Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships

Program overview

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished professionals from designated countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Eurasia to the United States at a midpoint in their careers for a year of study and related professional experiences.  Fellows are selected based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector.

The program provides a basis for establishing long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships between citizens of the United States and their professional counterparts in other countries, fostering an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world. Fellowships are granted competitively to professional candidates specifically in fields of:

• Agricultural development/agricultural economics
• Communications/journalism
• Drug abuse education, prevention and treatment
• Economic development
• Educational planning
• HIV/AIDS policy and prevention
• Human resource management/personnel
• Law, civil society, human rights, democratic development
• Natural resources and environmental management
• Non-proliferation studies
• Public health policy and management
• Public policy analysis and public administration
• Teaching of English as a foreign language
• Technology policy and management
• Trafficking of persons
• Urban and regional planning

During their Fellowship year, Humphrey Fellows participate in programs that combine graduate-level academic course work with professional development activities. The program is not designed to offer a degree, but rather to provide broad professional enrichment through a combination of activities tailored to each Fellow's interests. Upon completion of the program, participants receive special certificates from the U.S. government and the host university.

Humphrey Fellows are placed in theme-based groups of approximately 10 persons at carefully selected U.S. universities.   In recent years, host campuses have included: American University, Boston University, Cornell University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, Tulane University, University of California, Davis, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, University of Washington, Vanderbilt University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Each campus has a Humphrey Coordinator and advisors who provide academic and administrative support, helping each Fellow design and implement an individualized program of academic course work and professional development activities with local, state, national and international organizations in the United States.

Throughout the year, Fellows participate in workshops and conferences that provide interaction with leaders from U.S. federal, state and local governments, multinational organizations and the private sector. These workshops also provide a forum for discussion of issues of professional interest to the Fellows.

Humphrey Fellowships are limited to one academic year, preceded, if appropriate, by a period of English language training.

The Humphrey Program does not provide financial support for accompanying dependents.

Further information on the program can be found on the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program website.

Those interested in participating in the program must submit their applications to the United States-Israel Educational Foundation, which is responsible for selection of the Israeli candidates for acceptance to the program.  The highest ranked candidates for the 2011/2012 program cycle will be invited for an interview in Israel in August 2010.  All interviews are held on the same day.  In order to be considered for selection as one of the Israeli candidates, applicants must be available to be interviewed in person on the date fixed by USIEF.

The Foundation reserves the exclusive right to determine, within the framework of applicable law and regulations, the qualitative standards for the evaluation of applications and is not under any obligation to give reasons for its decision. 

The final selection of those to be awarded Humphrey Fellowships is made by review committees in the United States which consider the qualifications of candidates from all the participating countries.

Candidates should note that receipt of a Humphrey Fellowship affects eligibility to receive additional Fulbright Fellowships.  See the regulations regarding repeat fellowships in the Fellowships section above.

Grant benefits

• International/domestic travel
• Tuition, university placement  and fees for university course work
• Accident/sickness insurance
• Monthly maintenance allowance
• Funding for books, computer purchase and professional activities
• Special program seminars
• Settling-in allowance
• Pre-academic English language placement and payment of tuition and fees, if appropriate
• Pre-departure orientation

Eligibility criteria

• Candidates must be Israeli citizens.  Dual American-Israeli citizens or permanent residents of the United States are not eligible to apply.
• The candidate must hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Candidates must have accumulated at least five years of substantial professional experience in Israel after completing a university degree and prior to July 2011.
• Candidates must be in good health.  Those selected as Humphrey Fellows are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before the award of their grants can be finalized.
• Those who have received a previous Fulbright Fellowship should review the rules limiting repeat grants presented in the Fellowships section above. 
• Prior conviction or current indictment for a felony may result in disqualification.

The following persons are not eligible:

• Faculty members or academic researchers with no management responsibilities.
• Persons who attended graduate school in the US for more than one year in the past seven years prior to July 2011.
• Individuals with other recent US experience (more than six months in the past five years prior to July 2011).
• Persons in primarily technical, academic or research positions, except in the field of drug abuse prevention.

Evaluation criteria

• Outstanding achievements in public service activities and proven leadership capabilities in such activities constitute the main evaluation criterion.
• The candidates’ interest in policy aspects of their fields of specialization and their management or policy making responsibilities are important evaluation criteria.
• English language proficiency is an important evaluation criterion.
• Possession of skills required to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Israel is an important evaluation criterion.

Conditions of award

• Funding is provided for the Program Fellow for one academic year only, with additional support for a period of English language training, where appropriate.  Additional support for accompanying dependents is not available.
• Grantees must travel on a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa sponsored by the Fulbright program.
• It is a condition of the visa that upon expiration of their exchange visitor status, grantees must return to Israel and reside in the country for two years before being eligible to immigrate to the US, to return to that country as permanent residents or to enter the US with a work permit. The purpose of the two-year home residency requirement is to ensure that exchange visitors return home and fulfill the exchange objectives of the Fulbright program.
• Holders of J-1 student visas who have departed from the United States after a stay of six or more months must remain abroad for at least twelve months before being allowed to re-enter the United States with a J-1 professor/research scholar visa.   There is no such limitation to re-entry to the United States as the holder of a J visa in another category (short-term scholar, specialist, international visitor), or as the holder of a student or tourist visa.
• Dependents of grantees will enter the US as holders of J-2 visas. Many conditions applying to the grantees as holders of J-1 visas, such as the two-year home residency requirement, also apply to the holders of J-2 visas.
• Program fellows who enter the US as J-1 visa holders must receive a special waiver in order to change their visa status to J-2 while in the United States.  The Department of State does not support such change of status requests.
• Most host campuses require fellows to wait at least 30 days before dependents can join them.  Only under special circumstances will host campuses consider allowing fellows to bring dependents with them upon arrival to the host institution.
• Grantees must begin their programs in the United States no later than the fall semester, 2011.  Awards cannot be deferred to the following academic year.

Instructions on the preparation and submission of applications

• Applicants should submit their applications online through the website which serves this purpose.
• The earliest date for submission of applications is May 3, 2010.  The final date for submission of applications is July 16, 2010. 
• Questions about the application procedure should be directed to Ms. Judy Stavsky by email or telephone (03-517-2392).

 Hubert H. Humphrey Program Fellowship

Timetable for 2011/2012

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