Donald M. Payne Fellowship Program

The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who want to work on the front lines of pressing global challenges – poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, environmental degradation, climate change, conflict and violent extremism – through the US Agency for International Development Foreign Service. The award includes funding toward tuition and fees for completion of a two-year master’s degree at a US institution; a stipend for each academic year for room, board, books and other education-related expenses; and a stipend, housing, transportation, and related expenses for summer internships. Fellows also participate in two internships (in DC and with a USAID Mission abroad). Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher. US Citizens.


The Payne Fellowship, which provides up to $104,000 in benefits over two years for graduate school, internships, and professional development activities, is a unique pathway to the USAID Foreign Service.


Eligibility: Fourth-year Undergraduate (Senior), Alum (undergraduate), Graduate Student
Minimum GPA: 3.2
Deadline month: November
Program Website