Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - United States Department of State Skip to content An official website of the United States Government Here's how you know Official websites use .gov .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS lock ( or means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Americans in the Middle East: Americans in the Middle East should follow the latest guidance from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and can contact the U.S. Department of State to receive information or assistance. View more Bureaus & Offices Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy ... Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs hide Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Our Mission The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) mission is to create lasting people-to-people ties that make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. ECA programs increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through educational, professional, and cultural exchanges. Exchange programs strengthen the national security of the United States through improved foreign relations, support U.S. international leadership, and provide a broad range of domestic benefits by breaking down barriers and by investing in American communities and organizations. Senior Bureau Official Darren Beattie Follow the Bureau: Flickr Cookie Settings We use cookies to make our website work better and improve your experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our privacy policy. Functional Functional Always active The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Preferences Preferences The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Statistics Statistics The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Marketing Marketing The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes View preferences {title} {title} {title} Cookie Settings We use cookies to make our website work better and improve your experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our privacy policy. Functional Functional Always active The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Preferences Preferences The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Statistics Statistics The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Marketing Marketing The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes View preferences {title} {title} {title}