Eligibility
Fellowships are for self-designed, independent study only. Candidates must be under 36 years of age. While U.S. citizenship is not a requirement, candidates must show that a proposed fellowship holds promise to enrich public life in the United States by enhancing the understanding of foreign countries, cultures, and trends.
The fellowships are primarily writing grants. While the Institute has funded and will continue to fund artists, performers, and others who find various ways to participate in the societies they study, the fruits of the fellows' learning are communicated principally through monthly newsletters. Fellows should be prepared to share their experience with a general, well-educated audience, and not only with specialists in their field. Fellows work closely with the executive director, who serves as writing coach, editor, and mentor.
Fellowships are not scholarships and are not awarded to support work toward academic degrees or for research projects or the writing of books. Applicants must have a good command of written and spoken English and must have completed the current phase of their formal education.
While many fellows go on to pursue political or social causes at home and abroad, the purpose of a fellowship is to learn about other societies, not to change them. Fellows are not permitted to engage in overtly political activities during their fellowship.
The Institute does not accept any government funds. Fellows must preserve that independence, in letter and in spirit.
