About the Reciprocal Exchange

The Mandela Washington Fellowship’s Reciprocal Exchange component provides U.S. professionals with the opportunity to build upon strategic partnerships and professional connections developed through the Fellowship.  The Fellowship provides U.S. professionals funds to implement in-person or hybrid projects in Sub-Saharan African countries with Fellowship Alumni on the continent.      

Award Goal

• The Mandela Washington Fellowship will provide grants of up to $3,000 per selected project to support hybrid Reciprocal Exchange projects or grants of up to $5,000 per selected Participant (up to four Participants) to support travel to Sub-Saharan Africa and other project-related costs during the grant period. 
• Participants and Fellowship Alumni will implement a short-term project that directly benefits individuals and institutions in the project country and the United States during and after implementation.  Projects should be no longer than four weeks. 
• Participants and Fellowship Alumni will expand their professional networks, gain new business opportunities, and build new knowledge or skills during their Reciprocal Exchange project planning and implementation periods. 

Definitions 

• U.S. professionals: U.S. citizens who collaborate with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni to apply for a Reciprocal Exchange Award.
• Fellowship Alumni: Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni who collaborate with U.S. professionals to apply for a Reciprocal Exchange Award. 
• Participants: U.S. professionals who are selected to receive a Reciprocal Exchange Award. 
• Fellowship Alumni Collaborators: Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni who are selected to receive a Reciprocal Exchange Award. 
• Hybrid Reciprocal Exchange: Hybrid Reciprocal Exchange projects aim to conduct activities in the Fellowship Alumni Collaborator’s community with the U.S. professional participating virtually via Zoom or another platform.  Hybrid Reciprocal Exchanges are an effective model to engage with hard-to-reach audiences where Participant travel may not be possible. 

Financial Provisions

• Maximum Hybrid Grant Award: $3,000 per project
• Maximum In-Person Grant Award: $5,000 per selected Participant (up to four U.S. Participants)

Disbursement of Funds

The Fellowship will award up to $3,000 per hybrid project and up to $5,000 per in-person project Participant (see next paragraph) to support implementation and approved project-related costs for Reciprocal Exchange activities.  For hybrid projects only, IREX may disburse funds to Fellowship Alumni Collaborators.  IREX will disburse award funds in two installments, contingent upon receipt and approval of required deliverables, via Participants’ or Fellowship Alumni’s personal bank accounts.  IREX will request bank information from Participants or Fellowship Alumni Collaborators as well as a signed Terms and Conditions document, which will outline the terms for the award. 

Projects with multiple U.S. Participants:

In-person projects with multiple Participants are eligible for $5,000 of funding per Participant.  The grant ceiling for a project is $20,000 for up to four Participants.  The project team must select one Participant to receive the grant funds.  You must include all intended Participants in your application; you cannot add additional Participants to your project after selection.

Procurement of Visa

Participants can procure their visas through an IREX-preferred vendor prior to travel.  IREX will cover the cost of the visa service as well as the cost of the visa fee itself.  Please note that travelers to Nigeria cannot use IREX’s preferred vendor for their visa procurement.  Please see the budget template and the Nigerian Embassy’s website for more information.

Eligibility Requirements

U.S. Professionals:

• Must be U.S. citizens currently living in the United States.   
• May not be employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. Government (including a U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government entity).   
• Must have met the primary Fellowship Alumni collaborator or strengthened an existing partnership through the Mandela Washington Fellowship (e.g., through the Leadership Institute, Professional Development Experience, Reciprocal Exchange, etc.).  
• May only participate in one Reciprocal Exchange Award per calendar year (i.e., implementation dates between February 1 – November 30, 2026).  
• Any one individual can complete no more than two in-person Reciprocal Exchange projects. 

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Am I eligible to apply for a Reciprocal Exchange? I have done…

• 2 in-person projects: Yes! You are eligible to apply for a hybrid Reciprocal Exchange.
• 1 in-person, 1 hybrid/virtual project: Yes! You are eligible to apply for an in-person or hybrid Reciprocal Exchange.
• 2 virtual or hybrid projects: Yes! You are eligible to apply for an in-person or hybrid Reciprocal Exchange.

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Fellowship Alumni Collaborators:

• Must be considered Alumni of the Fellowship in good standing with the U.S. Department of State.  Fellowship Alumni from all cohorts are eligible to apply.   
• May not be employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. Government.   
• Must reside in the proposed project country and be present for the full duration of the project’s implementation.    
• May only participate in one Reciprocal Exchange Award per calendar year (i.e., implementation dates between February 1 – November 30, 2026).  
• Fellowship Alumni do not have a limitation on the number of Reciprocal Exchanges they can participate in. 

Project Requirements and Restrictions 

• Projects should address topics that fall under at least one of the following categories (If you wish to apply for a project addressing a topic not listed below, please email REmwf@irex.org):  
  • Agriculture (such as agribusiness, food processing, or supply chains) 
  • Business & Entrepreneurship (such as commercial diplomacy, startups, or international trade and investment) 
  • Safety & Security (such as law enforcement, counterterrorism, or conflict resolution) 
  • Creative Economies (such as film and television production, sports and major events diplomacy, or music and content production) 
  • Energy (such as critical minerals, mining, or oil and gas) 
  • Health (such as biosecurity, disease surveillance, or emergency preparedness) 
  • Technology (such as artificial intelligence, information and communications technology, or cybersecurity) 
  • Transportation (such as shipping, infrastructure, or logistics corridors) 
• Must not charge a participation fee from intended beneficiaries. 
• Must not involve direct clinical patient contact, which may include, but is not limited to: contact with human or animal patients; human or animal remains; corpses; cadavers; or carcasses; and/or the practice of medicine or other licensed health sciences, including practical exposure to the fields of medical and veterinary sciences, nursing, dentistry, psychological counseling, or any other field that requires direct clinical patient contact and/or prescribing or administering medication.   
• Must not use award funds to cover salaries or consultancy fees. 
• Must not include travel to locations with a Level 4 Travel Advisory; project teams may only apply for hybrid projects for locations with Level 4 Travel Advisories. 

Selection Criteria 

IREX will review eligible applications using the following selection criteria: 

• Demonstrates impact on the Fellowship Alumni Collaborator’s home organization, community, and/or country; 
• Demonstrates clear impact and concrete benefit to U.S. companies, communities, or organizations; 
• Demonstrates joint engagement between the Fellowship Alumni Collaborator and U.S. professional in project design, planning, and implementation (i.e., it should be clear to application reviewers that each applicant contributed equally to the overall application); 
• Proposes a clear, realistic, and technically sound project implementation plan; 
• Clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of all U.S. professionals and Fellowship Alumni Collaborators in project implementation;  
• Provides measurable and specific goals and project activities during implementation; and 
• Demonstrates continued impact of the project after implementation. 

IREX will give preference to applications that also demonstrate the following:

• Projects that incorporate activities or events that celebrate and showcase American leadership and innovation; 
• Proposals that focus on implementation and delivery of concrete activities rather than exploratory research or assessments; 
• Project teams with relevant professional expertise, institutional support, and/or access to necessary resources to implement the proposed activities; 
• Contribution to furthering a pre-existing project or initiative; 
• Budget cost-sharing; and 
• Engagement of Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni networks.  

IREX will competitively evaluate all completed applications received by 11:59 pm EST on March 25, 2026, against the eligibility and project requirements and selection criteria.   

IREX reserves the right to verify all information included in the application.  If we identify any discrepancies, or false information, IREX will declare the application invalid and the applicant ineligible.  IREX will not consider incomplete applications.   

Reporting Requirements

All Reciprocal Exchange Participants and Alumni Collaborators must submit a final report to IREX following implementation of their project.  The Terms and Conditions documents signed by Participants and Fellowship Alumni Collaborators will include more information about reporting requirements.  

General Application Instructions 

Reciprocal Exchange applications must include the following attachments.  IREX will consider applications missing any attachment as incomplete and therefore ineligible.  

• Completed Application Form
  • Both the U.S. professional and the Fellowship Alumni must work together to complete an application form.  The application is available at the link below.  
  • All responses must be in English. 
  • Include your full, legal name as it is spelled in your international passport.  
  • Provide complete contact information, including postal index codes for all addresses, and country and area codes for telephone numbers. 
  • Answers to essay questions should be clear, specific, and not exceed 300 words (approximately 2,000 characters) per question.  Do not copy and paste essay responses between the U.S. professional and the Fellowship Alumni Collaborator sections of the application. 
  • IREX strongly discourages the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as these tools often generate vague and duplicative content that results in poor applications.  Applicants should ensure the core content and expressions are their own and that the content represents their own unique experiences and plans.
• Completed Work Plan: U.S. professionals and Fellowship Alumni must collaborate on the submitted work plan.  Please include as much detail as possible. 
  • Use the work plan template provided and comply with the requirements outlined in the template’s Guidelines tab for your application to be eligible. 
  • Template available here.
• Completed Budget Form: All costs should be in U.S. dollars.
  • Use the budget template provided and comply with the requirements outlined in the template’s Guidelines tab for your application to be eligible. 
  • Reflect total estimated costs in your budget, including in-kind or cost-shared expenses.   
  • Template available here. 

Please note the following: 

• Submit your application on or before the due date.  IREX will not consider applications received after the deadline. 
• Fellowship Alumni and U.S. professionals must collaborate on all application materials, including the work plan and budget.  Questions in each portion of the applications are similar but require individual answers from the Fellowship Alumni and U.S. professional(s). 
• For projects with multiple U.S. professionals and/or Fellowship Alumni, the primary U.S. professional and primary Fellowship Alumni should complete the application together.   

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Reciprocal Exchange application that were not addressed above, we encourage you to review the Frequently Asked Questions for Reciprocal Exchange Applications.  Please also feel free to direct your queries to REMWF@irex.org. 

The Reciprocal Exchanges team hosted a Q&A Webinar for interested applicants on Friday, March 13, 2026, provided information on the application process and addressed questions. You can view the webinar recording here.