Institute of Current World Affairs Fellowship

The Institute of Current World Affairs advances American understanding of international cultures and affairs by sending outstanding young professionals abroad on two-year independent writing fellowships to study countries, regions and globally important issues. Our alumni have become some of this country’s leading journalists, scholars, diplomats, activists and businesspeople.

Award

The ICWA fellowship program aims to nurture deep expertise in foreign countries and cultures by supporting a fellow who carries out a program of self-designed, independent study abroad for a minimum of two years. This is a writing fellowship. Fellows are required to produce monthly dispatches made available on our website and email to institute supporters and other interested parties, including family, friends and professional associates of the fellows.

ICWA fellowships are not scholarships. They do not support degree programs at universities, the writing of books or research projects aimed at answering specific questions in a particular academic discipline. Students completing post-graduate education are welcome to apply, provided that they will be finished with their degrees and able to begin their fellowships within six months of their selection.

Eligibility

• Candidates must be under 36 years of age at the time of the due date for the initial letter of interest.
• US citizenship is not a requirement but candidates must show strong and credible ties to US society.
• Applicants must have excellent written and spoken English-language skills and must have completed the current phase of their formal education. (We do not accept applications from currently enrolled undergraduate students.)
• We expect candidates to have the necessary language skills to allow to them to carry out their proposed projects. That means enough language proficiency for them to be able to function in the local language within a few months of arriving in country.