One To World is a non-profit organization which means all of the money we collect goes towards achieving our mission of connecting international students and scholars, with one another, and with Americans to share their lives and perspectives in life-changing ways.

Most of our operating costs (office rent, salaries, program expenses, etc.) come from donations and grants. However, we also need to collect some fees to pay for different programming costs, such as tickets, event supplies, guides, transportation (for certain out of town programs), and food. For all of our programs, we negotiate discounts and collaborate with our partner organizations to keep the prices as low as possible to accommodate a student’s budget.

Fees for the volunteer programs are applied for the costs of supplies and the behind-the-scenes work that One To World staff and our partner organizations do to make the programs possible. We appreciate you donating your time to volunteer, and your program fee helps ensure that we are able to organize a program that is both meaningful to you and the community we are serving. 

As a non-profit organization, One To World has a Development team whose job it is to raise money to sustain the organization. These funds come from people who care about our mission including individual donors, private foundations, corporate sponsors, and local and federal governments, as well as from our annual gala, the One To World Fulbright Awards Dinner. For a full breakdown of our budget, please see our most recent Annual Report.

Our hosts are friends and supporters of One To World who are passionate about cross-cultural exchange and are excited to meet international students. For our community visits to Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, Bushwick, Brooklyn, and Thanksgiving programs in Upstate New York, Connecticut and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, we have local coordinators who volunteer their time to recruit host families in their community and help One To World organize group visits. We have been working with the majority of our partner communities for over 20 years.

YES! Most of our social and cultural programs like sports games and walking tours, as well as the community service programs, are open to friends, family, and other guests. All international students and scholars should create a One To World account and register for the program directly. For our Community Visits and host family programs, availability will always depend on the capacity of each host family. It may be possible for you to bring a guest. Please reach out to the One To World staff contact listed on the specific event page if you would like to bring a guest.

Depending on capacity, some of our programs may be open to American students. If you have a question about a specific program, please contact our staff.

Unfortunately, One To World is not able to offer scholarships for programs. However, some International Student Offices at universities sponsor students to participate in One To World programs (especially the Foreign Affairs Conferences at the U.S. Military and U.S. Naval Academies).

The details and availability of sponsorships vary depending on the institution. Please check with your International Student Advisor to see if your institution has a sponsorship option for One To World programs or contact Marisa Silva, One To World’s Director of Membership and Programs here. 

During the semester, we have several volunteer opportunities at One To World to help us prepare for our special events. An example would be preparing invitations and other mailing materials with our Development team. We will usually send out a call for volunteers via social media or emails to our mailing list when these opportunities are available. Visit our internship page to see internship vacancies we have throughout the year. Additionally, we have a limited number of “Ambassadors” who promote One To World and our programs by presenting at new student orientations or attending fairs and conferences. Contact Marisa Silva for more information on how to become an ambassador.

Lastly, you can be involved by joining our community service programs, whether it is feeding the homeless, cleaning up Central Park, or painting local schools. Please visit our event calendar to see our upcoming community service programs.

If you are interested in more information about how to get involved, please email info@onetoworld.org.

We receive two different grants from the U.S. Department of State to provide events for Fulbright grantees. One grant is for Fulbright Students and the other is for Fulbright Scholars. Fulbright Students are participants in the Fulbright Foreign Student Program or the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program which enable graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, teach, or conduct research.  Fulbright Scholars are participants in the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, which supports post-doctoral research at U.S. institutions. Some of our Fulbright events are open to both students and scholars, while others are open to one specific group. It depends on which grant is funding the program.

Unfortunately, we are not able to subsidize any costs related to travel to our events or lodging in NYC. However, if you are coming from out of town and need recommendations for affordable places to stay, please check out the list of short-term housing options from our International Student’s Survival Guide: New York Metro Area.

One To World does not administer any of the Fulbright grants, we provide enrichment programs to students and scholars who have already been awarded the grant and have arrived in New York. Applications for Fulbright grants are submitted to the Fulbright commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country.  To find information on the relevant commissions and U.S. Embassies, click here. 

If you are interested in leading workshops about your country and culture for NYC-area youth, please complete visit tour Global Guide page. Please note that Global Classroom is a competitive program. We often receive many more applications than we have space for and therefore we are not able to accept everyone who applies.  We generally accept international students who:
1. Will be in the NYC-area for more than one semester 
2. Have experience with youth or teenagers
3. Are from a diverse range of countries
We have one free training each semester for accepted students: one in the fall, at the end of September/early October and one in the spring, in late January/early February. It is required to attend only one but you must stay for the entire training in order to volunteer as a Global Guide. If your application is accepted, we  will provide you with more details. 

Yes, you may apply to be a Global Guide multiple times. Please note in your application that you have applied previously. Please keep in mind that we generally accept students who will be able to serve as a Global Guide in the NYC-area for more than one semester.

We will schedule workshops based on your availability. We ask Global Guides to commit to leading workshops at least two times per semester. This is an average – some Global Guides lead more than two times per semester, and some Global Guides lead less than two times per semester. 

No, you are only required to attend one Global Guide training. After you attend the training, you are able to lead workshops in the NYC-area according to your availability.

Participate in an event

Throughout the year, One To World organizes a variety of programs—walking tours, concerts and theater productions, receptions, and other social activities for international students—to foster intercultural understanding by creating face-to-face experiences among local communities, international students and Fulbright scholars.