NED Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program 2018/2019 (Fully Funded to Spend Five Months in Washington DC, USA)

Application Deadline: October 15, 2017.  

The Reagan-Fascell Program is now accepting fellowship applications for Fall 2018 (October 1, 2018-February 28, 2019) and Spring 2019 (March 1-July 31, 2019).

Named in honor of NED’s principal founders, former president Ronald Reagan and the late congressman Dante Fascell (D-Fl.), the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is a federally funded, international exchange program that offers practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world the opportunity to spend five months in residence at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), in Washington, D.C., in order to undertake independent research on democracy in a particular country or region.

Located within NED’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, the program provides a rich intellectual setting for educational exchange and professional development. While in residence, fellows reflect on their experiences; engage with counterparts; conduct research and writing; consider best practices and lessons learned; and develop professional relationships within a global network of democracy advocates.

The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program offers five-month fellowships to practitioners to focus on strategies and best practices for developing democracy in their country of interest; and to scholars to conduct original research for publication. Projects may address the economic, political, social, legal, or cultural aspects of democratic development and include a range of methodologies and approaches.

While the two tracks share many common elements, they have different eligibility requirements and distinct goals, activities, and products associated with them.

Eligibility Requirements:

Practitioners:

• Activists, human rights advocates, lawyers, journalists, and other civil society professionals from developing and aspiring democracies throughout the world with substantial experience working to promote democracy or human rights

Scholars:

• Professors, researchers, journalists, and other writers from developing and aspiring democracies
• Distinguished scholars from the United States or other established democracies
• Academics must be in possession of a doctorate (Ph.D. or equivalent) at the time of application
• Scholarly applicants must have a proven record of publications
•  Western scholars should select “Theoretical, Comparative, General” as their “Area of Interest” in Step 2 of the application.

All Applicants:

• Citizens of any country may apply
• Proficiency in the English language
• Topics focusing on the political, social, economic, legal, or cultural aspects of democratic development
• Availability for a full-time, residential fellowship at the International Forum for Democratic Studies in Fall 2018 (October 1, 2018–February 28, 2019) and/or Spring 2019 (March 1–July 31, 2019)

INELIGIBILE TO APPLY:

• Students seeking scholarships, or other types of financial aid, to defray the cost of their education
• Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral scholars seeking funding to pursue doctoral or postdoctoral research
• Professionals seeking financial assistance to pay for trainings, attend conferences, or pursue internships
• Individuals without proficiency in the English language
• Applicants whose projects fail to draw a connection to democracy and human rights
• Candidates unavailable for a fellowship in Fall 2018 (October 1, 2018–February 28, 2019) or Spring 2019 (March 1–July 31, 2019)

Residency Requirements:

• Fellows are expected to be in residence at the International Forum for Democratic Studies and work full-time on their fellowship projects. Fellows may not hold any other fellowships, or be otherwise employed during the fellowship period without the express permission of program staff.
• Additional fellowships or work opportunities that coincide with the fellowship period must be brought to the attention of program staff. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of the fellowship.
• Given their full-time residential character, Reagan-Fascell fellowships are not designed to support extensive fieldwork outside the Washington, D.C., area.
• The program recognizes the importance of establishing ties with counterparts elsewhere in the United States and abroad and understands that professional obligations may sometimes necessitate domestic or international travel.
• Limited funds may be available to support fellows’ professional travel within the United States. At the same time, fellows are expected to be in residence at the Forum for the bulk of the fellowship period, in order to take full advantage of the professional resources available at the Endowment and in the nation’s capital.

Benefits:

Financial Support and Office Services

• Each fellow receives a monthly stipend for living expenses, plus basic health insurance and roundtrip travel to and from Washington, D.C., at the beginning and end of the fellowship period. Fellowship payments are calculated to cover cost of a short-term, furnished rental aprtment, plus “cost of living” for food, local transportation, and other necessities.
• Fellows are provided with a fully equipped office, including Internet access and a NED email account, plus a limited budget for long-distance phone calls and professional travel within the United States.

Cost of Living and Dependents

• Applicants should bear in mind that the cost of living (housing, furniture, food, and other essential living expenses) in the Washington metropolitan area is very high and that fellowship stipends are not calculated to cover a family’s financial needs.
• Fellows who wish to bring family members with them to Washington, D.C., will be expected to cover the costs of their dependents’ roundtrip travel and stay within the United States. The program does not ordinarily cover costs associated with dependents’ health insurance or roundtrip travel to the United States.
• Please note that all dependents traveling to the Unites States on a J-2 dependent visa will be required to have basic health insurance coverage for the full period of their stay.

Research Associates

• Fellows receive research support through the Reagan-Fascell Research Associates Program. Research Associates (RAs) play a vital role in helping fellows realize their fellowship objectives by collaborating with them on their fellowship projects and engaging them in ongoing discussions about their work.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the NED Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program 2018/2019