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Programs
Fellowship/Professional Development Program

Ford Foundation Fellowships

The Ford Fellowship Program at the National Academies has concluded.

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Any project, supported or not by a committee, that has not deposited records to the Records Office.

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For awardees

Directory

The Directory of Ford Fellows contains information on Ford Foundation Fellows who held awards administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine including postdoctoral fellowship recipients awarded since 1980 and predoctoral and dissertation fellowship recipients awarded since 1986. The Directory of Ford Fellows may be searched by Fellow name, Fellow institution, or by using key words. This database assists Ford Fellows in maintaining professional contacts and allows universities and other institutions to conduct employment and expertise searches for highly trained and talented academics from diverse backgrounds.

Regional Liaisons

A select group of Ford Fellowship alumni, known as Regional Liaisons, volunteer to serve as senior mentors to Ford Fellows in their defined geographic area. Current Ford Fellows are encouraged to contact the Liaison in their region if they have any questions, issues, or concerns that develop during the fellowship year.

Institution Officials

Designated officials at educational institutions, known as Coordinating Officials, serve as the primary point of contact for predoctoral and dissertation Ford Foundation Fellows at institutions that disburse fellowship funds directly to the students.

Connect

Follow some highlights and promote the achievements of current and past awardees of the Ford Foundation Fellowships on Twitter and Facebook. Content may be submitted only by current or past Ford Fellows and will be reviewed by the Fellowships Office prior to posting. The content might include a new book or research article, awards, promotions, or new positions. Content text should be less than 280 characters, preferably with a related photo and link to an external resource where the Fellowships Office can obtain additional information. Submit content for social media.

Resources

Terms of Appointment - Diss.pdf

Recipient Resource

Terms of Appointment - Postdoc.pdf

Recipient Resource

For stakeholders

Expectations

Because of the highly competitive nature of the fellowships and the elite caliber of the Ford Fellows, the Fellowships Office asks that institutions waive all tuition and fees for Ford Fellows during academic periods when they are on Ford Fellowship tenure. In the event that health insurance fees are mandatory, it is expected that the Ph.D./Sc.D. institution will also cover those fees for the Fellows. Institutions are encouraged to supplement Ford Fellowship awards, when necessary, to provide equity with other university or departmental graduate stipends (for predoctoral and dissertation Fellows) or fellowship or faculty compensation (for postdoctoral Fellows). Indirect or overhead costs are not to be deducted from the fellowship stipend award.

To request a roster of Ford Fellows at your institution, you may contact FordAwards@nas.edu.

Payments

Typically, annual stipends for predoctoral and dissertation Ford Fellows are disbursed directly to the Fellow by the Fellowships Office over a nine- or twelve-month period. In a limited number of cases, however, payments are disbursed through the institution when the institution determined that this arrangement is in the best interest of the Fellow(s). The Fellowships Office contacts these institutions each summer to arrange the transfer of stipend funds. View a list of these institutions for the current academic year (PDF, 110 KB). Postdoctoral Fellows may elect to have their award disbursed through their institution.

In such cases, institutions should ensure that any Fellowship funds paid directly to the institution are disbursed to the Fellow(s) in full within the fellowship year for which they are provided.

Employment

Doctoral programs may include a reasonable amount of teaching or other activities that are designed to contribute to the Fellow's academic progress and career development. The scholarly and professional development of Fellows, rather than service to fellowship institutions, should govern the assignment of these activities. The Ford Foundation recognizes the value of teaching and research assistantships in providing experience to Fellows.

Participation in full-time paid or unpaid internships or other full-time paid activities, even if required for degree completion, cannot be undertaken during a tenure year. Ford Fellows are permitted to accept a part-time assistantship if 1) it is required by the program, 2) if it is necessary to secure stipend supplementation, benefits, or tuition waivers, or 3) if the assistantship is beneficial to the Fellow’s career development. However, the overall level of compensation should not exceed the amount of a standard assistantship salary at the department or institution. If the position is full-time, Fellows may not accept the assistantship.

Postdoctoral Fellows may not hold teaching or other institutional responsibilities that detract from full-time effort devoted to the fellowship.

Terms of Appointment

Terms of Appointment for each fellowship level can be found below:

Contact

For additional information or questions, contact the Fellowships Office by email FordAwards@nas.edu or phone 202-334-2860.

Academic institutions seeking to initiate the process for mailing a fellowship refund check should contact FordAwards@nas.edu.

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