Talent Mobility Fund's U.S. STEM work focuses on leveraging existing immigration pathways to bring STEM talent to the United States.
Our Approach
Immigration matters for the global advancement of innovation and science.
Almost a quarter of all US innovation since 1976 can be attributed to high-skilled, foreign-born individuals (Bernstein et al 2022).
For example, study of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists found that those who were able to move were 3x more productive. IMO winners who were able to move to the U.S. were 6x more productive (Agarwal et al 2021).
Back-of-the envelope calculations suggest that bringing a highly skilled immigrant to the US for 10 years generates ~$2.7–11.3M in social value via their impact on R&D alone.
The Fund is proud to offer grants to eligible grantees that would demonstrate new ideas for the U.S. to attract and retain international STEM talent. If you or your organization have an idea, please complete a grantee questionnaire detailing your proposal.
Most potential grantees benefit from first reviewing their grant concept with the Talent Mobility Fund on an informal basis. If you’d like to do that, please send a concept note to Diane Rish, our Deputy Director. Concept notes should be no more than two pages in length and should outline your proposal, the amount of funding you are requesting, and how your proposal aligns with the criteria Talent Mobility Fund uses to evaluate grant applications.
This initiative is aimed at enhancing and fully utilizing the immigration opportunities available to STEM professionals seeking to enter the United States.
The Talent Mobility Fund is proud to be funding numerous projects that are leveraging existing immigration pathways to increase the number of STEM professionals who are able to come or stay in the United States.
Expanding awareness and use of the J-1 Research Scholar pathway among early-stage U.S. startups in 2026 through educational resources, outreach, and an AI-enabled decision-support tool. By lowering barriers to participation, the project will help more companies host international researchers, advancing the program's mission of mutual exchange of knowledge, professional practices, and cultural perspectives.
Recipient(s)
Accelerating the placement and retention of foreign-trained physicians in high-need U.S. healthcare systems, especially rural communities and primary care specialties like Family and Internal Medicine, by helping hospitals use existing immigration pathways and navigate barriers such as licensure, professional readiness, and compliance. The goal is a scalable, replicable model that builds employer confidence in hiring international physicians and expands access to care in underserved regions.
Recipient(s)
The International Student Resource Center is the first-ever membership organization serving all 1.2 million international students and post-docs in the United States. Designed to help more of these graduates stay in the U.S. and contribute their talents here, the Center provides new services including detailed visa guides, myth-busting policy updates, an essential newsletter, and a free expert help desk.
Recipient(s)
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