American India Foundation (AIF) Banyan Impact Fellowship

The Banyan Impact Fellowship (BIF), formerly known as the William J. Clinton Fellowship, is an immersive bi-national volunteer service program with immense strategic importance in the US-India corridor. Through its emphasis on a service-leadership model, BIF places young professionals from the US and India with communities and organizations across the two countries for mutual learning, capacity building, and leadership development–all towards the greater aim of driving social change.

Fellows work on projects closely linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and drive impact through service and fieldwork across diverse thematic areas, such as education, public health, livelihoods, social inclusion, climate change mitigation, LGBTQ+ rights, gender, arts, sports, CSR, and many others.

The Fellowship recruits consist of young professionals from India and the US, between the ages of 21 and 35, with remarkably diverse professional and personal backgrounds, who bring a passion for community-based development.

AIF selects, trains, and places these individuals directly with partnering implementation organizations across India. Fellows will contribute their efforts and skills to developing ongoing initiatives and strategizing new projects for their host organizations.

Eligibility for the India Track

• Be a US Citizen, US Permanent Resident, or Indian Citizen
• Be a young professional between the age of 21-35 by the program start of October 1
• Have completed at least a Bachelor’s or other undergraduate degree before the program starts on October 1
• Be willing and able to serve on the ground in India for the full duration of the program
• Be willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the start of the program
• Bring both skills and experience, as well as an eagerness to learn with host communities on the ground
• Willing to learn a local language if required for the project
• Be committed to enriching learning opportunities for the fellowship community and positively contribute to building U.S.-India bridges of understanding and partnership during their time of service and after