WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas and NAFSA: Association of International Educators announced today the call for proposals for the sixth round of competitions of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund grants, which are open to higher education institutions throughout the Americas.

The goal of 100,000 Strong in the Americas, President Obama's signature education initiative in the Western Hemisphere, is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and the number of Western Hemisphere students studying in the United States to 100,000 by the year 2020. The initiative is aimed at enhancing hemispheric competitiveness, increasing prosperity, and preparing a more globally competent workforce.

This is the second round of four grant competitions sponsored by Santander Bank, N.A. through its Santander Universities Global Division. This grant competition opens on January 15 and closes on March 6, 2015, and is open to higher education institutions in all countries throughout the Western Hemisphere and to all fields of study. Higher education institutions are encouraged to submit innovative proposals that will create new or build on existing partnerships which increase study abroad opportunities for students going to and from Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States.

"We are delighted that our support of President Obama's 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund will continue to provide educational and cultural opportunities to college students throughout the Americas," said Roman Blanco, president and CEO of Santander US. "This impactful and transformative program is equipping students with global perspectives that will benefit them and the world."

Learn more about the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund at www.100kstrongamericas.org.

The 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund is a public-private collaboration of the White House, U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators that was announced by Secretary of State John Kerry in January 2014.  Since then, 38 Innovation Fund grants have been awarded to teams of 109 higher education institutions from 12 countries in the Western Hemisphere region.

The mission of Partners of the Americas is to connect people and organizations across borders to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. These partnerships create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems. Inspired by President Kennedy and founded in 1964 under the Alliance for Progress, Partners is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization with international offices in Washington, DC. Learn more at www.partners.net or via Twitter @partnersamerica. 

With nearly 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education. Learn more about our work at www.nafsa.org and www.connectingourworld.org and on Twitter at @NAFSA and @ConnectOurWorld.

Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the largest retail banks in the United States by deposits.  Its main corporate offices are in Boston and it operates principally in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santander's 9,703 employees serve its 1.8 million customers through the Bank's 703 branches, 2,092 ATMs, call centers, website and mobile app. Supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Santander in the United States is a wholly-owned, financially autonomous subsidiary of Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN), a global commercial and retail bank. For more information about Santander, visit www.santanderbank.com or call 877-768-2265.

Santander Universities was founded in 1996 to advance the Santander Group's commitment to its communities by supporting higher education.   The Santander University Global Division provides funding for teaching and research, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student exchange and innovation. It maintains more than 1,100 agreements with universities and research centers worldwide, including 35 in the United States through Santander Bank. Since 1996, Santander Universities has provided funding for 4,100 university projects globally. Every year in the United States, Santander Universities funds more than 1,000 scholarships and supports over 70 initiatives. For more information about Santander Universities Global Division, visit www.santander.com/universities.

Follow the Innovation Fund and the overall initiative on Twitter with the hashtag #100KStrongAmericas.

SOURCE Santander Bank, N.A.

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