NEW YORK, January 24, 2024 — The Institute of International Education (IIE) will issue micro-grants to aid international students enrolled at colleges and universities in the Los Angeles, California, area. More than 30,000 international students are estimated to be enrolled at higher education institutions in the LA metro area. Committed to serving as a critical resource to students, scholars, and artists in need of a safety net, IIE distributes Emergency Student Fund (ESF) micro-grants to international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities when other means of financial support may be temporarily or permanently suspended.
When emergencies hit, international students are particularly at risk of financial distress. Financial support is critical because international students in the U.S. have restrictions on their employment—including how many hours they can work and whether they can work off-campus—making it more difficult to stay afloat during an emergency. As first responders continue to focus on damage control and recovery, IIE stands ready to support as many students as possible. Leveraging its 10,000-member IIENetwork to quickly identify and assist international students in need.
Starting on Monday, January 27, U.S. higher education institutions in the IIENetwork may nominate up to five international students from any country to receive one-time grants to cover emergency costs such as evacuation and relocation needs, room and board, tuition and fees, and other expenses related to the January 2025 fires in the greater Los Angeles area. Nominations from U.S. IIENetwork-member institutions are open through February 10. IIE will award selected students with a one-time grant of $800 to offset these expenses.
IIE has disbursed more than 3,000 ESF grants since the program’s founding in 2010. Over the last four years, the ESF has issued 10 calls for student nominations in response to a range of crises including:
- Conflict and wars in Ukraine (2022, 2023), Sudan (2023), and Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank (2023, 2024),
- Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria (2022) and Morocco (2023),
- Floods in Pakistan (2022) Libya (2023), and Bangladesh (2024),
- Political upheaval in Afghanistan (2021), Kenya (2024), and Venezuela (2024), and
- Economic crises in Lebanon (2021) and Sri Lanka (2022).
IIE has been a leader in crisis response for the higher education community for more than 100 years, supporting displaced students and scholars during major 20th– and 21st-century conflicts including the war in Ukraine, the 2021 fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, and World War II. Please consider contributing to IIE’s Crisis Response which is deployed immediately to students, scholars, and artists where and when it’s needed most.
With your help, students in the Los Angeles region can start to pick up the pieces and continue their higher education journeys.
About the Institute of International Education (IIE)
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. We work with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing our interconnected world. With support from donors, we also create initiatives that assist students, scholars, and artists whose lives and work are threatened; expand teaching and learning across cultures; and provide life-changing opportunities. A not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,600 higher education partners.