MISSION

ICFRC is an independent, non-partisan organization that hosts speaker programs, community forums, and educational experiences to help Iowans better understand international issues and foster global engagement.

VISION

​Our vision is to connect our community across the state, to inspire lifelong learning about the global and local issues that matter, and to model the inclusive and informed discussion our world needs.

VALUES

• Diversity: We welcome, include, and support people of all backgrounds and beliefs and are enriched by learning from and with each other.
• Impact: We create opportunities for supporters and program attendees to realize and enact ways to make positive global and local impacts.
• Partnerships: We work with likeminded people and organizations in Iowa, across the US, and around the world to advance understanding, empathy, and change for the collective good.
• Community: We contribute to the high quality of life in the Iowa City area by being a space for active civic education and participation.
• Visibility: We proudly champion our role as a local leader in international education and encourage others to engage globally with us.

DEIBA STATEMENT

In a complex world, we recognize the need to center our organization around social justice imperatives. At ICFRC, we:

• Embrace the responsibility of creating spaces in which people feel welcome to learn from and engage with others across all lines of difference.
• Intentionally select diverse speakers, topics, formats, board members, staff, interns, and funders to ensure we share and discuss the international issues that matter most to Iowans.
• Continually challenge ourselves and those in our community to seek new perspectives and to deepen understandings of the complex issues that bring us together.
• Are committed to championing the democratization of knowledge and the free and open discussion of the problems and possibilities of our times.

Native American Land Acknowledgement

We recognize that our home community of Iowa City "now occupies the homelands of Native American Nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The area of Iowa City was within the lands of Iowa, Meskwaki, and Sauk. 

Because history is complex and time goes far beyond memory, we also acknowledge the ancient connections of many other Indigenous peoples here. The history of broken treaties and forced removal that dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of their homelands was an act of colonization and genocide that we could not erase. 

We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reparations." (From the Native American Land Acknowledgement prepared for the City of Iowa City's Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Human Rights Commission) 

Our Educational Programs

The Council hosts experts who speak on various international issues, such as foreign policy, international relations, law, history, arts and culture, the environment, politics, diplomacy, and current events. 

Over the past three years, we have carried out all our programs online. Based on a survey of our members and friends in July 2021, we presented our programs during Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 through a mix of in-person and virtual programs. 

Our Funding 

Individuals in the community fund us in addition to contributions from individuals, businesses, the University of Iowa departments and programs, foundations, and other organizations. 

We are also grateful to the Iowa Arts Council, Humanities Iowa, and the National Endowment for the Humanities for their financial support.​