Sponsors are designated by the U.S. Department of State to conduct exchange visitor programs. There are approximately 1,450 private sector, academic, and federal, state, and local government entities currently designated as sponsors who conduct 15 categories of exchange programs. This includes the seven categories which are eligible to participate in the STEM Initiative: College and University Student (Student Intern and Academic Training), Intern, Trainee, Specialist, Short term Scholar, Professor or Research Scholar. Only Department-designated sponsors are authorized to issue the Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status (Form DS-2019), which is the document that permits a J-1 exchange visitor visa application. The Form DS-2019 identifies the exchange visitor, their sponsor, and provides a brief description of their exchange program, including the program start and end dates and exchange program category. On the BridgeUSA website, you can see a list of sponsors that have expressed interest in collaborating with STEM host organizations in the STEM Initiative, as well as a full list of Department-designated sponsors.