The Institute of Current World Affairs is a US non-profit, incorporated in New York State in 1925, that sends young professionals overseas on two-year independent writing fellowships. Each fellow designs their own program of travel, study and writing in a country or region they choose themselves.
Fellows file a monthly dispatch that ICWA publishes and sends to its supporters. More than 190 people have held the fellowship; those in the field now are based in China, Lebanon, the Philippines, Norway and Brazil.
ICWA funds immersion rather than a deliverable. It does not support degree study, book projects, discipline-specific academic research, news reporting or freelance journalism, and it expects fellows to stay abroad for the whole two years.
Benefits & funding
- Two years of full financial support for the fellow and any immediate family travelling with them.
- No salary: the institute provides funding sized to cover living expenses, and the amount changes with the destination.
- ICWA is explicit that full support is not unlimited support — fellows are expected to live and spend modestly, and the institute does not guarantee it will fully fund any project.
- Monthly dispatches published by ICWA and circulated to its readership.
- Ongoing mentoring from the executive director across the two years.
Eligibility
- Under 36 years of age on the date the initial letter of interest is due.
- US citizenship is not required; applicants must show strong and credible ties to US society.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
- The current phase of formal education completed. Currently enrolled undergraduates are not accepted; postgraduate students may apply if they finish their degree within six months of selection.
- Enough of the local language to carry out the proposed project and to function in that language within a few months of arriving.
- A proposal that would enrich public life in the United States by advancing understanding of foreign countries, cultures and trends.
- ICWA looks for promise, curiosity and enthusiasm rather than a long professional record, and welcomes proposals for countries where it has not placed a fellow recently.
- Fellows do not return to the United States during the two years except in emergencies, and take on no overtly political role.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Bachelor · Master Enrolled · Master · PhD Enrolled · PhD
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
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Application process
- 1Wait for the next call: the 2026 cycle is closed, and ICWA announces new rounds through its newsletter and social media.
- 2Submit an initial letter of interest and a CV in English through the online form, preferably as a single PDF.
- 3In the letter, say what you would do with a two-year self-designed fellowship overseas and why you are the right person to carry it out. There is no set length.
- 4Answer the short questions on the form, including your age.
- 5Shortlisted candidates are invited to submit a fuller application.
- 6Final decisions are made in mid-November; ICWA cannot reply to every applicant.
- 7New fellows usually leave for the field within six months of being selected.
Program timeline
the closing date for letters of interest in recent cycles
Late May to mid-June
final decisions
Mid-November
December 4, 2025
the 2026–2028 fellows were announced
Within six months of selection
fellows depart for the field
the cycle is closed and ICWA has not yet published the next deadline
2026