IREX Community Solutions Program 2027 in the USA (Fully Funded)

Overview

Some of the most important work in any country happens at the local level: helping small businesses grow, connecting young people to jobs, getting local government, businesses and communities to work together. The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is built for the people doing that work.

Run by IREX, CSP brings experienced community leaders from around the world to the United States for about four months. Fellows work side by side with a U.S. organisation, visit other communities, and learn practical tools for leadership and economic development. Then they go home and put those ideas to work through a project of their own.

For the 2027 cohort, the program focuses on locally driven regional economic growth and community prosperity.

Who Is This Program For?

CSP is a good fit if you:

• Are between 27 and 39 years old
• Have at least five years of experience working on community issues, with results you can point to
• Work on things like local business growth, jobs and skills, economic development, community collaboration, or local government
• Want to bring practical ideas back home and lead a project in your own community

You don't need a specific degree. What matters most is your track record of community work and the measurable difference it has made.

Why This Program Stands Out

Most exchange programs are short study tours. CSP puts you inside a U.S. organisation for a full 12-week practicum, so you're working, not just observing. You then get nine months back home to turn what you've learned into a real project, with support from the program. You come away with new skills, a U.S. professional network, and a global community of CSP alumni.

How the Program Works

Phase 1 – In the United States (about four months)

• Orientation (2–5 August 2027): You meet your cohort and prepare for your placement.
• Practicum (9 August – 29 October 2027): For 12 weeks you work with a U.S. host organisation in fields such as economic development, chambers of commerce, workforce training, local government or community organisations.
• Field visits and skills labs: You visit other U.S. regions and take part in Innovation and Applied Skills Labs on leadership, management and new technologies, including AI.
• End-of-Program Workshop (1–4 November 2027): The cohort comes together to reflect and plan before heading home.

Phase 2 – Back home (nine months)

• SCALE-Up Project: You lead a nine-month project in your community that adapts at least one U.S. economic development model, tool or partnership approach to local needs.

These dates are planned and may still change.

What Kind of Experience Counts?

The program looks for people whose community work has made a measurable local difference. Examples include:

• Running or growing a programme that helped small businesses or entrepreneurs
• Connecting young people or workers with training and jobs
• Working with a chamber of commerce, business association or cooperative
• Leading local government or municipal projects on development or services
• Building partnerships between businesses, schools, NGOs and local authorities

When you apply, describe specific results: how many people you reached, what changed, and what you'd do next. Numbers and concrete outcomes make your application stronger.

Living and Working at Home Matters

You must be living and working in your home country when you apply. If you're currently abroad for work, study, training or research, you're not eligible this round. This rule exists because the program is designed to strengthen leaders who will return and lead change in their own communities.

The Two-Year Home Residency Rule

CSP fellows travel on a J-1 exchange visa. After the program, you're expected to return home for at least two years. If you've been on a U.S. government-sponsored exchange before, you must already have completed that two-year home residency requirement to apply again.

Can You Use AI in Your Application?

Yes, but carefully. IREX says applicants may use AI tools to help edit or strengthen their answers. However, the content must truly reflect your own experience, results and goals. You must disclose any AI use, and you're responsible for the accuracy and originality of everything you submit.

Support for Applicants With Disabilities

CSP is designed to be accessible. The application works with screen readers, video interviews are pre-recorded and captioned, and accommodations are available for English testing. During the program, support can include sign language interpreting, live captioning, accessible housing, JAWS software and mobility support.

How Selection Works

After the deadline, eligible applications are reviewed by a selection committee. Shortlisted applicants (semi-finalists) are asked to complete a pre-recorded video interview and may need to take an English test. Finalists and alternates are then chosen.

Tips for a Strong Application

• Lead with impact. Focus on what changed because of your work, not just your job titles.
• Link your work to economic development. The 2027 cohort is focused on regional economic growth and community prosperity, so show how your work fits that theme.
• Think ahead to your SCALE-Up Project. Selectors want to see that you have a clear idea of the problem you'd like to tackle when you return home.
• Write in your own voice. If you use AI to polish your answers, disclose it, and make sure every example is real.
• Use one email address for the whole application process.
• Submit early. Don't wait until the last day.

Eligibility

• Aged 27 to 39 at the time of application
• A citizen of an eligible country (see list below)
• At least five years of experience working on community issues, with measurable local results
• Currently living and working in your home country (not abroad for work, study, training or research)
• High proficiency in spoken and written English
• Available to begin the U.S. program in 2027
• Not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and not having applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years
• Eligible for a U.S. J-1 visa
• If you've been on a U.S. government-funded exchange before, you must have completed your two-year home residency requirement
• Committed to returning home for at least two years and completing a SCALE-Up Project

Applications that don't meet every requirement are disqualified, and no exceptions are made.

Eligible countries:

• Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda
• East Asia & Pacific: Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu
• Europe: Albania, Belarus, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine
• Middle East & North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia
• South & Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
• Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela

Benefits / Funding

The program covers most costs, including:

• Round-trip travel from your home city to the United States
• J-1 visa support
• A monthly allowance for housing, meals and other living expenses in the U.S.
• Accident and sickness health coverage
• Accessibility accommodations where needed

You also get:

• A 12-week professional practicum with a U.S. host organisation
• Regional field visits and Innovation and Applied Skills Labs
• Training in leadership, management and emerging technologies, including AI
• Support to lead a nine-month SCALE-Up Project at home
• Membership in a global network of CSP alumni

Required Documents

• A completed online application at csp.irex.org, including written answers about your community work, its results and your goals
• A pre-recorded video interview (semi-finalists only)
• An English test result if you're a semi-finalist and don't already have a valid TOEFL score of 520 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) or higher. You'll be asked to take an Institutional TOEFL or another approved test.

In past cycles, semi-finalists were also asked to submit a CV. Read the official application instructions (linked on the program page) for this year's full list before you start.

How to Apply

1. Read the official application instructions linked on the IREX program page.
2. Check every eligibility rule, especially age, citizenship, residence and visa history.
3. Create an account at csp.irex.org, and use the same email address throughout.
4. Complete the online application, focusing on your community work and its measurable results.
5. Submit before 24 November 2026. Applications sent by email, post or fax are not accepted.
6. If you're selected as a semi-finalist, complete your recorded video interview and any English test you're asked to take.

You can submit only one application. Sending more than one under different email addresses leads to disqualification.

Important Dates

• 24 November 2026: Application deadline
• Late 2026 – early 2027: Applications reviewed, then semi-finalists complete video interviews
• Early 2027: Finalists and alternates notified
• 2–5 August 2027: Orientation in the United States
• 9 August – 29 October 2027: Practicum with a U.S. host organisation
• 1–4 November 2027: End-of-Program Workshop, then fellows return home
• About nine months after return: SCALE-Up Project at home