Orchestras serve as cultural ambassadors when they perform abroad. International tours and residencies expand relationships, develop new audiences, and share expertise across borders. U.S. State Department programs encourage links between cultural organizations in the United States and institutions around the world by providing grant opportunities and funding for cultural exchange. Urge Congress to appropriate $115 million to the Office of Citizen Exchanges within the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs within the FY 2024 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, and to direct the State Department to dedicate increased resources to the Cultural Programs Division's arts diplomacy programs.

Talking Points

Cultural exchange enhances international understanding, aiding national security. A January 2017 report from the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies states that while the U.S. has invested heavily in hard power tactics to fight terrorism, "it has overlooked the soft power necessary to blunt the appeal of extremist ideologies." The report also states it is important to understand the "role that [public diplomacy] as a whole plays in our national security."

• Despite increases overall for the Office of Citizen Exchanges—the Cultural Programs Department is funded at lower levels now than five years ago. Increased funding for the Cultural Programs Division will strengthen exchange and collaboration in the arts and cultural fields that build bridges among people of different countries, cultures, and faiths.