Description

The Luce Foundation provided support to Scholars at Risk and to the Institute for International Education in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul. Both organizations were seeking to aid scholars and intellectuals who were in danger from the new Taliban government. Scholars at Risk has placed nearly 70 scholars, of which 48 scholars and 130 of their family members have arrived safely at their placements. But SaR continues to support placed scholars who have not yet secured visas and to receive requests for placement from new applicants. SaR must vet these applications and then begin the work of identifying host institutions. At the same time, the some of the first group of scholars are approaching the ends of their appointments and must be re-placed or extended. This new Luce grant would enable Scholars at Risk to continue to employ the staff who were brought on at the start of the crisis to enable SaR to manage the huge influx of requests for assistance.
Although this proposal was not submitted in time to be added to the June Board docket, it was discussed with the Board during their June meeting and approved unanimously.