PiA - Princeton in Asia

PiA fosters mutual appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the United States and Asia through immersive work fellowships in host organizations and communities. 

Founded in 1898, Princeton in Asia (PiA) has been building bridges between the U.S. and Asia for over a century. PiA’s original mission is as meaningful and urgent today as it was 122 years ago. The need to educate Americans about Asia and to help Asian communities better understand the United States has never been higher.

In 2019, PiA sponsored over 150 fellowships and internships in 20 countries and regions and is the oldest and largest organization of its kind, unique in its scope, size, century-long expertise and emphasis on service. The essence of PiA is to provide transformative, service-oriented experiences for bright, talented graduates and to serve the needs of Asia as determined by our host institutions and Asian partners. PiA arranges fellowships and internships with Asian host organizations that contribute to important global issues at the local level: education, public health, environmental sustainability, access to information/media, economic development and social justice. Fellowships are the means of fostering person-to-person diplomacy, enhancing mutual understanding, contributing to communities with unmet needs and providing transformative experiences for fellows and host communities.

PiA is supported by a notably engaged Board of Trustees, nearly eighty host organizations in Asia and an active base of alumni and friends numbering over 4,000. PiA is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Princeton University. With a staff of seven professionals and an annual operating budget of $1,000,000, PiA is one of the lowest-cost, highest-impact platforms for linking cultures and endowing generations of future leaders with transformative experiences and knowledge of Asia.