The AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship, empowered by Atlas Corps for service in the United States
Priority Application Deadline December 15, 2022
The American India Foundation is committed to improving the lives of India’s underprivileged, with a special focus on women, children, and youth. AIF does this through high impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods, because poverty is multidimensional. AIF’s unique value proposition is its broad engagement between communities, civil society, and expertise, thereby building a lasting bridge between the United States and India. With offices in New York and California, twelve chapters across the U.S., and India operations headquartered in Delhi NCR, AIF has impacted 6.7 million lives across 26 states of India.
The AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship in the United States is the U.S. service-focused leg of the American India Foundation’s (AIF) bilateral Fellowship Program and is being implemented through a partnership with Atlas Corps. The Fellowship aims to contribute to AIF’s existing goals of strengthening the US-India ties by creating a network of changemakers committed to civil society engagement and equipped with the cross-cultural lens, training, and network necessary to effectively address critical social issues and drive innovation.
This partnership seeks to expand upon the growth of the AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship by engaging five Indian social change professionals annually in a global leadership training opportunity in the United States. The Banyan Impact Fellows serve full-time with Host Organizations for 12 months to develop (July 2023-July 2024) leadership skills and learn effective practices. They benefit from dual professional development and networking opportunities provided by AIF and the Atlas Corps Global Leadership Lab. The Global Leadership Lab and AIF professional development opportunities complement the Host Organization experience with the opportunity to develop competencies in key areas essential for the next generation of global changemakers.
Fellows will participate in our U.S. Fellowship model. Atlas Corps sponsors Fellows on the J-1 Trainee visa and covers most visa expenses․ Through this Fellowship program, Atlas Corps seeks to advance the U.S. State Department Education and Cultural Exchange Bureau’s Mission: To promote mutual understanding through people-to-people exchanges and to further U.S. foreign policy objectives by engaging international exchange visitors and American communities in a diversity of positive, safe, and enriching educational, cultural and professional exchange programs. The U.S. Fellowship allows participants to engage in group cultural activities like a D.C. Monuments Tour, sporting events, U.S. holiday celebrations, and more.
Atlas Corps and The American India Foundation also provide each Fellow with a living stipend to cover basic expenses (food, local transportation, and shared housing), a monthly phone plan, emergency health and travel insurance, and round-trip international airfare.
Fellowship Eligibility
To create the next generation of social changemakers in India, AIF and Atlas Corps encourage emerging leaders with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience to apply for this opportunity. Ideal candidates are mid-career professionals who have experience leading processes or teams and have influenced an organization’s strategy. Specific requirements for this program include the following:
♦ Be an Indian Citizen;
♦ Willing and able to travel and serve full-time for 12 months from July 2023-July 2024. The Fellowship may start with remote service from India, with the majority of the 12 months occurring in the United States;
♦ At least 3 years of relevant experience in the social sector, including nonprofits, social enterprises (including for-profit entities), government (both central and state) & quasi-government bodies; passion for future development and motivation to make a difference through service;
♦ Between the ages of 27 to 35 by the program start date in July 2023;
♦ Minimum of Bachelor’s degree or equivalent;
♦ English proficiency (oral, writing, reading);
♦ Able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization before the program starts in July 2023;
♦ Commitment to return to India and work in the social impact sector for at least two years after completing the Fellowship and be an active part of the Fellowship alumni community;
♦ Committed to enriching learning opportunities for the Fellowship community and positively contributing to building U.S.-India bridges of understanding and partnership during their time of service and after;
♦ Interest/experience in community-based development and diversity and inclusion.
APPLY NOW for our Banyan Impact Fellowship, empowered by Atlas Corps, for service in the United States! Participants of this initiative will build their leadership skills by getting hands-on experience in leading nonprofit organizations, corporations, private companies, and social enterprises in the U.S. while developing person-to-person connections to learn best practices.
The Fellowship includes health insurance, travel costs, and a living stipend to cover basic expenses (food, local transportation, and shared housing), and enrollment in Atlas Corps Global Leadership Lab and AIF professional development opportunities. The priority deadline is December 15 to be considered for opportunities in 2023-2024. Early applications are encouraged as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Visit aif.atlascorps.org
Application Process
Applicants to the AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship for service in the U.S. should go through the same online application process as other applicants for the Atlas Corps Fellowship. Applications must be submitted by December 15, 2022.
Select applicants will be invited to the interview round and asked to complete the Banyan Fellowship supplement from December 2022 – February 2023. Successful candidates will be confirmed as semi-finalists by February 2023 and are eligible to be considered for 12-month full-time Fellowships, starting in July 2023. Atlas Corps will assist selected Fellows in obtaining a J-1 visa required to travel to the U.S. for the Fellowship.
Candidates not selected for the AIF Banyan Impact Fellowship may be considered for other Atlas Corps Fellowships or future AIF Banyan US Fellowships. To learn more and to apply, please visit apply.atlascorps.org.
