The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) provides travel awards through the Occasional Lecturer Fund, which enable Fulbright Visiting Scholars who are currently in the U.S. to accept guest lecturing invitations at colleges and universities. Occasional Lecturer Fund are granted at three different levels ($250, $500 and $750), which CIES determines based on travel distance involved.

Faculty and professional staff of U.S. colleges and universities can identify scholars to invite to their campuses for Occasional Lecturer Fund visits by consulting the Directory of Fulbright Visiting Scholars, which lists all visiting scholars in the United States for the current academic year. Institutions may contact scholars directly via the faculty associates and departments provided or they can also contact CIES staff to obtain scholars' telephone numbers or e-mail addresses.

Occasional Lecturer Awards are provided directly to scholars who apply for and receive an Occasional Lecturer Fund Travel Award. To apply for an award, the Visiting Scholar must submit to CIES at least one month before the visit is to take place a formal letter of invitation from an institution, in which the institution indicates the dates of the Occasional Lecturer Fund visit and the lecture topic. Within four weeks of receiving the application, CIES will inform the scholar whether or not the Occasional Lecturer Fund Travel Award has been approved. The scholar is responsible for purchasing an airline ticket or arranging some other means of transportation, such as a train, bus or rental car. The Fulbrighter will then receive the award after the Occasional Lecturer Fund visit.

Due to limited funding, each scholar is eligible for only one trip. However, scholars may apply for multiple Occasional Lecturer Fund visits as long as those involve visits to minority serving colleges and universities through the Occasional Lecturer Fund, as additional funds are available to scholars visiting such institutions.

Institutions wishing to invite a Fulbright Scholar for an Occasional Lecturer Fund visit should develop a comprehensive plan of activities and arrangements to share with the scholar well in advance of the proposed visit. Host institutions are asked to provide Occasional Lecturers with local transportation, accommodations and meals.

It is important to inform the scholar, prior to arrival, about the support the host institution or organization will provide. Institutions should also provide the scholar with a formal letter of invitation as early as possible. The scholar will need this letter to formally apply for an Occasional Lecturer Fund Travel Award from CIES. If an institution wishes to offer a scholar an honorarium for the guest lecture, the scholar must request a letter of approval from CIES ahead of time in order to do so.

The length of the lecturer's stay at the institution will depend upon the particular interests of the academic community or organization and the facilities available. The period, however, should allow an opportunity for the scholar to become acquainted with the host institution. A program of two to three days is suggested; a longer period may be advisable if visits to several institutions are planned.