American Exchange Project

Program Description:

America has significant economic divisions both within communities and between different parts of the country. Creating socioeconomic connections across these places requires a national effort. American Exchange Project is doing just that. American Exchange Project is designed to connect young Americans across geographic, political, and cultural lines of difference.

American Exchange Project is the nation’s first and only free domestic intercultural exchange program designed to connect young Americans across geographic, political, and cultural lines of difference. They send senior high school graduates on a two-week adventure that helps them discover a new part of the country, rediscover their own, and forge relationships with people they would have never met otherwise, in service of creating a more connected America. The exchanges are run by educators all over the country who believe in the mission. A senior from the Bay Area in California might travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for example, while a student from rural Mississippi heads to New York City. During the trip, local host families introduce participants to their community. Traveling with American Exchange Project lets students see people and places as they really are, not as stereotypes or simplified images on the news. 

Impact:

During their travel week, students are also introduced to different economic opportunities. American Exchange Project believes connecting a divided country requires recognizing that all types of work have value. Someone who grew up surrounded by tech workers, for example, has a lot to learn from ranchers, and vice versa.

This exposure to new trades builds social capital. American Exchange Project allows students to think about career and educational paths they might not have considered otherwise. Host families serve as brokers of connections, introducing students to contacts who might be useful to them later in their careers. At the end of the week, professional journeys that did not seem possible become achievable precisely because participants are armed with the information, networks, and confidence they need to be successful. 

Population Served:

American Exchange Program’s goal is for this eye-opening trip to become a rite of passage for seniors graduating from high school. Providing this exchange experience to all young people and building other programs that connect people across the country would help connect America politically and socioeconomically too. 

Learn more here.

The program is funded by a number of private donors and foundations, including Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s Hearthland Foundation, The Andrew Carnegie Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Milken Family Foundation, among others. 

Page last updated in September 2026