The Donald Payne International Development Fellowship Program is now accepting applications for the 2019 Fellowship for Graduate Studies. The application deadline is December 21, 2018.
The Payne Fellowship, administered by Howard University, seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Candidates must be graduating seniors or college graduates with strong academic records and a desire to promote positive change in the world. Applicants with any undergraduate major are welcome to apply. Selected fellows will receive support for graduate school and will have a unique pathway to the USAID Foreign Service.
Program Benefits
- An orientation to the Program and the Foreign Service at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in May
- Two summer internships, one working on international issues in D.C. in summer 2019 and one overseas at a USAID Mission in summer 2020
- Up to $22,000 annually toward tuition and mandatory fees for a two-year master’s degree at a U.S. institution
- $16,000 stipend for each academic year for room, board, books, and other education-related expenses
- $10,000 per year for stipend, housing, transportation and related expenses for summer internships
- Mentoring throughout the duration of the fellowship and during early employment at USAID
- Employment in USAID Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program and meet Foreign Service entry requirements, in accordance with applicable law and USAID policy, with each Payne Fellow committing to a minimum of five years of service.
Eligibility requirements
- U.S. citizenship
- Seeking admission to graduate school in fall 2019 for a two-year program in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service at a U.S.-based institution
- Cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application
Learn more about the Payne Fellowship on their website.
About USAID Foreign Service
USAID Foreign Service Officers work on the front lines of some of the most pressing global challenges of our times, including poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, environmental degradation, climate change, conflict and violent extremism. They are part of a corps of officers who have worked for more than fifty years to make lasting improvements to the lives of millions of people around the globe. USAID Foreign Service Officers are stationed in Washington and in more than 75 countries in five regions worldwide – Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Eurasia, Asia, and the Middle East. They work alongside colleagues from other U.S. government agencies to achieve our country’s foreign policy objectives in democracy and governance, economic growth and trade, peace and security, education and health, conflict mitigation and humanitarian response.
