Established in 1967, the International Affairs Fellowship (IAF) is the hallmark fellowship program of CFR. It aims to bridge the gap between the study and making of U.S. foreign policy by creating the next generation of scholar-practitioners. The program offers its fellows the unique chance to experience a new field and gain a different perspective at a pivotal moment in their careers. Academics are thus placed in public service and policy-oriented settings, while government officials are placed in scholarly settings. Over the years, the IAF program has produced approximately six hundred alumni that span the who’s who of the U.S. foreign policy community, including a former secretary and several undersecretaries of state, U.S. ambassadors to NATO and the United Nations, and many other influential leaders in government, academia, and the private sector.
Deadline: Oct. 31, 2024
- Applicants must be US citizens.
- Applicants must be mid-career professionals.
- Applicants must have a strong record of professional achievement and a firm grounding in the field of foreign policy.
- Applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
A PhD is not required for university-based applicants, though successful candidates from academia typically hold an advanced degree. The program does not fund pre- or postdoctoral research, work toward a degree, or the completion of projects on which substantial progress has been made before the fellowship begins. For candidates from academia and the private sector looking to go into government, preference is given to candidates with no significant work experience in the U.S. government or at an international organization.