Report

Mapping and Evaluating U.S.-German Exchange Programs, 2020–2025

Timothy Wright

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This report commissioned by the Heinrich Boell Foundation Washington D.C. takes stock of U.S.-German exchange programs at a turbulent time for transatlantic relations. Based on a wide range of interviews with experts on both sides of the Atlantic, it maps the significance of different programs, changes in recent years, and how transatlantic actors can strengthen people-to-people ties rooted in shared democratic values.

The findings of the report paint a mixed picture: core U.S.-funded programs are still running despite budget chaos, but important German programs like the Bosch Fellowship and Humboldt German Chancellor Fellowship have been discontinued. The report identifies worrying trends — interference in Fulbright selections, growing Republican-AfD networks—but also promising new energy in sub-national exchanges focused on democratic renewal, sustainability, and inclusion.

The report offers 12 concrete recommendations for how policymakers, exchange organizations, and civil society can respond. These include defending merit-based exchange processes, finding new funding partners, and expanding outreach to underrepresented groups and pro-democracy actors at the state and local level. Many recommendations highlight innovative, project-based exchange models that tackle real challenges—whether that's supporting journalism and press freedom, sharing best practices on protecting civil rights, or building networks for public-interest technology and responsible AI. The recommendations offer a roadmap for preserving and deepening transatlantic exchanges at a moment when rising authoritarianism makes them more essential than ever.

Product details

Date of Publication

December 2025

Publisher

Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington, DC

Number of Pages

Licence

CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

Language of publication

English

Table of contents

Executive Summary 3
Background to Mapping U.S.-German Exchange 5
Section I: Categorizing and Evaluating U.S.-German Exchange 9
Category 1: Youth Exchanges/High School Exchanges 11
Category 2: Higher Education – Scientific Research Exchange 14
Category 3: Civil Society/Journalist Exchanges 16
Category 4: Young Leaders/Political/Professional Exchanges 18
Category 5: Vocational/Internship Exchanges 21
Note on Funders in the Transatlantic Exchange Space 22
Section II: Changes to U.S.-German Exchange Programs, 2020–25 24
Discontinued Exchange Programs 24
New Exchange Programs 2020–25 25
Changes to Vetting and Application Process 27
Changes to Visa Procedures and Journalist Programs 29
Fluctuating Budgets for U.S.-German Exchange Programs 31
New Transatlantic Networks: The Alternative für Deutschland and MAGA 37
Section III: Policy Recommendations for U.S.-German Exchange 40
Recommendations for Supporting Existing Exchange Programs 40
Funding for Promoting Sustainable Exchanges 43
Strengthening Civil Society 45
Appendix 58
About the Author 59