Funding Freeze on Fulbright Scholarships Leaves Students in Travel Limbo

One English teaching assistant in Central Asia on a Fulbright scholarship told Skift they haven’t received any payments since December. 

Another Fulbright recipient, conducting environmental research in North Africa, said they’ve received grant installments on time but now worry the funding could be cut because of the subject matter. 

“That's just another component that has me thinking about whether or not, if it comes down to granular reviews of programs and spending, etc., if mine would be one that would be on the chopping block,” the researcher said.   

Carter Popkin, an English teaching assistant in Cambodia, said he expects to receive his next grant installment in April but so far hasn’t received any information on how the funding freeze could impact his program. 

“I'm very aware of what's happening, and so we're all kind of sitting here being very, very conservative with our spending,” Popkin said. 

Emily Balog, an English teaching assistant in Latvia, said late Wednesday that she heard from the Institute of International Education, one of the organizations that helps disburse Fulbright funds, that the latest installment