominating students for the Emergency Student Fund are encouraged to provide additional emergency assistance to nominated students through tuition waivers, scholarships, housing or other direct support when possible. 

Students who are active participants of the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright program are not eligible for ESF awards. If these participants have emergency needs, they should contact their advisor at IIE (or the advisor at the relevant cooperating agency) to discuss any individual situations.

Nomination Deadline 

The nomination deadline is July 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Nomination Form 

Complete the online nomination form here.

If nominating several students, please rank students from 1-5 based on financial need, with “1” being the highest level of need. Please take the time to describe each student’s financial and personal situation individually. The more detailed and personalized information the selection committee has access to, the better are the chances for students to receive an ESF award. 

It is possible for an individual to be awarded ESF scholarships over multiple rounds; however, preference will be given to those who have not been awarded. If you are nominating someone with a high rank who has previously been funded, please make sure the nomination form explains why their need is higher than those from your institution who have not previously received funding.

Please email esf@iie.org with any questions and review this FAQ before beginning your nomination form. 

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Contribute to the Emergency Student Fund

IIE always welcomes additional contributions for the Emergency Student Fund so it can respond quickly to help international students when disasters and emergencies in their home countries threaten to jeopardize their studies. 

We thank you for your interest in supporting students in times of crisis and appreciate your donation. 

To learn more about IIENetwork Membership, please visit www.iie.org/membership.