IREXFellowship

Fully Funded US Community Solutions Fellowship

Nov 24, 2026 23:59:00 ET

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Nov 24, 2026 23:59:00 ET

About this opportunity

IREX runs the Community Solutions Program (CSP) with the U.S. Department of State for experienced community leaders aged 27 to 39 who work on local and regional economic development. Fellows spend about three to four months in the United States, including a 12-week practicum with a U.S. host organisation, then go home and run a nine-month SCALE-Up Project that adapts what they learned to their own community.

What you get:

J-1 visa support
Round-trip travel from your home city to the U.S.
A monthly allowance for housing, meals and other living expenses while in the U.S.
Accident and sickness health coverage
Accessibility accommodations, from sign language interpreting and live captioning to screen reader software
Innovation and Applied Skills Labs on leadership, management and regional economic development
Field visits to U.S. regions to see how businesses, chambers of commerce, colleges, local government and community groups work together

What you'll do:

Work for 12 weeks alongside professionals at a U.S. host organisation, in one of about six U.S. host regions
Choose one sector (such as tourism, entrepreneurship, technology or farm-to-table food) and training tracks such as workforce development, digital tools or youth engagement
Back home, lead a nine-month SCALE-Up Project that adapts at least one U.S. model, tool or partnership to grow your local economy

Key dates:

Applications opened October 27, 2026
Applications close November 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern (Washington, D.C.) time
Semi-finalists are invited to an English-language interview on December 22, 2026
Finalist, alternate or unsuccessful status is announced February 25, 2027
Orientation in Washington, D.C. runs August 2 to 5, 2027, the practicum August 9 to October 29, and the closing workshop November 1 to 4, 2027 (planning dates, subject to confirmation)
SCALE-Up Projects run from December 2027 into 2028

More information:

Full application instructions (PDF): https://www.irex.org/sites/default/files/2026-10/FY26_%20CSP%20Application%20Instructions.pdf
Questions: apply.csp@irex.org

Who can apply

Aged 27 to 39 at the time of application
A citizen of an eligible country, living and working there when you apply (not abroad on an academic, training or research programme)
Eligible regions: Africa (11 countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda), East Asia and the Pacific, Europe (13 countries, including Ukraine, Romania and Moldova), the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean; check the full list on the IREX page
At least five years of experience working on community issues, with measurable benefits to local communities
High proficiency in spoken and written English; semi-finalists without a TOEFL score of 520 (213 computer-based) or higher take an Institutional TOEFL or approved equivalent
Able to spend about three to four months in the United States in 2027
Eligible for a U.S. J-1 visa; past U.S. government exchange participants must have completed their two-year home residency requirement
Not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and no application for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years
Committed to returning home for at least two years and running a community-based SCALE-Up Project

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

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Cross-checked 10 of 13 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Run by IREX and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State; over 1,000 international alumni per IREX
+Clear published deadline with time and zone, full selection timeline and programme dates
+Travel, visa, living allowance and health cover provided
+Strong disability support from application through the fellowship

Worth checking yourself

!IREX's own wording is that the programme 'covers the cost of most expenses associated with' visa, travel, living allowance, health cover and accessibility; the allowance amount is not published
!Ages 27 to 39 only, and five years of community work required; this is a mid-career programme
!Eligible countries: about 67 across Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean; the web page omits Laos, which the 2027 instructions PDF includes, so check the official list on the application site
!No application fee is mentioned anywhere in IREX's current materials; semi-finalists may need to sit an Institutional TOEFL, and the pages do not say who pays for it
!You must return home for at least two years after the programme (J-1 home residency requirement)
!Programme dates in 2027 are planning dates, subject to confirmation

Sources checked

IRirex.orgApplyIRirex.orgApplyIRirex.orgApplyCScsp.irex.orgOfficialIRirex.orgApply

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