Public Service

Truman Scholarship (UNM Deadline in September) 
Truman Scholarship is for college juniors with exceptional leadership potential committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in the public service. Up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields.

  • Be an undergraduate junior;
  • Be a U.S. citizen;
  • Have a highly competitive GPA;
  • Have a major that permits admission to a graduate program leading to a career in government or public service.
  • Obtain institutional nomination.

AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship
The AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship is an immersive bi-national volunteer service program with immense strategic importance in the US-India corridor. The bilateral program places young professionals from the US and India in service with communities and organizations across the two countries for mutual learning, capacity building, and leadership development in support of social justice. Fellows work on projects closely linked to Sustainable Development Goals and create sustainable impact through service and fieldwork across diverse thematic areas such as education, public health, livelihoods, social inclusion, minority rights, Dalit and tribal rights, climate justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender, arts, sports, CSR, and many others.

APSA Minority Fellows Program  
The APSA Minority Fellows program is designed primarily for minority students applying to enter a doctoral program in political science. The APSA Minority Fellows Program designates up to twelve stipend minority fellows each year. Additional applicants who do not receive funds from the Association may also be recognized and recommended for admission and financial support to graduate political science programs. Fellows with stipends receive a $4,000 fellowship that is disbursed in two $2,000 payments--one at the end of their first graduate year and one at the end of their second--provided that they remain in good academic standing. APSA can disburse some of the funds at the start of the academic year by request of the student. Awards are based on students' undergraduate or graduate course work, GPA, personal statement and resume, extracurricular activities, GRE scores, personal and recommendations from faculty. Additional eligibility criteria include: 

  • Applicants must be members of one of the following racial/ethnic minority groups: African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Latinos/as, and Native Americans (federal and state recognized tribes)
  • Applicants must be college/university seniors, college/university graduates, or students currently enrolled in a Master’s Program applying for doctoral study at another political science program/institution
  • Applicants must demonstrate an interest in teaching and potential for research in political science
  • Applicant must be a United States citizen at time of award

Coro Fellows Program (Deadline in January)
Coro Fellows Program is a full-time, nine month, graduate-level leadership training program to prepare diverse, intelligent and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena. It is offered in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and St. Louis. Sixty-eight Fellows are chosen nationally each year through a highly competitive selection process, including a day-long assessment at each center’s city. The Fellows represent a broad range of academic, work, cultural, racial and economic backgrounds, ages and interests. What they share is an unwavering commitment to civic engagement.

Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund (Deadline April)
The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund provides grants to students actively working for peace and justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to those able to do academic work at the university level and who are part of the progressive movement on the campus and in the community. Recent grantees have been active in the struggle against racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression; building the movement for economic justice; and creating peace through international anti-imperialist solidarity.

  • active participation in struggles for civil rights, economic justice, international solidarity or other progressive issues
  • financial need and ability to perform academically at the college level
  • must be enrolled in an accredited school and receiving college credit for the time period covered by their grant

Huntington Public Service Award (Deadline January) 
The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career. 

J.W. Saxe Memorial Fund (Deadline ) 
The J.W. Saxe Memorial Fund is a prize of two thousand dollars awarded annually to one or more college or university students in the United States involved in public service. The award enables students to gain practical experience in public service by taking a no-pay or low-pay job or internship during a summer or other term. Preference will be given applicants who have already found such a position, but who require additional funds.

  • undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited US college or university;
  • seeking support for an internship in public service, not general support;
  • demonstrated public service activity — past, present and/or future;
  • financial need will be taken into consideration.

Koch Summer Fellows program - The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internshipwith two career and policy seminars. Fellows gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and acquire the professional skills necessary to effect change. Participating internship hosts include more than 80 think tanks and policy organizations across the United States. 

Public Policy & International Affairs Fellowship Program (Deadline early November) 
The PPIA Fellowship Program helps students achieve a Master's Degree or joint degree, typically in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field. The organization does this through the intensive study provided by participation in a Junior Summer Institute (JSI), through partnerships with universities across the country, and through an alumni network that provides opportunities to connect with nearly 4000 individuals who share the same interest in public service. 

Samuel Huntington Public Service Award (Deadline in January) 
$10,000 stipend to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career. Applicants must be graduating senior from a US college/university

Scoville Peace Fellowship (Deadline October & January)
The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship, established in 1987, is a highly-competitive national fellowship program that provides recent college and grad school graduates with the opportunity to gain a Washington perspective on key issues of peace and security. Twice yearly, the Fellowship's Board of Directors selects a group of outstanding individuals to spend six to nine months in Washington. Supported by a salary, the fellows serve as full-time junior staff members at the participating organization of their choice. The program also arranges meetings for the fellows with policy experts. Many former Scoville Fellows have gone on to pursue graduate degrees in international relations and related fields and taken prominent positions in the field of peace and security with public-interest organizations, the Federal Government, academia, and media. 

Women in Defense Scholarship

Focus of the scholarship is on the following preferred fields of study: security studies, military history, government relations, engineering, computer science, cyber security, physics, mathematics, business (as it relates to national security or defense), law (as it relates to national security or defense), international relations, political science, policy and diplomacy, intelligence and economics. Others will be considered if the applicant can successfully demonstrate relevance to a career in the areas of national security or defense.