SAN DIEGO, California — The U.S. State Department’s Alumni Rapid Response Fund is fostering leaders and effective COVID-19 responses abroad. Of the many important and beneficial programs and initiatives the U.S. State Department has funded, several of them are a result of the Alumni Rapid Response Fund. The fund’s mission is to provide financial support for programs carried out by U.S. government exchange alumni. These alumni assist numerous communities at home and abroad with a variety of needs, including education about COVID-19 relief and preventing misinformation. Much of the work this past year has been in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The State Department’s blog recently released an update on the successes of these alumni’s ventures thanks to the Alumni Rapid Response Fund.