The German Marshall Fund of the United States is pleased to announce the 2012 Call for Applications for fellowships being offered through its Urban and Regional Policy program. The Urban and Regional Policy Fellowships are open to practitioners and policymakers working on local and state policy in the United States and Europe. Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research projects (of varying length and depth) designed to shed new light on an urban or regional policy challenge by exploring how it has been addressed on the other side of the Atlantic. Fellows return from their time overseas equipped with the ideas and insights necessary to effect significant and lasting change in their own communities.
Fellowship Overview
GMF offers two types of Urban and Regional Policy fellowships that vary in length, intensity, and expected outcomes. Short-term Travel Grants are available for individuals seeking to gather information that pertains to a specific, social, economic, or physical challenge or obstacle in their home communities. Over three to four weeks, these fellows visit a maximum of two cities for a series of site visits and meetings with relevant individuals and institutions. Longer-term Research Grants are available for individuals interested in completing more in-depth policy analysis. These fellows are based abroad for three months and examine how three case study cities approached a discrete policy challenge through site visits and interviews. Long-term fellows are expected to review available literature in advance of their travel and adhere to a well-developed research methodology.
Fellowship Outcomes
Both short and long-term fellows are expected to produce a written report summarizing their policy recommendations for publication and dissemination, as well as actively disseminate their findings to the policy community broadly, and their home communities more specifically. The type of fellowship conducted will determine the length and intensity of both the written and oral final products; long-term fellows will generally be expected to produce a full-length policy report.
Who Should Apply
GMF welcomes applications from mid-career professionals with an interest in gaining an understanding of how similar urban and regional challenges are approached in a policy context other than their own and an ability to translate lessons learned into policy action in their own communities. Applicants should be policymakers or practitioners in state/local government, leaders from the private sector, or representatives of non-profit and policy organizations. The fellowship is not intended for academic research. GMF welcomes fellowship proposals that cover a wide array of topics, including but not limited to urban sustainability, transportation, environmental policy, and education and workforce development. In 2012, the Advisory Committee is particularly interested in applications that focus on social issues such as affordable housing and social inclusion.
Urban and Regional Policy Program Networks
A major component of the Urban and Regional Policy Program’s practitioner network is the Transatlantic Cities Network (TCN), which provides a framework for the exchange of information about innovative policies, best practices, and local policy challenges among a diverse network of policymakers, practitioners, and civic leaders who are well-positioned to put new ideas into practice in their home cities. Potential fellows may make use of this vibrant network and others within GMF throughout the course of the Fellowship.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should see the program summary and application forms, on our website, for further details on the program and application process. The deadline for submission of applications is January 31st, 2012. Please contact Casey Kuklick, Program Assistant, with specific questions at ckuklick@gmfus.org.
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