Laspau
Laspau was a Harvard-affiliated nonprofit that administered the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere and university capacity-building initiatives for Latin American and Caribbean individuals and institutions until ceasing operations in September 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersSanta Ana, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Laspau does
Laspau was a nonprofit organization founded by Harvard University in 1964 to expand access to higher education opportunities for people from Latin America and the Caribbean. Over its 59-year operating history, the organization administered scholarship programs—most notably the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere on behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs—and guided candidates through graduate studies abroad at more than 200 U.S. universities. It later expanded into university capacity building through its University Innovation program, launched in 2007, which focused on faculty development and innovation in teaching and learning across more than 44 countries. The organization also operated PAEP Testing Services, an English-language assessment offering discontinued in February 2023.
Laspau's business model was grant-funded: revenue derived from government and foundation grants to administer scholarship programs and implement university capacity-building initiatives, with services provided at no cost to beneficiaries. The organization maintained direct institutional partnerships with the U.S. Department of State, the Organization of American States, and the governments of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, alongside informal placement relationships with 200+ U.S. universities. At the time of closure, Laspau had served more than 30,000 individuals at more than 1,500 institutions throughout the Americas and had implemented 240 national and regional scholarship programs.
Laspau ceased all program services on September 30, 2023, after the Board of Trustees concluded the organization could not sustain its service model without Harvard affiliate status. Harvard University formally disaffiliated Laspau effective October 1, 2023, citing mission misalignment. Active Fulbright participants were transitioned to the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Laspau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Laspau
- Legal name
- Laspau
- Website
- https://laspau.harvard.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Laspau was a Harvard-affiliated nonprofit that administered the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere and university capacity-building initiatives for Latin American and Caribbean individuals and institutions until ceasing operations in September 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Laspau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Government-Sponsored Scholarships & Exchange Funding (EDAIAOAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Erasmus+ and Government-Sponsored Exchange Partnerships (EDAIABAJ), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)
Keywords
Where Laspau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Ana
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Laspau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Foundation and Government Grants: Laspau received funding from governments, universities, and foundations to administer scholarship programs and implement university capacity building initiatives across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Laspau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Laspau was a nonprofit organization that administered national and regional scholarship programs (including the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere) for individuals from Latin America and the Caribbean, and delivered University Innovation programs that strengthened higher education through faculty development and innovation in teaching and learning. Programs were funded by governments, universities, and foundations and administered in partnership with entities such as the U.S. Department of State, the Organization of American States, and various Latin American governments.
Product overview
Laspau was a nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University that offered scholarship administration services and university innovation programs. The organization administered Fulbright and other national/regional scholarship programs for Latin American and Caribbean students, faculty, and academic leaders, while also providing university capacity building through innovation in teaching and learning. Laspau ceased all operations on September 30, 2023.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scholarship Programs
- University Innovation Programs
- PAEP Testing Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 30,000+ individuals supported over 59 years
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Laspau
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Laspau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Laspau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Harvard UniversitycoreHarvard University founded Laspau in 1964 as an affiliate nonprofit organization. Harvard recently decided Laspau should operate independently because the missions of the two organizations were no longer aligned. Laspau was disaffiliated from Harvard effective October 1, 2023.
- Institute of International Education (IIE)coreLaspau worked with IIE to transition Fulbright participants who started their programs in 2021, 2022, and 2023 to have their programs administered by IIE.
- U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Educational and Cultural AffairscoreLaspau administered the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere in collaboration with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
- Organization of American StatesmajorImplemented regional scholarship programs in collaboration with the Organization of American States.
- Government of BrazilmajorImplemented decades-long national scholarship programs in collaboration with the Government of Brazil.
- Government of ColombiamajorImplemented decades-long national scholarship programs in collaboration with the Government of Colombia.
- Government of VenezuelamajorImplemented decades-long national scholarship programs in collaboration with the Government of Venezuela.
- Government of PerumajorImplemented decades-long national scholarship programs in collaboration with the Government of Peru.
- Santander BankmajorLaspau received the Pioneer Award for Public/Private Partnership in September 2022 in recognition of excellence in innovative collaborative educational programs, in partnership with Santander Bank's scholarships programs focused on faculty development.
- SprintaxminorSprintax provides tax-related services to former Laspau-administered Fulbright grantees with questions related to taxes.
- 200+ U.S. UniversitiesmajorAn informal network of more than 200 leading U.S. universities that admitted Laspau grantees and provided generous financial aid awards, enabling savings of over $100 million in tuition costs for Latin American and Caribbean partners.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Laspau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- World Learning: World Learning operates the Fulbright Distinguished Awards for Teachers and other State Department exchange programs, and runs The Experiment in International Living study abroad programs — a comparable exchange and scholarship administration model.
- IREX: IREX designs and administers large-scale international scholarship and higher education capacity-building programs funded by USAID, State Department, and foundations, closely mirroring Laspau's grant-funded model.
- American Councils for International Education: American Councils administers U.S. State Department-funded exchange and scholarship programs (including Fulbright in some regions) and places students at U.S. universities, directly overlapping with Laspau's core Fulbright-Western Hemisphere function.
- CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE administers study abroad, scholarships, and exchange programs with strong ties to U.S. universities and government partners, serving a similar mission of expanding international academic mobility for students and faculty.
- Institute of International Education (IIE): IIE is the most direct peer: it administers Fulbright and other government-sponsored scholarship and exchange programs globally, and was explicitly designated by the U.S. Department of State to take over Laspau-administered Fulbright cohorts upon Laspau's closure.
Regional players
- DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): DAAD is a government-sponsored scholarship and exchange administrator analogous to Laspau but funded by Germany; it represents the same model in a different geography.
- British Council: British Council administers UK government scholarship and exchange programs (e.g., Chevening) and provides international education services, a comparable model operating in a different geography.
Others
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is the professional association for international educators and exchange professionals; it convenes the same stakeholder community and policy environment in which Laspau operated.
- Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: Mastercard Foundation funds large-scale scholarship programs for African students at U.S. and global universities, sharing Laspau's PPP model of corporate funding + university placement + government engagement.
- EducationUSA: EducationUSA is the U.S. Department of State network that advises foreign students on U.S. higher education; it sits upstream of Laspau's placement function and shares the same government ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Laspau social profiles
Digital presenceLaspau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Laspau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Laspau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Laspau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Laspau
What does Laspau do?
Laspau was a nonprofit organization that administered national and regional scholarship programs (including the Fulbright Program for the Western Hemisphere) for individuals from Latin America and the Caribbean, and delivered University Innovation programs that strengthened higher education through faculty development and innovation in teaching and learning. Programs were funded by governments, universities, and foundations and administered in partnership with entities such as the U.S. Department of State, the Organization of American States, and various Latin American governments.
Is Laspau a public or private company?
Laspau is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Laspau founded?
Laspau was founded in 1964. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Laspau based?
Laspau is headquartered in Santa Ana, United States, in the North America region.
How does Laspau make money?
One revenue line is on record: foundation and Government Grants.
Who are Laspau's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are World Learning, IREX, American Councils for International Education, CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) and Institute of International Education (IIE). Regional players are DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and British Council. Others are NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and EducationUSA.
Does Laspau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Laspau.
What industry is Laspau in?
Laspau's product category is Higher Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAOAF, Government-Sponsored Scholarships & Exchange Funding, with a secondary code of EDAIABAJ, Erasmus+ and Government-Sponsored Exchange Partnerships. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.