The Marshall Memorial Fellowship empowers emerging leaders from business, government, and civil society for transatlantic engagement and cooperation. Using a method perfected over more than 30 years of implementation, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship provides an intense learning and networking experience of benefit to those working on issues of shared concern for communities on both sides of the Atlantic. For more information, see our frequently asked questions. 

Basic Selection Criteria

To become a Marshall Memorial Fellow, a candidate must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Between 7 and 15 years of proven leadership experience with significant accomplishment in business, civil society, politics, or media.

• Be a citizen of a participating country – for more, see the country listing and selection region maps provided below.

• Be available for six months of distance learning, 24 days of travel exchange, and active alumni engagement upon completion of the fellowship.

• Have not resided or worked for an extensive period of time on the other side of the Atlantic in the last three years (participation in an academic exchange program does not disqualify an applicant).

• Speak English proficiently.

• Possess a passport valid at least six months beyond the assigned fellowship dates.

The German Marshall Fund selects leaders from all professional backgrounds, including business, government, and civil society, who exhibit the following characteristics:

• A profound sense of integrity

• A commitment to democracy and diversity across markers including profession, gender, race, and ethnicity

• A desire to effect real and sustainable change through creativity and innovation

• Proven ability to apply knowledge and leverage networks

• A commitment to transatlantic and global engagement

• An ability to become a steward of the transatlantic agenda

Candidates must be citizens of one of the following countries: Albania, American Samoa, Austria, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Guam, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Moldova, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, or the United States Virgin Islands.

Application Process

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is now accepting nominations for the next cohort of Marshall Memorial Fellows, which will travel in the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021. If you would like to nominate yourself or nominate a leader for this unique opportunity, please complete the form below by September 27, 2019. All eligible nominees will be invited to submit their full applications in early October.

NOMINATE HERE

Nominators should be in a position that allows them to evaluate their candidate's leadership profile and character traits. They cannot be a member of the candidate's family, a Marshall Memorial Fellowship selection committee member, host or selection partners, or a GMF staff member. If such nominations are not attainable, please apply by self-nomination.

Nominators may only nominate one candidate each year, may nominate a candidate from a country other than their own, and may compete for the fellowship themselves in a year other than the one they nominate someone.

Please direct all questions to [email protected]

Selection Process

MF will invite all candidates—those who are nominated and those who are applying directly—to submit their full applications by a set date. The application includes a form, short-answer questions, three essay questions, a résumé/CV, and two letters of recommendation, and the nomination form. Candidates should not ask for a letter of recommendation from their nominator or a family member, and applicants should not submit letters of recommendations for other applicants. If a candidate meets the eligibility criteria but does not have a nominator, the candidate may instead submit the application form and check the self-nomination box. 

Upon review of applications, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with a selection committee in early 2020. All interviews are conducted in person and in English. Interview dates and locations will be provided to applicants as early as possible, and candidates are expected to hold this date and make themselves available for interviews. Candidates are responsible for the costs of travel and lodging for the interview, if they require this; limited support may be provided by GMF if documentation of genuine need is provided. Interviews are conducted according to the following regions (click to enlarge):

All applicants will be notified of the result of their application by email by April 2020. Selected candidates will be scheduled to travel on one of the two programs the following year, either in the fall of 2020 or spring of 2021. Within two weeks of receipt, all successful applicants are required to sign and return the fellowship acceptance package, signifying acceptance of the terms and conditions of the program and cover their registration fee.

Candidates may apply more than once for the fellowship.

FELLOWSHIP COSTS

GMF invests approximately $25,000 in each fellow. Fellows meet this investment by covering their registration fee upon acceptance into the program of $3,000 for Fellows with a corporate or business background, $1,500 for American Fellows, and $1,250 for European Fellows coming from the nonprofit or government sector.* In addition, we estimate out-of-pocket expenses during the program of $1,500 on average. The registration fee, which is lower for Europeans who also have visa expenses, comes with a one-year bronze membership in GMF’s Alumni Leadership Council. Financial assistance is available to those individuals who demonstrate a clear financial need and inability to cost-share this way.**

* Prices are subject to change
**Applicants from Eastern Partnership countries are exempt from the obligation to pay this fee.