Marcellus Policy Fellowship

The John Quincy Adams Society has developed the Marcellus Policy Fellowship to help the next generation of U.S. foreign policy leaders follow in young JQA’s footsteps. By combining knowledge of foreign policy, the craft of effective policy writing, and the ability to publicize his ideas, Adams launched a career shaping U.S. statecraft. The Marcellus Policy Fellowship does the same, helping our fellows develop the ideas and skills necessary to guide American foreign policy in the twenty-first century.

• Named after John Quincy Adams’s pseudonym “Marcellus” from his 1793 essays.
• Objective: Train the next generation of U.S. foreign policy leaders.
• Format: Several months of online evening sessions (Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7–8 PM ET via Zoom).
• Deliverables: Fellows craft a policy paper, policy memo, and op‑ed under expert guidance.
• Cohort Size: 8–12 fellows per cohort, two cohorts per year.
• Career Impact: Strengthens candidacy for roles in government, think tanks, academia, media, and advocacy.

• Open to current undergraduate and graduate students
• Also open to those with 0–2 years of foreign policy work experience
• Internships and paid internships do not count against the 2‑year limit
• Prior work in other fields does not count against eligibility
• Military service counts only if duties required extensive foreign policy knowledge (e.g., FAOs, intelligence roles)
• Must intend to pursue a career shaping U.S. national security policy (government, media, academia, think tanks, advocacy, etc.)
• U.S. citizenship not required