Funding & opportunities

The next generation of creative, well-trained, committed diplomats and foreign affairs professionals is studying at the Ford School.

The Weiser Diplomacy Center offers a wide variety of funding and other opportunities throughout the academic year for students to practice what they’ve learned outside the classroom. We develop and host simulations and other practical opportunities for students to grapple with issues such as environmental diplomacy and countering violent extremism. We support student-initiated projects, internships, and travel around the world. We offer competitive fellowships to top graduate students, awarding up to $25,000 per year.

Our team is happy to offer guidance and answer any questions. 

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U.S. State Department Diplomacy Lab

Disinformation in sub-Saharan Africa, money laundering in the Western Hemisphere, space diplomacy, China’s domestic drug problem and international hostage negotiation are real-world issues that students explore in DipLab. This initiative allows students to contribute directly to the policymaking process via research related to foreign policy.
How to get involved?

Weiser Diplomacy Fellowship

WDC provides financial awards to admitted MPP or MPA students with demonstrated academic and professional achievement and deep interest in diplomacy and related aspects of international affairs.
Learn more about WDC Fellowship and our fellows
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Policy simulations provide practical learning experiences

Simulations on salient topics help students clarify key concepts like institutional rules, effective stakeholder analysis and interests, and hone negotiating strategies and tactics.
Learn more about policy simulations

U.S. Department of State

Careers, Pathways program, Student Internship program, Foreign Service Fellowships (Thomas R. Pickering, Charles B. Rangel, Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship, Virtual Student Federal Service.
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Student inititated projects

WDC offers funding for relevant international policy projects, to present research, participate in policy simulations, or conduct relevant short-term work-study over break.
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Paid international internships

Ford School students pursue international public policy interests around the world. Faculty and staff help students find the right fit at organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and policy organizations with established Ford School partnerships.
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Will Kielm (BA'23) at the EU Schuman Challenge 2021
Undergraduate Competition

Will Kielm BA'23

The Schuman Challenge organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States
The EU Schuman Challenge provided a unique opportunity for students to develop a holistic understanding of the EU and its policymaking process. For passionate students of international relations who wish to display their creative ideas in European and U.S. foreign policy, the Schuman Challenge is an unparalleled platform to do just that in an official capacity.
The Schuman Challenge

Student organizations

The Weiser Diplomacy Fellowship has had such an incredible impact on my career, opening dozens of new doors and opportunities for me in a new country. One such example would be how off the back of the knowledge gained and connections made at the Ford School I have expanded the scope of much of my work, helping me build on my previous experience and start my own consultancy looking at the intersection of sports and diplomacy in the United States.
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Ed Elliott (MPA'20)

Diplomacy fellow
Weiser Diplomacy Fellowship
graduate internship support

Ambassador Levitsky’s gift supports student internships

With a generous gift from Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky, a Professor of International Policy and Practice, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy...
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Ambassador Levitsky’s gift supports student internships