The Fulbright Program is program of educational grants (Fulbright Fellowships) sponsored by the by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. It was established to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. The Fulbright Program provides funds for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools abroad.
The program was promoted by and named after Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright, who promulgated its passage through the US Senate in 1946. Its first participants went overseas in 1948, funded by war reparations and foreign loan repayments to the United States. Since then, some 250,000 individuals have received Fulbright Fellowships.
