Fellowships

The Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) Fellowship Program offers unique opportunities for mid-career professionals focusing on international relations. The program affords fellows the opportunity to broaden their perspective of foreign affairs and to pursue proposed research, with a placement at either CFR or another institution in New York City or Washington, DC.

Fellows are recruited year-round. The duration of each fellowship is generally twelve months. The program awards a stipend, which varies with each fellowship. Fellows are considered independent contractors rather than employees of CFR. More information on each fellowship is listed below.

International Affairs Fellowship

Launched in 1967, the International Affairs Fellowship (IAF) is a distinguished program offered by CFR to assist mid-career scholars and professionals in advancing their analytic capabilities and broadening their foreign policy experience. The program aims to strengthen career development by helping outstanding individuals acquire and apply foreign policy skills beyond the scope of their professional and scholarly achievements. CFR awards approximately ten fellowships annually to highly accomplished individuals who have a capacity for independent work and who are eager to undertake serious foreign policy analysis. The IAF Program is only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty-five who are eligible to work in the United States.

International Affairs Fellowship in Nuclear Security, sponsored by the Stanton Foundation

The International Affairs Fellowship in Nuclear Security (IAF-NS), sponsored by the Stanton Foundation, offers university-based scholars valuable hands-on experience in the nuclear security policymaking field and places selected fellows in U.S. government positions or international organizations for a period of twelve months to work with practitioners. CFR awards approximately two fellowships annually. The IAF-NS is only open faculty members with tenure or on tenure-track lines at accredited universities and who propose to conduct policy-relevant research on nuclear security issues. Qualified candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are eligible to work in the United States and be between the ages of twenty-nine and forty.

International Affairs Fellowship in Japan, sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd.

Founded in 1997, the International Affairs Fellowship in Japan (IAF-J), sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd., seeks to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the rising generations of leaders in the United States and Japan. The program provides a selected group of mid-career U.S. citizens the opportunity to expand their professional horizons by spending a period of research or other professional activity in Japan. The IAF-J is only open to U.S. citizens between the ages of twenty-seven and forty-five. The program is intended primarily for those without substantial prior experience in Japan, although the selection committee has made exceptions when it considered that the fellowship would allow an individual to add a significant new dimension to his or her career. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not a requirement.

International Affairs Fellowship in India

The International Affairs Fellowship in India (IAF-I) seeks to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the rising generations of leaders in the United States and India by expanding cultural exchange and enhancing communication between both countries on global issues. The IAF-I assists mid-career scholars and professionals from the public and private sectors to advance their analytic capabilities and broaden their foreign policy experience in India. The program is currently on hold.

International Affairs Fellowship in South Korea, sponsored by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Launched in 2010, the International Affairs Fellowship in South Korea (IAF-SK), sponsored by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, seeks to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between the rising generations of leaders in the United States and South Korea by expanding cultural exchange and enhancing communication between both countries on global issues. CFR awards several fellowships annually to highly accomplished individuals who have a capacity for independent work and who are eager to undertake serious foreign policy analysis while affiliated with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea. The IAF-SK is only open to U.S. citizens. Applicants do not have to be Korea specialists, and knowledge of the Korean language is not a requirement.

National Intelligence Fellowship

The National Intelligence Fellowship provides an opportunity for an outstanding professional, on the cusp of a senior position, to expand his or her knowledge of international relations through a program of individual study, research and reflection, extensive participation in CFR’s active program of meetings and events, and interaction with the CFR’s diverse membership. Each year, candidates from the intelligence community are nominated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship

Launched in 1949 with support from the Carnegie Corporation, the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship seeks to promote the quality of responsible and discerning journalism that exemplified the work of Edward R. Murrow. One CFR resident fellowship is awarded each year to a distinguished foreign correspondent or editor. The program enables the fellow to engage in sustained analysis and writing, expand his or her intellectual and professional horizons, and extensively participate in CFR’s active program of meetings and events.

Military Fellowship

Each year, the Chiefs of Staff of the Army and the Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandants of the Coast Guard and the Marine Corps nominate an outstanding officer from their respective services as a candidate for a Military Fellowship. CFR usually awards four to five such fellowships annually. The program enables the selected officers to broaden their understanding of international relations by spending a year in residence at CFR’s headquarters in New York.

Cyrus Vance Fellowship in Diplomatic Studies

The Cyrus Vance Fellowship in Diplomatic Studies offers outstanding Foreign Service Officers from the U.S. Department of State the opportunity to spend a year affiliated with CFR as a visiting fellow and to step away from the demands of public service to reflect on foreign policy issues. CFR awards one Cyrus Vance Fellowship annually. The program is currently on hold.

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship

Made possible by a generous grant from the Stanton Foundation, the fellowship offers younger scholars studying nuclear security issues the opportunity to spend a period of twelve months at CFR offices in New York or Washington, DC, conducting policy-relevant research. CFR awards up to three fellowships annually. Qualified candidates must be junior (non-tenured) faculty, post-doctoral fellows, or pre-doctoral candidates from any discipline who are working on a nuclear security related issue. The program is only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are eligible to work in the United States. CFR does not sponsor for visas.