The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program (Muskie) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, and administered by IREX. Muskie provides opportunities for Master’s level study in the United States to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Participants are selected through an open, merit-based competition.

The Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) for 2008-2009 will provide 105 secondary school teachers from Eurasia, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Western Hemisphere with unique opportunities to develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge about the United States.

The 2008 ECA Alumni Small Grants Program (ASGP) is designed to support the professional development of ECA alumni and promote community development. Alumni may apply for a grant of up to $3,000 to conduct a community development or professional development project. The project time period is ten months.

On Aug 30-31, 2008 20 ECA alumni attended a seminar on fundraising and grant-writing in Kyiv.
The training was conducted by Randal Mason, an independent trainer, facilitator, and fundraising consultant, who has over 15 years of experience working in and supporting the nonprofit sector.

On August 23-24, twenty UGRAD and Muskie alumni participated in a Strategic Planning Training organized by IREX. The event took place in Slavske, Lvivska oblast. The first day of the training was led by Andriy Vyshniak, a professional trainer and NGO leader with more than 10 years of experience. During the first day of the event, the alumni learned about the components of a strategic plan and its role in the life of an organization. The participants also practiced formulating a strategic mission, reconstructing organizational activities, and carrying out a “SWOT” (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis.