Dear Colleague,
For the past two years, the MDP program has managed the Global Development Fellows program. GDF provides flat $7,500 fellowships for UCB graduate students (masters and PhD) to work on action/research projects in countries where USAID operates. These “opportunities” came from USAID partner organizations — universities, research institutes, NGOs, social enterprises, etc. — in those countries. A total of 36 students have been funded to date.
This is the final year of the program and we have “use or loose” funding for as many as 40 UCB GDF Fellowships for summer 2017 and USAID has invited faculty from the six participating universities to invite their own partners to apply to host a grad student. If desired, the opportunity can be reserved a specific student. Applications to be included in the USAID catalog of opportunities that are eligible for fellowship funding need to be submitted online to USAID by your in-country partner no later than December 9th.
Important: This is a two-step process. Having an opportunity accepted into the USAID catalog does not guarantee Fellowship funding for the student. After the opportunity is approved by USAID, Students must apply for fellowships under a competitive process coordinated here at UC Berkeley by the MDP program. Applications are due on January 13th. A committee of faculty and GDF staff will decide which students to fund.
If this is of interest, please read the attached information sheet carefully and get back to me with any questions.
best,
George
PS: Unfortunately the majority of the fellowships (ie. those funded by USAID) are reserved for US citizens and permanent residents. We have received funding from the UCOP Global Food Initiative for a limited number of fellowships for non-US citizens under the caveat that they relate, at least loosely, to food, agriculture and the environment.