USAID’s Democracy Fellows Program was initiated in 1995 to promote democratic practices in emerging and transitional democracies by placing experienced DRG professionals within USAID. The program is designed to develop a pool of committed professionals at the junior, mid-, and senior-levels; to strengthen relations between USAID and academic, think-tank, and research organizations; and to promote research and innovative solutions to democracy, human rights, and governance programs.
The Democracy Fellows engage in a variety of activities, such as measuring the impact and effectiveness of various approaches to democratic development; developing and advising on projects utilizing information and communication technologies and social networking tools; and providing technical support to USAID on designing and implementing programs to promote the rights of disabled persons. Future fellowships are likely to specialize in counter-trafficking in persons, transitional justice, the use of social media in democracy promotion, and atrocities prevention, among others.
Please see the How to Apply and FAQ pages for more information.