Former scholarship recipient speaks on non-profit furloughing employees amid federal funding freeze

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — President Trump’s federal funding freeze is now impacting higher education jobs outside of the federal government.

On Thursday, March 13, the Institute of International Education (IIE), a national non-profit that oversees student scholarships like Fulbright, Humphrey and Gilman announced some of its employees will be furloughed.

According to the organization, factors such as delays in payment processing limited its ability to retain full staffing. IIE also said it is working with partners and grantees to navigate the circumstances.

“I did feel pity for the students who were going to study abroad and now this federal freeze could potentially prevent them from studying abroad,” said VCU student and former Gilman scholarship recipient Nonso Akunwafor.

Akunwafor received his $3,000 scholarship during his Spring 2024 semester. He said his four-month trip to Granada, Spain wouldn’t have been possible without the program's help.

“It was more than just money,” Akunwafor said. “You have to go through training in order to maintain your given scholarship, and then when you come back, you have to do a project in which you basically detail how you spread the word about Gilman in the U.S.”

Akunwafor said delaying funds for students who’ve earned it isn’t the way to go.

“If you're rich, if you're wealthy, if you come from a background where you can take breaks and study abroad or go abroad, then you are the one who deserves the right to that experience,” Akunwafor said. “In reality, I think that traveling, mobility, learning more about other cultures should be an opportunity that's afforded to all students, not just people who have the means to do that.”

8News reached out to the non-profit for more specifics on the jobs furloughed but have not heard back.