INTRODUCTION

The Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a year-long professional leadership development program for people who are working to improve their communities by addressing issues related to the environment, peace and conflict resolution, transparency and accountability, and women and gender. Community leaders will be selected to participate in the program that includes:

• Four-month fellowship in the United States: Community Solutions fellows are matched with host organizations throughout the U.S. where they complete a four-month, hands-on professional experience
• Community Leadership Institute: Community Solutions fellows participate in the Community Leadership Institute, a leadership training program designed to strengthen their leadership and management skills. The Institute includes face-to-face trainings, online courses, professional coaching, and networking
• Community-based initiatives: While in the U.S. and with the support of their U.S. host organization, Community Solutions fellows design and plan a community development initiative or project to carry out after they return home. Once the fellows depart the U.S., they put these projects into action in their home communities

AWARD

The program covers the cost of most expenses associated with:

1. J-1 visa support
2. Round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the U.S.
3. Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals, and other living expenses while in the U.S. and
4. Accident and sickness health coverage

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for the Community Solutions Program, applicants must meet the requirements listed
below. Applications that do not meet these eligibility requirements will be disqualified and will not be
reviewed by the selection committee. Please note that the U.S. Department of State and IREX reserve
the right to verify all the information included in an individual’s application. In the event that there is a
discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the applicant will immediately be disqualified.

1. You are between the ages of 25 and 38 as of January 1, 2023
2. You are a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below
3. You are living and working in your home country
4. You have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a fulltime or part-time employee or volunteer
5. You are not currently participating in an academic, training, or research program in the U.S.
6. You have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application

HOW TO APPLY

Detailed application instructions can be downloaded by the link below. Please review the program requirements prior to starting an application to ensure that you are eligible. Please note that eligibility requirements are determined by the U.S. Department of State and exceptions cannot be made. If, after reviewing the application instructions, you have additional questions, please e-mail cspapply@irex.org.

• Application instructions (PDF, 205 KB)
• Application Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (PDF, 212 KB)