Ford Foundation Fellowships for Minorities

Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Ford Foundation Fellowship awards are offered at the Predoctoral, Dissertation and Postdoctoral levels (see website for specifics on each level).  Fellowships are awarded in a national competition. Awards are made to individuals who, in the judgment of the review panels, have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

To be eligible to receive a Ford Foundation Fellowship award, you must be a citizen, national, and permanent residents (holder of a Permanent Resident Card) of the United States, or individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. Receipt of the fellowship award is conditioned upon each awardee providing satisfactory documentation that he or she meets the eligibility requirements.

Ford Fellowship awards are made based on evidence of superior academic achievement (such as grade point average, class rank, honors or other designations), and a stated commitment to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level.  Awards will be made for study in research-based Ph.D. or Sc.D. programs; practice oriented degree programs are not eligible for support. In addition to the fellowship award, Ford Fellows are eligible to attend the Conference of Ford Fellows, a unique national conference of a select group of high-achieving scholars committed to diversifying the professoriate and using diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.