About The ILF Fellowship Program

Through the ILF Fellowship Program, we provide scholarships to APA college students and place them in structured Summer Internships with government agencies. ILF Fellows are future APA leaders in the academic, cultural, business, community, medical, professional, or public arenas. ILF provides these future APA leaders with a practical understanding of how our government and legislative process works.

ILF’s Fellowship Program is the nation’s most prestigious civic leadership program designed specifically for the next generation of APA leaders. The program has nationwide reach and is an exceptional learning and development experience for future leaders. The primary goal of the Fellowship Program is to provide an opportunity for Fellows to learn how to access government in order to help the community. Over the past years, the ILF has provided scholarships, seminars and leadership training for over 500 APA college students from across the country.

Our selections and scholarships are merit-based. The only pay or financial assistance Fellows receive for their two-month internship is a $1,500 stipend. Students are responsible for all of their own travel, housing and living expenses associated with the fellowship.

The ILF will arrange for a minimum eight-week long internship for the Fellow with a government official and/or agency selected to match the Fellows area(s) of interest. Fellows will also be required to attend mandatory orientation, seminars, briefings, tours and other events.

Required Documents 

To apply for an ILF Fellowship, students must submit five documents:

            1. Application form (submitted on-line)

            2. Resume (submitted on-line, as an attachment)

            3. Personal Statement (submitted on-line, as an attachment)

            4. Official Grade Transcript (sent by mail)

            5. Letter of recommendation (sent by mail)

(1). The Application form can be found on our website, and submitted  online by February 1.

(2). The resume should be one-page, only, and should include the student’s name, address, contact phone number, and GPA.

(3). The personal statement should be no more than two pages, and should provide information about an applicant’s Asian Pacific American heritage, community involvement, career goals, and desire to contribute to their community. Information about unique personal or financial circumstances may be added. Consider the personal statement as the equivalent of an interview. Combine the resume and personal statement into a single file (.pdf or .doc) and attach it to the on-line application form.

Eligibility And Dates

·         Student must be a U.S. Citizen.

·         Applications must be received by February 1.

·         Selected students will be notified by March 2.

·         Students must be undergraduate college student with at least a 3.0 GPA (or equivalent).

·         Graduating seniors are eligible to apply for a Dr. John B. Tsu Fellowship.

·         High school seniors are not eligible.

·         Applicant must have at least one parent of predominantly Asian or Pacific Islander heritage. 

Mailing Address

Mail transcripts and letter of recommendations to:

International Leadership Foundation
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004

If you have difficulty submitting the application form, resumé and personal statement online, you can also email to: ILFStudents@ILEADER.org

Please Put “[YOUR NAME] APPLICATION” in the subject line.