East-West Connections

What East-West Connections does

East-West Connections (EWC) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit citizen diplomacy organization that creates platforms for dialogue between individuals in the United States, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Baltics. The organization's geographic focus spans 15 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. EWC is led by Board Chair Todd Lefko and operates with approximately 10 employees, primarily serving general-public audiences, students, educators, and Minnesota-based cultural and educational institutions.

The organization's core offerings are educational programs (webinars, film screenings, and cultural discussions on topics including U.S.-Russia relations, Ukrainian affairs, Central Asian diplomacy, and Russian literature) and a suite of resource portals covering trade resources, study/exchange programs, Russian language programs, Ukrainian aid organizations, Russian-language churches, and curated book lists. Programs are delivered free of charge via Zoom webinars and occasional in-person events at partner venues such as The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA). EWC also runs a remote internship program for college and high school students with a minimum commitment of one hour per week for at least one month. The technology stack is entirely commodity: Squarespace-hosted website and Zoom webinar delivery, with no proprietary platform, application, or API.

EWC operates as a nonprofit with no disclosed revenue, pricing, or donor base. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on co-sponsorship relationships with TMORA, Global Minnesota, Macalester College Russian Studies Department, the Committee on Foreign Relations Minnesota, Zerkalo (Russian-speaking media), and other regional organizations to amplify reach. All programs are offered free of charge, and audience growth is driven by newsletter signups, partner cross-promotion, YouTube-archived webinars, and word-of-mouth within the U.S.-Eurasia affinity community in Minnesota.

Name

East-West Connections

Legal name

East-West Connections

Website

https://east-westconnections.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Citizen Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Student Advising & Resource Centers (Wraparound Support) (EDAIAKAJ)

Keywords

• Citizen diplomacy
• Cultural exchange programming
• International relations webinars
• Cross-cultural dialogue events
• Educational diplomacy initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Not explicitly disclosed: East-West Connections is a nonprofit organization focused on citizen diplomacy and cultural exchange. The organization operates free programs and events, suggesting revenue may come from donations, grants, or institutional partnerships rather than product/service sales. No explicit revenue model or funding sources are disclosed on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

East-West Connections is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy organization that hosts free webinars, film screenings, cultural discussions, and educational presentations covering U.S. relations with Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Baltics. It also operates a remote internship program for students and maintains curated resource directories covering trade, study/exchange opportunities, Russian language programs, Russian-language churches, Ukraine aid organizations, and a bibliography on Russian and Eurasian history, literature, and politics.

Product overview

East-West Connections is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy organization that functions as a program and resource platform, not a software technology company. The organization offers EWC Programs featuring webinars and cultural events on international relations, supplemented by resource portals including trade resources, study/exchange programs, Russian language programs, a curated book list, and directories for Russian-language churches and Ukraine aid organizations. The organization also offers internship opportunities for students. The portfolio consists primarily of educational programming and informational resources rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EWC Programs Webinars, cultural events, film discussions, and educational programming covering U.S.-Russia relations, Central Asia diplomacy, Ukrainian affairs, Russian literature and arts, and other U.S.-Eurasia topics. Open to anyone interested and delivered free of charge via Zoom with pre-registration.
• EWC Internships Remote internship opportunities for college and high school students interested in global careers, focusing on research and writing on current policies, business relationships, and technology. Requires at least one hour per week for a minimum of one month.
• Trade Resources Directory Directory of trade-related resources including American Chambers of Commerce across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Baltics, plus U.S. government trade agencies.
• Study/Exchange Programs Directory Compilation of educational exchange opportunities including American Councils, AUCA, EESA, ERLP, KIMEP University, and university exchange programs across Central Asia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTMORA is a key co-sponsor of EWC programs. The museum provides venue access for in-person events and collaborates on webinar programming covering Russian art, culture, and history. EWC and TMORA have co-presented multiple programs including exhibitions-related webinars and cultural heritage discussions.
• Global MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Minnesota partners with EWC on international affairs programming. The organization, which focuses on global understanding and engagement, co-sponsors webinars on diplomacy, soft power, and U.S. foreign policy. Global Minnesota President Mark Ritchie has moderated EWC events.
• Macalester College Russian Studies DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacalester College's Russian Studies Department is a regular co-sponsor of EWC educational programs. Faculty and students benefit from EWC webinar content on Russian history, politics, and culture. The partnership provides academic perspectives to EWC programming.
• Committee on Foreign Relations MinnesotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis policy-focused organization co-sponsors EWC programs that address international relations topics including U.S. diplomatic relations, the war in Ukraine, and regional geopolitical developments.
• Zerkalo, Inc. Russian-Speaking Media of MinnesotamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerZerkalo, a Russian-speaking media organization in Minnesota, co-sponsors EWC programs and helps reach the Russian-speaking community in the region. The partnership supports outreach to immigrant and diaspora audiences.
• Stage Russia HD for Art Seen FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStage Russia provides access to Russian theatrical and cinematic productions for EWC programming. EWC has presented online screenings of Russian plays including Butusov's 'The Seagull' and 'The Government Inspector,' followed by expert panel discussions.
• American Councils for International EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEWC promotes American Councils' Study With Us (SWU) program for students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan seeking U.S. higher education. EWC serves as an informational resource for these exchange opportunities.
• American University of Central Asia (AUCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEWC provides information about AUCA as a destination for study abroad in Kyrgyzstan. Founded in 1993, AUCA develops future leaders for democratic transformation in Central Asia through American-style liberal arts education.
• World Without GenocideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Without Genocide co-sponsored the July 2024 program on the Russian-Ukrainian war, providing expertise on humanitarian and genocide prevention perspectives.
• Russians Against War - MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis Minnesota-based organization co-sponsored the July 2024 program on the Russian-Ukrainian war, bringing perspectives from Russians opposed to the conflict.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA): TMORA is a Minnesota-based museum focused on Russian art and culture that co-presents programming with EWC. While its primary mission is museum exhibitions, its parallel educational programming on Russian and Eurasian culture makes it a partial peer in the cultural diplomacy space.
• World Without Genocide: World Without Genocide is a Minnesota-based nonprofit providing education on genocide prevention and human rights. It has co-sponsored EWC's Russia-Ukraine programs and overlaps as a small Minnesota educational nonprofit tackling international affairs topics.
• Russian-American Chamber of Commerce: The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce facilitates business and trade relationships between the U.S. and Russia/Eurasia. It overlaps with EWC's Trade Resources directory in serving audiences interested in U.S.-Eurasia commerce and cross-border professional connections.
• Macalester College Russian Studies Department: Macalester's Russian Studies Department offers coursework and public programming on Russian language, literature, and culture and co-sponsors EWC events. It is an academic peer producing overlapping educational content for similar audiences in the same Minnesota ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Citizen Diplomacy International: Citizen Diplomacy International promotes person-to-person diplomacy through hosting international visitors and educational programs. It shares EWC's citizen diplomacy model, with a similar grassroots, programming-led operating approach.
• World Affairs Council network (Council on International Relations, Minnesota chapter): The Council on International Relations and the broader World Affairs Council network run speaker programs, briefings, and educational events on international affairs. They overlap with EWC's webinar and citizen-diplomacy programming, especially on Eurasia-related topics, though they operate a broader geographic and topical mandate.
• Eurasia Foundation: Eurasia Foundation runs programs that build cross-border understanding and civic capacity across the post-Soviet space. It is a direct functional peer to EWC in delivering U.S.-Eurasia people-to-people exchange, with a larger institutional footprint and grant-funded operations.
• American Councils for International Education: American Councils runs study abroad, exchange, and training programs across Eurasia and is already an EWC information partner. It shares EWC's target audience of students and professionals seeking U.S.-Eurasia educational pathways, with much larger operational scale.
• Global Minnesota: Global Minnesota is a nonprofit that promotes international understanding and global engagement through programming, events, and exchanges. It directly overlaps with EWC on U.S.-Eurasia webinars, diplomacy programming, and Minnesota-based cultural diplomacy, and is also an active EWC co-sponsoring partner.

Broad incumbents

• International Visitors Leadership Program (U.S. Department of State): The U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program is the federal government's flagship citizen diplomacy initiative connecting emerging foreign leaders with American counterparts. It represents the institutional, well-funded counterpart to EWC's grassroots citizen diplomacy model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLbLkJfDPVOk3K_6xN5K5n2QeF0E0D0D
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-west-connections

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East-West Connections