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 Research Scholar visa in 2026 among early-stage U.S. startups through educational resources, outreach, and an AI-enabled decision-support tool. As a State Department designated Exchange Visitor Program sponsor, Cultural Vistas will help startups, researchers, and ecosystem partners better understand and utilize this pathway to access global STEM talent, reducing barriers to participation and enabling more companies to host international researchers while advancing the program’s core mission of mutual exchange, enabling U.S. teams and international researchers to exchange knowledge, professional practices and cultural perspectives.
Recipient(s)
In 2026, accelerating the placement and retention of foreign-trained physicians in high-need U.S. healthcare systems, particularly in rural communities and primary care specialties such as Family Medicine and Internal Medicine. Through a place-based, employer-focused approach, inSpring will work with hospitals to increase awareness and effective use of existing immigration pathways, while addressing key barriers to physician mobility, including licensure navigation, professional readiness, and pathway compliance. This initiative aims to activate a scalable and replicable model that strengthens employer confidence in hiring international physicians and enables foreign-trained doctors to transition successfully into the U.S. healthcare workforce, improving access to care in underserved regions.
Recipient(s)
Launching the first-of-its kind national organization, internationalstudent.us, offering international students, scholars, and researchers completing programs in the U.S. free access to reliable, up-to-date immigration information and rapid expert guidance. By addressing critical gaps in knowledge around work authorization, graduate pathways, and long-term status options, the Center will help more students have agency as they explore their options and strengthen the country’s global talent pipeline.
Recipient(s)
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