Atlantic Council Millennium Fellowship

Benefits & funding

• Nine months of structured leadership programming, September through May, delivered in a hybrid format.
• Bi-weekly virtual sessions of about 90 minutes; the program tells fellows to expect a commitment of 3 to 4 hours each month.
• Leadership diagnostics and personalized coaching provided by Spencer Stuart.
• Touchpoints with Atlantic Council experts and access to the organization’s centers and partners.
• A ten-day international study tour, engaging senior decision-makers across government, business and civil society.
• A cohort of 40 fellows and entry to an alumni community of more than 400.
• Fees, paid by the fellow: 3,000 US dollars for direct applicants from the nonprofit and public sectors, 15,000 US dollars for the private sector.
• An organization can instead nominate a candidate at 30,000 US dollars, which the Atlantic Council describes as the full cost of participation. Nominated candidates complete the same application and evaluation, and are fast-tracked to the interview stage.
• The fee covers all virtual programming and on-the-ground study tour expenses. International airfare, visa costs and travel incidentals are the fellow’s own responsibility.
• The application form includes an option to request fee assistance with an explanation. The Atlantic Council states that assistance is limited, and is most often a partial reduction of the fee or a payment plan.

Eligibility

• Open to anyone who is 25 to 40 years old as of the application deadline.
• Open to leaders from all countries. No nationality or residency requirement is published.
• Open to people working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Government employees are eligible.
• Being a current student is not a bar. The program answers the student question by restating that the fellowship is open to anyone aged 25 to 40 as of the application deadline.
• The program is administered exclusively in English, and candidates must demonstrate fluency or advanced English proficiency.
• No degree requirement and no minimum number of years of work experience are published. The program describes its target as impact-driven, mid-career professionals.
• Candidates are evaluated on the three pillars of the Millennium Leadership Program: leadership, community and impact.

Application process

1. 1
   Wait for the application window. For the 2027-28 cycle the Atlantic Council lists December 2026 to January 2027.
2. 2
   Complete the online application, which asks for demographic information, employment details, responses to short essay questions, a resume, a biography and a current headshot.
3. 3
   Use the fee assistance question inside the application if the program fee is a barrier, and give the reasons for the request.
4. 4
   Ask an employer or partner organization to nominate you at the 30,000 US dollar rate as an alternative route, which fast-tracks a candidate to the interview stage after the same evaluation.
5. 5
   Attend a virtual interview if short-listed. Review and interviews run February to April 2027.
6. 6
   Receive the decision when the cohort is selected in May 2027; programming starts that September.
7. 7
   Send questions to Millennium@AtlanticCouncil.org.

Program timeline

1. December 2026

   Applications open for the 2027-28 cycle

2. Application window closes. The Atlantic Council has not yet published the exact closing date

   January 2027

3. Application review and virtual interviews

   February to April 2027

4. Cohort selected

   May 2027

5. Nine-month program begins

   September 2027

6. Early 2028

   Ten-day international study tour; recent cohorts traveled in February

7. Program ends

   May 2028