irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $4.70MWORLDWIDE HEALTH INSURANCE POLICIES PROVIDE LOW COST AND EFFICIENT MEDICAL COVERAGE FOR STUDENT PARTICIPANTS ENGAGING IN INTERCULTURAL LEARNING.
- #2 $1.11MRISK AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT ARE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT THE AFS NETWORK AS NEEDED FOR PROGRAM OPERATIONS. THE RISK IS CURRENTLY INSURED WITH A VARIETY OF INSURANCE POLICIES.
named programs · 8 · from sources
What they call their work
AFS Global Competence Certificate (GCC)
Blended learning program that develops global skills for students, professionals, and staff across disciplines, with or without study abroad experiences
AFS Global STEM Academies
16-week program combining 12 weeks of online STEM and social impact curriculum with a 4-week immersive travel experience in Brazil, China, Egypt, or India for students aged 15-17.5
AFS Global STEM Accelerators
12-week online exchange program for girls worldwide aged 15-17.5 focused on sustainability, social innovation, and leadership development
AFS Global STEM Educators
6-week virtual exchange program for secondary school educators worldwide to build global competence and leadership skills
AFS Global STEM Innovators
6-week domestic exchange program for youth aged 15-17, starting with a virtual curriculum and culminating in in-person sustainable development workshops in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the USA
AFS Global You Adventurer
Five-week virtual exchange program for teens aged 14-17 to develop 21st-century global skills and build cross-cultural connections
AFS Global You Changemaker
12-week virtual exchange program for youth worldwide to develop global competence skills, create social impact projects, and earn certification from the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy
AFS Youth Assembly
Leadership program for young leaders featuring changemaker academies in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Social Impact Strategy
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Youth Global Leadership & Model UN Programs 3 activities
- Build institutional capacity in intercultural educationPartners annually with over 10,000 high schools globally to support the hosting of exchange students, deliver training, and co-facilitate intercultural events and workshops. Also integrated Soliya as a non-profit subsidiary to strengthen and expand global intercultural education offerings.
- Deliver virtual exchange and global competence development programsOperates multiple virtual exchange programs—including AFS Global You and Global Up—that enable youth and professionals worldwide to develop global competencies, cross-cultural collaboration skills, and social impact projects from home. Programs include structured curricula (e.g., 18 online modules), facilitation by trained professionals, certification (including from the University of Pennsylvania), and are offered for teens, educators, and professionals. Reached over 40,000 learners across 10 languages.
- Host global youth leadership and convening platformsOrganizes the AFS Youth Assembly, a global platform that annually engages hundreds of young leaders and changemakers aged 18–35 from over 100 countries through in-person and virtual leadership programs focused on solving global challenges. Also convenes global experts, educators, and youth during International Education Week and hosts a 48-hour digital Global Ideathon organized by volunteers.
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High School Exchange Programs 2 activities
- Facilitate international in-person student exchange programsMatches international exchange students with host families and supports high school study abroad programs lasting an academic year, semester, or trimester, during which students attend local schools, live with host families, and engage in cultural immersion. Provides orientations, ongoing support through trained volunteers and staff, and arranges social events and cultural trips as part of intercultural programming.
- Implement STEM-focused intercultural exchange initiativesProvides full-scholarship, sustainability- and STEM-focused exchange programs for youth and educators globally, including the 12-week online Global STEM Accelerators for girls aged 15–17.5, the 16-week Global STEM Academies with immersive travel components, the 6-week Global STEM Educators program for secondary teachers, and the domestic-to-in-person Global STEM Innovators program. These programs emphasize social innovation, leadership, and sustainable development.
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Recognition and Awards Programs 1 activity
- Advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in global educationRecognized with multiple awards for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in international education, including the PIEoneer Award (2024), PIEoneer of the Year (2023), EDIIE Award (2022), and the Forum on Education Abroad’s SDG Advancement Award (2025), all related to the AFS Global STEM Accelerators and Changemakers programs. The AFS Effect+ for the Classroom program was also recognized by UNESCO APCEIU in 2021 as a best practice in global citizenship education.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Conduct research on intercultural competence and exchange impactConducts long-term research initiatives in partnership with experts to advance knowledge in intercultural competence, study abroad, and virtual exchange, including a global study involving over 3,000 host families across 76 countries on the impact of hosting exchange students.
- Provide logistical and health support for exchange participantsArranges low-cost airfare and provides low-cost, efficient worldwide health insurance policies for student participants in intercultural learning programs, ensuring accessible and safe participation in global exchanges.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$17.22M
Contributions & grants$4.66M27%
Program service revenue$12.30M71%
Investment income$268K2%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$17.04M
Program expenses92%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$3.71M
Grants paid out$2.51M
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$15.00M
Cash$3.33M
Investments$2.69M
Liabilities$7.73M
Net assets$7.27M
Liquid reserves4.2 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -0.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 9
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DANIEL T OBST | PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 40 | $384K |
| GEORGE H DENTON | GENERAL COUNSEL | 32 | $239K |
| RITA JARECSNI | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $221K |
| EFREM FISHER | CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER | 40 | $213K |
| LUCAS WELTER CHIEF ORG | DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGY OFFICER | 40 | $190K |
| PEDRO JUNQUEIRA | CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER | 40 | $156K |
| LARRY BARNETT | CHIEF RISK MANAGEMENT OFFICER | 40 | $154K |
| NICOLE ANGULO CHIEF | DEPUTY ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | 40 | $145K |
| ANDREZA MARTINS | CHIEF DEPUTY PROGRAM OFFICER | 40 | $118K |
board members · 16
- AMALIE FERDINAND — TRUSTEE
- CRISTIAN VERA — TRUSTEE
- DANA AL-ANZY — TRUSTEE
- ELOISE DOLAN — TRUSTEE
- ERNESTO REY MORENO — CHAIR
- GUSTAVO SENECHAL — TRUSTEE, THRU 10/23/2024
- LENNART D'HULST — VICE CHAIR
- MAKIKO HARAGA — TRUSTEE
- MARTYN BARRETT — TRUSTEE
- MATTEO BIANCOLINI — TRUSTEE
- MICHELA MARIANI — TRUSTEE, THRU 10/23/2024
- NORIS BELLO DE ACOSTA — TRUSTEE
- TOLGA DORKEN — TRUSTEE
- ULRICH VOSS — TRUSTEE
- VICTOR OPORTO — TRUSTEE
- WANTOE WANTOE — TRUSTEE
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- AFS Argentina Partner — Local AFS member organization where Marcela Vazquez serves as a volunteer
- AFS Belgium Flanders Network — AFS organization in Belgium Flanders that supports local exchange programs and host families.
- AFS Canada Partner — Local AFS member organization; Priya Jadav received the 2025 Young AFS Volunteer Award
- AFS Colombia Partner — Local AFS member organization; Popayán Chapter received the 2025 AFS Community Impact Award
- AFS Norway Partner — Local AFS member organization; Torp Rivas Family received the 2025 Peggy & Art Howe Award
- Diversity Abroad Partner — Awarded AFS the Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (EDIIE) Award in 2022.
- Forum on Education Abroad Partner — Recognized AFS Global STEM Changemakers Initiative with an award and lists AFS as a member affiliate since 2023.
- NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee Network — AFS is represented on the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee, shaping global dialogue in education.
- Purdue University Partner — Partner institution using the Global Competence Certificate program; conducted a study on its effectiveness in 2018.
- Soliya Partner — Integrated Soliya as a non-profit subsidiary to strengthen and expand global intercultural education.
- The PIE News Partner — Presented AFS with the PIEoneer Award for Championing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2024 and named it PIEoneer of the Year in 2023.
- UNESCO APCEIU Partner — Collaborated with AFS on recognizing the Effect+ for the Classroom program as a best practice in global citizenship education.
- UNITAR Partner — Collaborates with AFS on the Global Citizen Leadership Program to develop youth leadership for international environments.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Partner — Collaborates with UNESCO under consultative status on initiatives related to global citizenship education and social good.
- University for Peace Partner — Partners with AFS to deliver Virtual Global Leadership Programs through the AFS Youth Assembly.
- University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) Partner — Collaborates on curriculum development, leadership training, and co-delivers the Changemaker Academy for youth leaders.
- University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy—Center for Social Impact Strategy Partner — Partnership to design and facilitate the AFS Global STEM Changemakers Initiative programs
- bp Funder — Funds the 5-year Global STEM Changemakers initiative, which includes the AFS Global STEM Accelerators program.
- bp Funder — Funds the AFS Global STEM Changemakers initiative, supporting full-scholarship STEM and sustainability exchange programs.
- bp Funder — Provides funding for 5,000 scholarships over five years to support AFS immersive exchange programs worldwide
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Active Global Citizenship Through Intercultural Developmentmethodology: active_global_citizenshipBy engaging participants in structured intercultural learning and experiential exchange, AFS fosters active global citizenship—manifested in informed, ethical decision-making and action for collective well-being—because sustained cross-cultural immersion combined with guided reflection builds the values, skills, and motivation needed to contribute to a more just, equitable, and peaceful world.
- Integrated Technical and Global Competence for Youth Changemakingmethodology: integrated_technical_and_global_competenceBy combining technical skills like digital literacy and design thinking with global competencies such as intercultural awareness and critical inquiry, AFS prepares underrepresented youth to become leaders in sustainability and social impact because bridging these domains enables effective, context-sensitive innovation in diverse communities.
- Structured Experiential Learning Journey Modelmethodology: experiential_learning_journeyBy guiding participants through a phased, curriculum-based experience (pre-, during, and post-program) that includes stepping outside one’s comfort zone and reflective practice, AFS deepens intercultural competence and global skill development because sequenced, supported experiential learning produces deeper cognitive, socio-emotional, and ethical growth than unstructured exposure.