The Payne Fellowship is seeking outstanding Fellows for the 2023 Cohort. These individuals will train for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Officer (FSO) positions. USAID FSO’s work on the front lines of some of the most pressing global challenges of our times, including injustice, climate change, health, conflict, and poverty.
This graduate fellowship, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, is sponsored by USAID and administered by Howard University. Payne Fellows are selected through a rigorous nationwide competition every year.
The Payne Fellowship encourages the application of members of historically underrepresented groups in international development careers and those with financial need.
Program Benefits
• Support for graduate studies of up to $104k over 2 years.
• Employment in the USAID Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program and meet Foreign Service entry requirements, in accordance with applicable laws and USAID policy, with each Fellow committing to a minimum of five years of service.
• Mentoring from a USAID Foreign Service Officer.
Eligibility Requirements
• U.S. citizenship.
• Seeking admission to a two-year graduate school program at a U.S. university in the Fall of 2023
• Applicants may be college graduates with years of professional experience.
• Cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
The United States Agency For International Development (USAID) has approved a major expansion to its flagship initiative for recruiting Foreign Service Officers from diverse and underrepresented groups. Expansion of the Agency’s Payne Fellowship Program, has resulted in a doubling of the number of Fellows recruited annually from 15 to 30. Find application tips and apply by Friday, November 4, 2022 at https://apply.paynefellows.org/.
