Important: Always confirm the specific fellowship’s funding letter. For exact details, consult the fellowship page on the hosting center’s site before applying.

Two focal programs to watch for the 2026 cycle (and why they’re relevant)

1. Harvard Kennedy School fellowship tracks (policy & public administration)
   HKS hosts center-based fellowships (e.g., M-RCBG, Belfer Center, Taubman, PEPG) and scholarships for master’s students, including named fellowships that focus on governance, transparency, and public leadership. These are ideal if your proposal centers on policy design, fiscal reforms, governance innovations, or public administration systems strengthening.

2. Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) fellowships — including LEAD and visiting scholar programs
   HGHI runs fellowships for early- and mid-career global health leaders, visiting research scholarships, and themed fellowships (climate & health, women in global health leadership). These are right for practitioners focused on health systems research, epidemic preparedness, climate-health linkages, and leadership development. HGHI’s LEAD Fellowship specifically targets leaders from low- and middle-income countries.

How selection committees evaluate applications — a deep dive

Selection committees are often composed of faculty, program directors, and senior fellows. They are looking for fit and impact. Here’s how to think about their evaluation criteria:

1. Problem clarity and significance

   • Is the problem concrete and measurable? (e.g., “reduce neonatal mortality in Region X by Y% within 3 years” beats “improve child health”.)

   • Does the applicant show knowledge of the policy landscape, constraints, and existing programs?

2. Feasibility and methodology

   • Is there a clear research/design approach? (mixed-methods, quasi-experimental evaluation, implementation research)

   • Are timelines and deliverables realistic?

3. Leadership and track record

   • Has the applicant led projects and achieved measurable results?

   • Are recommendation letters supportive and specific about the candidate’s capacity?

4. Potential for impact and scale

   • Will the fellowship’s outputs (policy briefs, pilot studies, capacity building) lead to adoption or scale?

   • Is there a dissemination plan (e.g., MOH engagement, donor briefings)?

5. Fit with Harvard resources

   • Does the application identify faculty, centers, or courses at Harvard the fellow will use? (This signals the applicant has researched the program.)

Scoring mindset: think like a reviewer. Make each element easy to verify: provide data points, cite relevant policies or national strategies, and name Harvard faculty or centers you’d work with.

Step-by-step application guide — start-to-finish (for beginners)

This is a practical roadmap. Treat each step as a weekly milestone.

Phase 1 — 6–9 months before deadline (research & strategy)

1. Map program options

   • Visit HKS and HGHI fellowship pages and identify 2–3 specific fellowships that fit your topic. Bookmark faculty you might work with.

2. Clarify your problem statement

   • Write a 1-paragraph problem statement with data: what, where, who is affected, and why it matters.

3. Identify faculty & centers

   • Find 2–3 faculty members or centers at Harvard whose research aligns with your project; note specific courses, labs, or datasets you want to access.

4. Draft a preliminary fellowship timeline

   • 9–12 months: prep; 9–12 months in Harvard: coursework, fieldwork, policy engagement; post-fellowship: dissemination and scale-up plan.

Phase 2 — 4–6 months before deadline (writing & letters)

5. Outline your Statement of Purpose (SOP) / Fellowship Proposal

   • Use the SOP structure below (see detailed SOP section).

6. Contact recommenders

   • Ask early. Provide an achievements summary and your draft SOP so they can write focused letters.

7. Collect documents

   • Transcripts, passport scan, CV (2 pages recommended for fellowships; 2–4 pages max), and any writing samples.

8. Request institutional support if needed

   • If your fellowship requires a leave of absence, secure a letter from your employer stating they support your application (if applicable).

Phase 3 — 1–3 months before deadline (finalize & polish)

9. Refine your SOP: focus on clarity and evidence

   • Use data, name Harvard resources, and be explicit about expected outcomes.

10. Get feedback

• Share SOP with a mentor or someone with fellowship experience. Revise.

11. Proofread and format

• Convert to PDF, follow page/word limits, and ensure headings are clear.

12. Submit early

• Don’t wait for the closure hour. Early submission demonstrates readiness.

Your Statement of Purpose — a practical structure with sample lines

Use simple, concrete language and focus on evidence and impact. Below is a tight five-paragraph structure, plus some sample sentence stems you can adapt.

SOP Structure (recommended length: 1000–1500 words)

Paragraph 1 — Hook + problem statement (1–2 short paragraphs)

• Sample stem: “For the last five years I have led primary health services in [Region], where neonatal mortality remains at X/1000 live births — nearly Y% higher than the national average. This fellowship will allow me to develop and test an integrated community referral model that connects community health volunteers to emergency neonatal transport.”

Paragraph 2 — Your track record

• Show measurable results.

• Sample stem: “As Program Manager at [Org], I managed a $500,000 maternal-child health program, increasing skilled birth attendance from 35% to 62% over three years through targeted training and logistics reforms.”

Paragraph 3 — Proposed fellowship work & methods

• Be specific about methods and deliverables.

• Sample stem: “During the fellowship I will combine implementation research with cost-effectiveness analysis. I will run a stepped-wedge pilot across three districts, collect process metrics, and produce a policy brief for the Ministry of Health.”

Paragraph 4 — Why Harvard (fit & mentorship)

• Name faculty, centers, or courses.

• Sample stem: “Harvard Kennedy School’s [center] has pioneered implementation economics, and Professor [Name]’s work on health financing aligns with my objectives — I plan to engage with the center and enroll in ‘Program Evaluation’ to strengthen my analytic approach.”

Paragraph 5 — Post-fellowship impact plan

• Show how you’ll use the fellowship results.

• Sample stem: “On return, I will present findings to the Ministry and co-develop a scale-up plan. I aim to secure donor commitment to a 3-year expansion, using the fellowship’s evidence to inform the national newborn strategy.”

Closing sentence — short, confident, and outcome-focused.

Sample SOP paragraph (policy & health hybrid)

“My work in City X managing an integrated malaria response has shown that community-level stockouts and referral delays are the primary drivers of poor outcomes. During the Harvard fellowship, I will design and test a hybrid digital-logistics system to reduce stockouts and improve referral times. I will work with the Harvard Global Health Institute to learn implementation research methods and consult with HKS faculty on policy scaling. The project will produce a field-ready implementation manual, a cost-effectiveness analysis, and a policy brief for the Ministry of Health to inform national procurement reform.”

Letters of recommendation — whom to choose & what to request

Choose recommenders who can speak to your leadership, technical skills, and potential for impact:

• Primary recommender: immediate supervisor or program director who can quantify your achievements.

• Secondary recommender: a partner (donor, MOH official, senior academic) who can attest to your influence and collaborative capacity.

• Optional: an academic adviser or senior mentor who can comment on your research aptitude.

Request specifics: ask recommenders to include one concrete example of your leadership and to comment on your capacity to complete applied research and implement findings.

Common mistakes — and how to avoid them

1. Vague objectives — fix: use numbers and deadlines.

2. No Harvard fit — fix: name 1–2 faculty or centers.

3. Letters are generic — fix: give recommenders your draft SOP and a bullet list of achievements.

4. Poor timeline realism — fix: build weekly milestones and realistic data collection plans.

5. Overambitious scope — fix: design a focused pilot with clear endpoints.

Comparative table: Which fellowship track for which profile?