Foundation for International
Understanding
An Initiative of
Meridian International Center
and
The Center for the Study
of the Presidency and Congress
“…A Marshall Plan for the Minds and
Spirits of the World’s Youth.”
-- Ambassador Edward N. Ney
Reviving Global Engagement
The Center for the Study of the Presidency and
Congress, in partnership with Meridian International
Center is leading an initiative to revitalize America’s
engagement with the world.
The principal goal of this initiative is to establish an
independent grant-making Foundation for International
Understanding (FIU).
Foundation for International
Understanding (FIU)
MISSION: Promote mutual understanding, expand
learning opportunities, and facilitate people-to-people
collaboration across borders, cultures, and religions.
STRATEGY: Support the use of media productions
and interactive digital technologies to engage and
connect people around the world.
Promoting Positive Social Goals
The FIU will expand opportunities for learning and
collaboration to advance positive social goals, such as:
• Public health
• Learning in science and technology
• Sustainable development
• Interfaith and cross-cultural understanding
• Ethics and good governance
Media Tools
The FIU will support the full range of media and
interactive collaboration tools, including:
• Web-based social networking
• Virtual worlds and virtual classrooms
• Cell phones and mobile media
• Educational video games (serious games)
• Television and radio programming
Reaching Youth
While sponsoring initiatives for all age groups, the FIU
will have a special focus on reaching young people to:
• Foster peer-to-peer dialogue and collaboration
• Counter misperceptions and negative stereotypes
before they become fixed beliefs
• Expand educational opportunities through distance
and interactive learning
Fostering Peer-to-Peer
Interaction and Collaboration
The FIU will support joint problem-solving across
national boundaries through social networking sites,
virtual reality environments, Web-based video
conferencing, and other multi-user media formats.
The FIU will also support projects that use interactive
technologies to link classrooms and other learning
environments for collaborative learning.
Mobilizing Social Entrepreneurs
The FIU will identify and support entrepreneurs
working to promote international understanding
and to advance positive social goals in their own
countries and around the world.
The FIU will also convene practitioners to share
best practices, leverage resources, and promote
innovation as technologies change.
Co-Productions and
Joint Projects
By supporting international co-productions and joint
ventures, the FIU will draw on local knowledge of
different cultures, languages, patterns of media use,
and media preferences.
In locations where production capacities and the
diffusion of media technologies are lagging, joint
projects will facilitate local capacity-building and
training of indigenous talent.
A Public-Private Partnership
The FIU will use a combination of public and
private funding to marshal talent and innovation
from media providers, content developers, and
social entrepreneurs around the world.
The FIU will also be a resource multiplier, using
matching grants and co-funding partnerships to
leverage financial participation from corporations,
foundations, and other donors worldwide.
Cooperating Media Providers
Africa Broadcasting Network
Layalina Productions
America Abroad Media
Meedan
Dancing Ink Productions
National Geographic Society
Developing Radio Partners
Peace Games
ERTV-Afghanistan (Kabul)
Population Media Center
Empower Peace
Rapid Blue (Johannesburg)
Impact Games
Scenarios from Africa (Ougadougou)
Jed Wolfington Productions
Search for Common Ground
KBS Global (Seoul)
Serious Games Initiative
Development of the FIU Concept
The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress(CSPC)
developed the FIU concept from a proposal, put forward by the
Council on Foreign Relations, to create a Corporation for Public
Diplomacy. This non-profit Corporation would draw on private
sector expertise to strengthen America’s engagement with
populations overseas. The Advisory Group on U.S. Public
Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World subsequently endorsed
this recommendation in its final report to Congress.
To push this proposal forward, Congress requested that CSPC
develop a business plan and strategy for the proposed Corporation.
After consulting widely with media providers, international
communications professionals, and Members of Congress, CSPC
recast the proposed Corporation as a grant-making “Foundation for
International Understanding.”
Together, CSPC and Meridian International Center are now leading
efforts to create and capitalize the FIU.
Center for the Study
of the Presidency
and Congress
Meridian
International
Center
1020 19th Street, NW
Suite 250
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-872-9800
www.thepresidency.org
1630 Crescent Place, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
202-667-6800
www.meridian.org