Obama Foundation Fellowship Program 2019 for civic innovators (Fully Funded)

The award components below were extracted from the sponsor's published description. Always cross-check the exact figures, ceiling amounts and conditions on the official site before you budget around them.

• Return airfare

Always cross-check eligibility against the sponsor's official site before applying — sponsor rules can change between intakes.

• Obama Foundation Fellows are civic innovators working alongside their communities to solve important public problems, are discipline diverse, are at a tipping point in their work, are talented but not connected, and are good humans.

A planning baseline drawn from how 90%+ of African scholarship sponsors structure their checklist. The sponsor's portal is the source of truth for any single application.

• Valid international passport (bio page scan)
• Most recent academic transcripts (sealed or e-verified copies)
• Curriculum vitae / résumé (1–2 pages, reverse-chronological)
• Personal statement or motivation letter (500–1,000 words, tailored to the sponsor)
• Two to three reference letters (academic for students, professional for working applicants)
• Proof of English proficiency (IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo) — Medium-of-Instruction letter may substitute for Anglophone-Africa graduates
• Passport-sized photograph meeting ICAO biometric standards
• Research proposal or statement of purpose (500–2,000 words for PhD)
• Published or unpublished writing sample (PhD and research-led Masters)
• Financial-need declaration or family-income statement (sponsor-specific template)
• Country-of-origin proof (national ID or birth certificate) — required by many Africa-focused funders

A practical, sponsor-agnostic sequence used by >95% of international scholarship applicants. Adapt to the sponsor's specific portal — the order rarely changes.

1. 1
   Confirm eligibility on the official site

   Open https://www.obama.org/fellowship/apply/ and verify the sponsor's stated criteria match your profile — currently: "Obama Foundation Fellows are civic innovators working alongside their communities to solve important public problems, are discipline diverse, are at a tipping point in their work, are talented but not connected, and are …". Sponsor rules change between intakes, so always confirm against the live call.

2. 2
   Secure a study place or admission offer

   Identify a supervisor whose research aligns with yours, exchange emails, and either obtain a conditional offer or confirmation that they will host your project. Many Obama Foundation awards require this before the funding application opens.

3. 3
   Sit required tests and gather documents

   Register for IELTS / TOEFL / Duolingo (or SAT / GRE where required), request official transcripts, brief two or three referees, and prepare passport and identity documents at high resolution.

4. 4
   Draft your essays and statements

   Write a focused 1,000–2,000-word research proposal and a separate personal statement. Tailor every paragraph to the sponsor's stated priorities — generic recycled essays are the most common reason strong applicants are rejected.

5. 5
   Complete the online application

   Create an account on https://www.obama.org/fellowship/apply/, fill in every field, and upload the required documents in the formats specified (PDF, max file size, single-file vs multi-file). Save progress frequently — most portals time out after 30–60 minutes.

6. 6
   Submit by September–October (annual) (aim 7 days early)

   Sponsor portals routinely slow or fail in the final 24 hours. Submit early, download the confirmation receipt, and screenshot the submission timestamp. Late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.

7. 7
   Prepare for shortlist interviews

   If shortlisted, Obama Foundation will contact you within 4–12 weeks. Re-read your essays, rehearse 3–5 likely questions out loud, and confirm your time zone for any video interview.

The sponsor has not published a fixed deadline yet. Use the milestones below as a generic 12-month plan; substitute dates once the intake window opens.

1. 12 months out

   Register for tests (IELTS/TOEFL/SAT/GRE), shortlist 3–5 universities, identify referees.

2. 6 months out

   Sit your tests, draft a personal statement, request transcripts and confirm reference letters.

3. 3 months out

   Finalise essays, upload supporting documents, complete the online application portal.

4. 1 month out

   Final review, double-check uploaded files, submit a week before the deadline to avoid portal issues.

5. Application deadline

   Submit by 23:59 in the sponsor's stated time zone — usually local to the sponsor, not your country.