Deadline: November 10, 2014 (11:59pm EST)
To Apply: Download the application form here and send the completed application to yanapplications@acus.org by November 10, 2014 (11:59pm)
The Atlantic Council is seeking applications for the Take Point Initiative, a new fellowship program open to veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are 35 years old and younger and who currently work in, or would like to transition to, careers in international policy. Created with support from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the fellowship is designed to prepare veterans for leadership positions in the nonprofit and policy fields, with a focus on international affairs and national security. The nonprofit and policy fields offer exciting career opportunities, and veterans are well positioned to take on leadership roles in these fields, leveraging the expertise and skills they developed while serving. Through this initiative, the Council seeks to provide exceptional young veterans with tools that will help them become nonprofit leaders, including opportunities to network with potential employers and funders, deepen their substantive policy expertise, and build nonprofit leadership skills. In turn, fellows will commit to using their training to help provide a voice for other young veterans in the policy discourse, including injured veterans.
As part of this application, candidates will submit a proposal for a nonprofit project they would like to launch. Fellows who are accepted into the program will then be able to further develop the concept for their proposed nonprofit project through hands-on training and mentorship, while developing nonprofit leadership skills and a professional network. All fellows will have the opportunity to meet with leading foreign policy and international security experts, gain hands-on training in policy and nonprofit leadership and management, and be matched with professional mentors. In addition, fellows will participate in a “nonprofit startup challenge” at the end of the fellowship, where they will have the opportunity to compete for one $25,000 award that will provide seed funding to launch the winning project.
We encourage candidates to submit creative and entrepreneurial ideas for their proposed project. Ideas for projects could focus on a specific substantive issue or issues such as “energy and security” or focus on a certain type of programming such as mentorship for student veterans interested in policy careers. Proposals should relate to international affairs and/or national security issues and should seek, in a general sense, to engage other young veterans – including injured veterans – in the policy process. The program is aimed at helping veterans transition to careers as nonprofit leaders, and the Council will consider candidate from any line of work. This may include, but is not limited to, veterans working in politics and government, the private sector, and academia (including students and recent graduates), as well as veterans currently working in the nonprofit field who would like to further develop nonprofit leadership expertise and launch a new veteran-focused project.
Download the application form here. (DOC)
Image: Young Atlanticist, MAJ Jordan Becker (left) on a panel with Secretary Chuck Hagel, then Chairman of the Atlantic Council, and General James Jones, at the 2012 Young Atlanticist Summit in Chicago