The United States Agency For International Development (USAID) has approved a major expansion to its flagship initiative for recruiting Foreign Service Officers from diverse and underrepresented groups. Expansion of the Agency’s Payne Fellowship Program, has resulted in a doubling of the number of Fellows recruited annually from 15 to 30.

The Payne Fellowship Program, provides successful applicants with up to $104,000 toward tuition, fees, and related expenses for the completion of a two-year master’s degree in international development or another area relevant to USAID, at a U.S. institution. The program also provides Fellows with summer work placements in Washington, D.C. and at a USAID overseas Mission. Fellows who successfully complete the Payne Program and meet the Foreign Service entry requirements are provided full-time employment as USAID Foreign Service Officers.

WATCH ADMINISTRATOR POWER AND A PAYNE FELLOW DISCUSS THE PROGRAM(link is external)

The Payne Fellowship Program, named after the late Representative Donald M. Payne Senior (D-NJ), was established in 2012 and is now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since the beginning of the program, 89 Payne Fellows have become USAID Foreign Service Officers. 80 percent of Payne Fellows have self-identified as members of minority and underrepresented groups, bringing greater diversity and inclusion to USAID’s workforce.

The program is managed by Howard University. Applications for the 2023 cohort of Payne Fellows are open through November 4, 2022. Please visit https://www.paynefellows.org/(link is external) for additional information on the program or the application process.