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AAFSW is also affiliated with ReusableBags.com offering sturdy, environmentally totes perfect for shopping all over the world.

Realities of Foreign Service Life, Volumes 1 and 2: Writers from the Foreign Service community share their first-hand experiences and insights through essays on Foreign Service life. A great gift for newcomers or veterans of the Foreign Service and especially useful for anyone considering a Foreign Service career! Click here to read more about Realities of Foreign Service Life and to order your copy!

Foreign Service Scholarships, Awards, and Grants

AAFSW and other organizations offer a variety of scholarships, awards, and grants to recognize the achievements and support the work of Foreign Service family members and employees. To add to this list, contact webmaster@aafsw.org.

The Family Liaison Office of the Department of State also lists scholarships and grants that may be available to Foreign Service family members on this page.

Foreign Service Adult Family Member and Employee Grants and Fellowships

Foreign Service Youth Educational Scholarships

Foreign Service Youth Community Service Awards

Foreign Service Adult Family Member and Employee Grants and Fellowships

The Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA)

The annual AAFSW/Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA) recognizes the outstanding volunteer activities of U.S. Government employees, family members, and members of household over the age of 18 serving overseas.

For more information about this award, please visit the SOSA section of this website.

AFSA Awards for Exemplary Performance or Voluntary Activities at Post

AFSA offers three awards for exemplary performance of assigned duties or voluntary duties at an overseas post that constitute extraordinary contributions to effectiveness, professionalism and morale.

The Nelson B. Delavan Award acknowledges the work of a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist who has made a significant contribution to post or office effectiveness and morale beyond the framework of her/his job responsibilities.

The M. Juanita Guess Award goes to a Community Liaison Officer who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication, initiative or imagination in assisting the families of Americans serving at an overseas post.

The Avis Bohlen Award recognizes the accomplishments of a family member of a Foreign Service employee whose relations with the American and foreign communities at post have done the most to advance the interests of the United States, in the tradition of the late Avis Bohlen.

All nominations are submitted to a panel of judges composed of both active and retired members of the Foreign Service, as well as family members of Foreign Service employees. All winners and runners-up selected by the judges' panels are subject to final confirmation by the AFSA Awards and Plaque Committee, chaired by Ambassador Bruce Laingen.

Winners receive a cash prize of $2500, framed certificates signed by the president of AFSA, and are honored at a ceremony in late June in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the State Department.

Questions about any of the awards may be directed to Barbara Berger, Coordinator for Professional Issues, at berger@afsa.org.

Detailed information on nomination procedures and guidelines can be found on AFSA's website.

The J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust

The J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust is a charitable fund established in the memory of Kirby Simon, a Foreign Service Officer who died in 1995 while serving in Taiwan .  The Trust is committed to expanding the opportunities for professional and community service and personal well being of active-duty Foreign Service personnel and their families.

The Trust's main activity is to support projects - initiated on a voluntary basis by members of the extended Foreign Service family (American and locally engaged employees and family members) - that seek, on a modest scale, to improve the health and welfare of people living in the host countries.  Projects are usually conducted in cooperation with local charitable or educational organizations.  Since its inception in 1997 the Trust has made ten rounds of grants, more than 245 in all, to support projects based in more than 80 countries. 

The J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust commends all current and prior grant recipients on their commitment to voluntary community service. The deadline for applications is March 1 of each year. Please consult the Trust's website for more information. 

For more information on past projects or application procedures, please contact:
J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust
82 Edgehill Road
New Haven, CT 06511
www.kirbysimontrust.org
Phone: (203) 432-2698
Fax (303) 432-0063
Email: john.simon@yale.edu

Foreign Service Youth Educational Scholarships

AFSA College Scholarship Program

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) Scholarship Fund offers college scholarships for children of Foreign Service employees.  The application deadline is in February of each year. Visit the AFSA website for for complete details.  In summary, AFSA offers:

Financial aid scholarships for 4 years of undergraduate college study at a U.S. or overseas college.  These need-based awards range from $1,500 to $3,500.   Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and be a full time student.

Click here to read about some recent awardees.

Academic and art merit awards for high school seniors only.  These competitive awards of $1,500 reward achievement and are bestowed in May.

Unfortunately, grandchildren of FS employees are not eligible for these awards.  For more information, contact, Lori Dec, AFSA Scholarship Director at dec@afsa.org or 1-800-704-2372 ext. 504.

DACOR Bacon House Foundation

Several scholarships and fellowships are available for children and grandchildren of Foreign Service officers, active or retired, for study at The Hotchkiss School and Yale University.  These awards, sponsored by Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) Bacon House Foundation are made possible by a bequest of the late Ambassador Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr.

Hotchkiss selects one qualified enrolled student for a $5,000 scholarship.  Applicants should contact the Director of Financial Aid, The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT  06039-0800, providing evidence of a parent or grandparent’s Foreign Service status.

Awards to Yale students, based on merit, are made by the Foundation in consultation with Yale.  Awards will be applicable to university-billed expenses only.  Aspirants may apply for the Dreyfus awards at the time of their application for admission to Yale.  Any Dreyfus award would be contingent upon confirmation by Yale University that the student has been admitted or is in good standing.  Awards to undergraduates may be up to $5,000.  There is no restriction as to the field of study but if there are many applicants, preference will be given to students pursuing a master’s degree in a field related to foreign affairs.

To apply, students should send a copy of the parent’s or grandparent’s most recent Foreign Service appointment or promotion document, a brief letter of interest with full contact information, resumé, most recent transcript and one-page statement of academic goals, work experience, awards and non-academic achievements to DACOR Bacon House Foundation, Attn: William C. Hamilton, 1801 F Street, N.W., Washington, DC  20006.  Applicants for graduate fellowships should include a page outlining career goals.

The deadline for applications is in March of each year.  For more information, contact Sherry Barndollar Rock at (202) 682-0500 x. 17 or prog.coord@dacorbacon.org.

The Foundation separately grants scholarships and fellowships for Foreign Service dependent and graduate students of international affairs.

Hallock Scholarship

Information on this award is currently being updated. You may visit the website at http://www.wna.org/

SDFCU College Scholarship

The State Department Federal Credit Union Annual Scholarship Program is for students are members of SDFCU and have completed 12 credit hours at a college or university. The competition runs annually from February to April. Applications can be picked up at any SDFCU branch or online at during those months.

Please visit http://www.sdfcu.org/youth/scholar.html for eligibility requirements, to download an application or find frequently asked questions. You may also call 800.296.8882.

Foreign Service Youth Community Service Awards

The Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) is offering U.S Foreign Service children an opportunity to showcase their talents, accomplishments and unique perspectives by entering the following contests. All deadlines fall in April of each year. Please visit www.fsyf.org for updated contest information.

Art Contest

Sponsored by State Department Federal Credit Union, this contest challenges teens to create art in any flat medium based on the 2011 theme "An American In..." Nine winners (three in each of three age categories) will receive prizes ranging from $100 to $500.

Community Service Award

Sponsored by Clements International, this contest honors youth who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts at home or abroad in community service or in service to their peers. Two winners will each receive a $1,500 U.S. savings bond.

Environment Contest

Sponsored by the Cultural Center for Interchange (CCI), this contest challenges Foreign Service youth to create an Earth Day themed event at your school, local community center, or outdoors in a nature setting. Invite one local environmental expert to speak about your chosen environmental issue. Send a summary (no more than 500 words) of the event, along with five photos. Three winners will each receive a cash prize of $500.

Essay Contest

Sponsored by McGrath Real Estate Services, this contest challenges middle and high school students to answer this question in 1,000 words or less: "You are a Youth Ambassador, given the task of choosing one issue/problem you would focus on for improving the life of youth in the current country you live in (U.S. can apply too). What would your focus issue be and how would you convince others that this is an important issue to tackle and prioritize, given there are so many problems/issues that need attention?" Four winners will receive prizes ranging from $100 to $750.

KidVid Contest

Co-sponsored by Peake Management and Diplomatic Automobile Sales. Organized by the Overseas Briefing Center, this contest challenges Foreign Service youth ages 10-18 to produce a DVD about life at an overseas post from a kid's perspective. $1,000 in prize money will be divided among all winners.

Winners are recognized at the annual Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State in July. Complete announcements, rules, and entry forms are available at www.fsyf.org. Email fsyf@fsyf.org or call (703) 731-2960 with questions.