Are you at least 18 years old and looking for a new adventure? These fellowships are for motivated young adults looking for new and exciting experiences around the world. This list includes opportunities in over 75 countries in disciplines that include everything from the arts, government, health, technology, and businesses. If one of these opportunities sounds exciting to you, make sure to bookmark it to your ProFellow account!
AmeriCorps VISTA Program
AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. The AmeriCorps VISTA program provides a living allowance that enables you to live very frugally, like the community you are serving. In successfully completing your year of service, you’re eligible to receive either the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award or the end-of-service cash stipend. AmeriCorps VISTA is open to all U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent resident aliens age 18 and older.
Artist Trust Fellowship
Artist Trust Fellowships are designed to recognize artistic achievement, dedication to an artistic discipline and potential for further professional development. 8 grants at $10,000 each will be awarded in: Music, Media, Literary and Craft disciplines are awarded in even-numbered years and Emerging Fields & Cross-Disciplinary, Performing, Visual and Traditional & Folk Arts in odd-numbered years. Applicants must be a practicing artist, age 18 or older by the application deadline date, a generative artist, and a resident of Washington State at the time of application and when the award is granted.
BRAC Social Innovation Fellowship
BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, is looking for the next big innovator to join their tribe by applying for BRAC Social Innovation Fellowship. The fellowship will support a young person (age 18-35) to complete a design thinking journey with BRAC, from problem framing to ideation and testing the solution on the ground. Fellows will have access to BRAC resources including a network of mentors that will help them throughout the 1-year fellowship. Fellows will be provided with office space, a monthly stipend, and a round-trip ticket from their home country to the country of deployment. Applicants from around the world are invited to apply.
Carter Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Innovation
The Carter Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Innovation, made possible through the vision and generosity of philanthropists Letitia and the late John Carter, is designed to stimulate solutions to Rhode Island challenges. Fellows will receive up to $200,000 over four years to test and implement innovative ideas that could dramatically improve an area of life in Rhode Island. Rhode Islanders age 18 or older are eligible to apply. Recipients must commit to staying in Rhode Island for the four-year duration of the Fellowship.
City Year Corps
City Year Americorps Members are as diverse a group as the communities they serve. We’re looking for individuals to commit to one year of service to work alongside teachers and their peers to support the students who need that extra attention, to work on a diverse team, and who are ready to make a difference through a challenging and fulfilling experience. City Year Corps members are focused on helping students stay in school and on track to graduate. To participate, you must have a high school diploma, GED, some college, or a college degree; be able to dedicate 11 months to full-time service; be between age 18 and 25; and be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident alien. City Year operates in 24 locations in the U.S. Multiple deadlines.
Confucius Institute Scholarships
The Confucius Institute Scholarship program was established by Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters in order to encourage students and Chinese language teachers all over the world to study Chinese or conduct research regarding Chinese language and culture in China. Scholarships are offered for a Master’s Degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL), and one academic year or one academic semester study in China. Open to non-Chinese citizens age 18-35 (MTCSOL applicants age 18-45). Language requirements apply. Provides full tuition and a monthly stipend.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)
A full-year, reciprocal work-study fellowship providing 75 Americans, age 18-24, with an understanding of everyday life, education, & professional training in Germany. Includes RT transatlantic flight, university tuition, language training, living stipend, & program-related travel costs in Germany: 2 months language training in Germany, 4 months of study at a German university, and a 5-month internship in a German-speaking work environment. Also Accommodation in a German home/student residence, seminars, in-country support during program & health & accident insurance.
Fund II Roots & Shoots National Fellowship
The Fund II Roots & Shoots National Fellowship has been designed to provide an opportunity for young people of color to complete community-focused projects that help foster respect and compassion for all living beings, promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and inspire individuals to take action to make the world a better place for people, other animals, and the environment. The program welcomes part-time or full-time undergraduate, graduate, or gap year students age 18-24. Fellows will be mentored throughout the 10-month term as they develop professional skills and receive a stipend of $3,000 to support their project.
Future Leaders in Action (FLIA) Fellowships
For up to 13 weeks over the summer, Future Leaders in Action (“FLIA”) places fellows, emerging social sector leaders in youth-oriented nonprofit organizations to develop or implement enrichment programs which cultivate their leadership skills. Fellows work full-time, on-site with a partner on an enrichment program that focuses on one of the following areas: advancing skills for success, promoting public health and protecting the environment. There are fellowships available in New York, Portland and Iowa, and past partners have included Boys & Girls Clubs, the Fiver Children’s Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and other health-related organizations.
George Mitchell Scholarship
Up to 12 Mitchell Scholars between age 18 and 30 are chosen annually for one year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Applicants are judged on three criteria: scholarship, leadership, and a sustained commitment to community and public service. The Mitchell Scholars Program provides tuition, accommodations, a living expenses stipend, and an international travel stipend. An applicant who is a full-time or part-time undergraduate student at the time of application must submit an institutional endorsement. Graduate students and former students do not need an institutional endorsement and none should be submitted.
Head Held High (HHH) Fellowship
The HHH Fellowship program provides the rural, corporate and international youth an opportunity to become certified trainers and transform the illiterate rural youth of India into capable workers. The program trains committed volunteers for 2 months before deploying them to the organization’s partner centers for a duration of 8 months. During this time, the fellow’s primary responsibility is to deliver the HHH Transformative Program to the rural youth through teaching and other projects. The program is open to Indian nationals, young professionals and international applicants age 18-30.
Laureate Global Fellowship
The Laureate Global Fellowship is a pioneering youth social entrepreneurship program working to redefine how young people lead change. Young founders and co-founders (between age 18 to 29) of social ventures are invited to apply to a yearlong program of coaching and leadership training. The leadership development courses are done virtually and in-person to help fellows as they develop their ideas and implement them. After the fellowship year, fellows will still enjoy access to the program’s resources and network as they continue their work. Applicants from any nation are invited to apply, but fluency in English is required.
Marcus Harris Poetry Fellowship
The Marcus Harris Foundation is pleased to announce the launching of the Marcus Harris Poetry Fellowship. Established by internationally renowned poet and philanthropist Marcus Harris, the fellowship is designed to encourage young poets to pursue further writing and publishing efforts. One (1) $500 fellowship will be awarded based on the quality of the applicant’s writing sample. Applicants must be between age 18 and 30 and include 10 typed self-standing poems highlighting at least 3 different topics (e.g. politics, love, current events, etc.). Previously published poems may be submitted.
Peace Corps
Peace Corps Volunteers work abroad for a period of 24 months after 3 months of training. Volunteers work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and entrepreneurs in education, hunger, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment. Peace Corps Volunteers serve in 75 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, South America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East. PCVs receive a living allowance, free travel and transition reward after completing 27 months of service. Peace Corps is open to U.S. citizens age 18 and older who are curious about the world and committed to helping others. Check the website for deadlines by opportunity.
Peace Corps Response Program
Peace Corps Response provides opportunities for qualified individuals to undertake short-term, high-impact assignments in programs around the world. To be eligible for service applicants must be age 18 or older and a U.S. citizen. In addition, Peace Corps Response requires that all applicants meet one of the following eligibility requirements below: Have significant professional experience; a doctor or nurse applying to Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP); or a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. View current opportunities or search on specific criteria to find opportunities that match your interests.
Rolex Awards for Enterprise
If you are between ages 18 and 30 years old with a vision and a ground-breaking proposal that will help to expand your knowledge of our world and improve the quality of life on the planet, apply for a Rolex Award. Five inspiring Young Leaders will receive 100,000 francs each, double the previous amount offered to winners in this age group. They will also benefit from worldwide publicity and receive a Rolex chronometer. Applications must be broadly in the areas of the environment, applied science, and technology, or exploration. In addition to demonstrating a spirit of enterprise and leadership, candidates must put forward projects or work plans that have a clear purpose, are original, and have the potential for significant impact.
Open Society Foundations Soros Justice Fellowships
The Soros Justice Fellowships support outstanding individuals—including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, writers, print and broadcast journalists, artists, filmmakers, and other individuals with distinctive voices—to undertake full-time projects that engage and inform, spur debate and conversation, change policy or practice, and catalyze change around the U.S. criminal legal system at the local, state, and national levels. Fellowships can be either 12 or 18 months in duration and may be undertaken with the support of a host organization
Still-Legal! Climate Grant
Still-Legal! is offering grants for individuals between the age of 13 and 30 who have a clear vision for impacting climate and environmental justice, support for science, and a free press. Leading on climate action is the focus of Still-Legal! Climate Grants. Applicants may request from $500 to $3,000 in affiliation with a 501(c)3 organization, based in New England or New York. Grants underwrite activities that have a positive impact on the fellow’s community – such as carbon footprint reduction, community action, artistic and dramatic productions, organizing, training, and outreach.
Thiel Fellowship
The Thiel Fellowship is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. The Fellowship brings together some of the world’s most creative and motivated young people (under age 22) and helps them bring their most ambitious ideas and projects to life. Thiel Fellows are given a no-strings-attached grant of $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work, their research, and their self-education. They are mentored by our network of visionary thinkers, investors, scientists, and entrepreneurs, who provide guidance and business connections that can’t be replicated in any classroom. Rather than just studying, you’re doing.
Winston Churchill Fellowships for Australian Citizens
Churchill Fellowships will be awarded for the purpose of pursuing a 4-8 week overseas investigative project of a kind that is not readily available in Australia. It also aims to reward proven achievement of talented and deserving Australians with further opportunity in their pursuit of excellence for the enrichment of Australian society. No prescribed qualifications are required in order to apply for a Churchill Fellowship. Applicants must be Australian Citizens and age 18 or older. The value of every Fellowship is based on the number of countries visited, the duration of the approved Fellowship and estimated airfare.
Winston Churchill Fellowships for UK Citizens
The fellowship funds 4-8 weeks of overseas travel in order to learn from others and bring back knowledge and best practice for the benefit of others in UK professions and communities. Every year we invite applications in 10 different areas of research, or categories. Applicants must be a British Citizen and have a British passport when you apply, resident in the UK, and age 18 or older. Each grant is individually calculated and depends on the project, the destination(s) and the duration of travel. Most Fellows visit more than one country, which we encourage, but we prefer continents to be limited to a maximum of two.
Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Center Fellowships
Launched by U.S. President Barack Obama, the YALI Regional Leadership Centers in Africa provide high-quality training, mentoring, and networking support to exceptional young African leaders between age 18 and 35. Four Regional Leadership Centers in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa. Selected cohorts of participants engage in innovative leadership training across three tracks of study: (1) Business and Entrepreneurship, (2) Civic Leadership, and (3) Public Management. The program covers the cost of travel, housing and meals, and the customized academic and leadership course. Deadlines vary by Center, check the website.
YSEALI Academic Fellows
The YSEALI Academic Fellows Program brings students between age 18 and 25 to the United States for a 5-week institute held on the campus of a U.S. college or university. Academic institutes cover the following YSEALI themes: civic engagement, environment, and natural resource management, and entrepreneurship and economic development. Fellowships include an academic residency, leadership development, an educational study tour, local community service, and opportunities to engage with American peers. Young leaders from all 10 ASEAN countries that are current students or recently graduated are welcome to apply. Deadlines vary by country.
© Vicki Johnson 2019, all rights reserved