New York, NY – The Afghan Future Fund and No One Left Behind (NOLB) are proud to announce the launch of the America’s Allies Scholarship Program (AASP). AASP is a landmark initiative to provide financial assistance on a competitive basis to Afghan and Iraqi translators and interpreters who served with U.S. Armed Forces, enabling them to pursue a college degree or professional training in the United States. Three years after the U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, AASP advances the Afghan Future Fund’s founding mission to support America’s allies as they and their families rebuild their lives and contribute to communities across the United States.
Each AASP awardee will receive support in the form of a one-time grant of up to $20,000 to be used for qualifying academic expenses, including four-year or two-year college degrees, vocational training, or other educational and training programs in the United States. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 31, 2025, to support students during the 2025 – 2026 academic year. AASP awardees will also have the opportunity to engage with the wider AFF and NOLB community through mentorship and community building.
The Afghan people, and oppressed peoples around the world, continue to suffer hardships at the hands of authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations. AASP empowers America’s allies who have fled their home countries and now seek to raise their level of education, advance their careers, and build a freer and more prosperous future, to the benefit of their communities, the United States, and our partners around the world.
Qualifications
AASP is a competitive educational and training assistance program available to Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders from Afghanistan or Iraq who previously served as a translator or interpreter and are currently living in the United States. Qualified applicants must be enrolled in or applying to an accredited educational or training program in the United States. Applications will be evaluated based on merit, need, and materials submitted for review. See this link for an online application.
“Just as Afghan and Iraqi interpreters courageously helped our forces on the post-9/11 battlefields, now we have the opportunity to help them,” said General (Ret.) David Petraeus. “I applaud No One Left Behind and Afghan Future Fund for establishing this new scholarship program, which will provide Afghan and Iraqi SIV holders who have resettled here in the United States with the opportunity to pursue self-improvement through education.”
”Afghan Future Fund is proud to partner with No One Left Behind on this important, first-of-its-kind scholarship program,” said Vance Serchuk, Chairman of the Afghan Future Fund. “More than anything else, education is the key that can unlock human potential. As Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who served courageously alongside American forces build new lives in the United States, we hope to help them pursue their dreams of learning and self-improvement.”
“No One Left Behind is honored to partner with the Afghan Future Fund to launch the America’s Allies Scholarship Program,” said Andrew Sullivan, Executive Director of No One Left Behind. “This initiative underscores our commitment to the Afghan and Iraqi men and women who served alongside U.S. forces. By offering access to education and professional development, we honor their service and aim to empower our allies to continue building meaningful futures for themselves and their families here in the United States.”
About the Afghan Future Fund
The Afghan Future Fund (AFF) was founded in August 2021, after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Established as a partnership between the Yalda Hakim Foundation and Schmidt Futures, AFF is dedicated to supporting at-risk Afghans, particularly women, journalists, civil society leaders, activists, and students, and to empowering talented refugees from around the world to realize their full potential and contribute to their communities. Visit afghanfuturefund.org.
AFF’s initiatives focus on high-quality education, skills training, employment, and entrepreneurship. In the last three years, AFF, its partners, and our awardees have achieved significant milestones:
About No One Left Behind
No One Left Behind (NOLB) is the oldest charitable organization focused specifically on supporting former interpreters and U.S. government employees eligible for the Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programs. The veterans-led organization helps evacuate our wartime allies to safety, provides resettlement assistance to help them start new lives as Americans and advocates for legislative change to keep America’s promise. To learn more, become involved or donate, visit nooneleft.org.