In the UK, a programme is usually a set of plans to develop or improve something. If this is arranged by the government, British speakers might call it a scheme: the government's new grant scheme. In the US, program can have the same general meaning, but it is also often used to refer to a group of related services or projects organized by a government or a non-governmental organization: the Food Stamp Program. In the US, program can also mean a plan of activities organized by an educational institution: the Asian Studies program. When an American speaker says scheme, they usually mean a plan to do something bad or illegal.