BFF Grant Programs
Hosting a YES or FLEX exchange student is a unique experience!
YES and FLEX Programs
BFF is designated to administer the YES and FLEX Grant programs. Both programs are administered in partnership with the U.S. Department of State by a consortium of nonprofit organizations. BFF is a proud sub-grantee of American Councils.
By hosting a YES or FLEX student, you are offering yourself, your family, your community, and these students the opportunity to build bridges of understanding that can and do change the world as we know it. Recruited from the best of the best, YES and FLEX students go through a highly rigorous selection process in their home countries to receive this very prestigious scholarship.
YES Program
Through the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, high school students from countries of strategic importance around the world live and study for an academic year in the United States. YES students serve as “youth ambassadors” of their home country by forming lasting relationships with their host families and communities. Participants live with a host family, attend an American high school, acquire leadership skills, and engage in activities to learn about U.S. society; they also help educate Americans about their home country and culture. Applicants compete for the YES program through a rigorous, merit-based selection process. The YES program was established by Congress in October 2002. The YES Abroad program was established in 2009 to provide a similar experience for U.S. students (15-18.5 years) to spend an academic year in select YES countries.
FLEX Program
FLEX was created in 1992 from the belief of former Senator Bill Bradley that young people were the key to building goodwill with our former Cold War adversaries and promoting democracy in the former Soviet republics. The program has since expanded to include 22 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Each year, more than 35,000 students from Europe
and Eurasia apply for this very popular program. In 2025-26, 700 students will participate, and today there are more than 32,000 FLEX alumni.
