With each purchase from Amazon.com through our website, AAFSW receives a small percentage to help fund out activities and services. So, don't forget to click through aafsw.org when you shop online!

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

Other Awards and Contests

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.

Each year, a winner is chosen from each of State's six geographical bureaus. Read the inspiring stories of the 2007 SOSA winners here. Each winner receives:

A cash award of $3,000.
A trip to the award presentation at the Department of State.
A pin.
A certificate signed by the Secretary of State.

Nominations are now open for the 2008 SOSA Awards! Click here for more information.

This generous prize is made possible in part by new funding provided by the Green Family Foundation, which was created by Ambassador Steven J. Green and his wife, Dorothea, in 1991 to support groups and individuals working for social change. AAFSW is proud the Green Family Foundation wishes to encourage volunteerism abroad as former Secretary of State and Mrs. James A. Baker and other SOSA donors have done since 1990.

Nominations are accepted from posts worldwide and cover volunteer activities in one or more of the following categories:

Exceptional service to the USG community at post.
Outstanding activities directed toward the host country.
Exceptional service in emergencies at post.

Posts and individuals may submit as many nominations as they wish. The narrative should discuss the actions and qualities that qualify the nominee for the award with specific examples of accomplishments that fulfill the criteria.

Past SOSA Winners
These past SOSA winners represent the true spirit of volunteerism by making remarkable contributions in their communities, both American and host country, while serving abroad.

Year 2007 Winners
Year 2006 Winners
Year 2005 Winners
Year 2004 Winners
Year 2003 Winners
Year 2002 Winners
Year 2001 winners
Year 2000 winners
Year 1999 winners

For more information about the SOSA award, contact sosa@aafsw.org.

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 or in the December 2004 issue of the Foreign Service Journal, page 1 of the AFSANews. The website also has a hyperlink to articles about the 2004 Award winners, as well as a listing of all past award winners.

Cox Professional Fellowship for Foreign Service Spouses

The Department is pleased to announce a new professional fellowship program for Department of State Foreign Service Spouses, funded by the Cox Foundation. This is a pilot program to maintain, enhance and/or develop professional skills for spouses who are not in a position to pursue their career path overseas.

Fellowships of up to $2,000 will be granted on a reimbursable basis for enrichment activities, including but not limited to continuing education, distance learning professional development, participation in professional conferences, dues for membership in professional organizations, and small business start-up costs. The application deadline occurs in April of each year. For more information and application guidelines, see http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/44055.pdf

Click here to find out how you can contribute to the Cox Professional Fellowship Fund.

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.  Click here to view grants awarded in 2006. Click here to view grants awarded in 2007.

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. 

Click here to open application information in PDF format.

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 deadline to apply for the 2008/09 school year is February 6, 2008. 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.

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

Click here to read about, and view photos of, the 2007-2008 recipients (PDF format.)

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 or 703-351-9470 ext. 504.

DACOR Bacon House Foundation

Several scholarships and fellowships will be available in academic year 2008-2009 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 will select 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, will be 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 March 14, 2008.  For more information, contact Kasia Helbin-Travis, 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 college students who have a SDFCU account in good standing. They will distribute $20,000 among applicants selected by the Scholarship Committee. Past winners may apply this year. The competition begins in February. For more information call 703-706-5019, email marketing@sdfcu.org , or go to http://www.sdfcu.org/youth.

Foreign Service Youth Community Service Awards

The Harry M. Jannette Foreign Service Youth Community Service Award

Each year, the Harry M. Jannette Award for Community Service is presented to Foreign Service teenagers who have been nominated from around the world for their community service projects. The award honors teenagers who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts either in community service or in service to their peers while facing the challenges of growing up in an internationally mobile lifestyle. Two awards are presented to Foreign Service teenagers for their work either overseas or in the United States. First place award winners each receive a $3,000 savings bond compliments of Harry M. Jannette International Insurance.

This award is sponsored by the Foreign Service Youth Association. Visit their site for the FSYF Awards Program Brochure , as well as this year's nomination form and nomination information. For more information, please contact fsyf@fsyf.org.

The Una Chapman Cox Foreign Service Award for Domestic Community Service

The Una Chapman Cox Award for Domestic Community Service honors teenagers who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts either in community service or in service to their peers related to the challenges of an internationally mobile lifestyle while living in the United States.  The top award includes a certificate of recognition and a $2,000 savings bond. It will be presented to the Foreign Service teenager at the Youth Awards Ceremony in the Department of State. The nominee will be selected regardless of their location at the time of the selection. The winners will be announced in late spring.

This award is sponsored by the Foreign Service Youth Association. Visit their site for this year's nomination form and nomination information. For more information, please contact fsyf@fsyf.org.

Overseas Briefing Center KidVid Video Contest

Overseas Foreign Service kids, ages 10-18, submit videos that reflect typical life for FS kids at a particular post, including information on the housing, schooling, shopping, and types of recreation, etc. The videos are added to the Overseas Briefing Center's Video Library so when kids or families are researching potential posts, they can view the video for information. Prize money is donated by the Foreign Service Youth Foundation.

The contest is co-sponsored by the Overseas Briefing Center and the FSYF. Click here for OBC KidVid contest rules . For more information, please contact fsyf@fsyf.org.

Clements International Foreign Service Youth Award for Community Service

The Family Liaison Office is assisting the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) in encouraging the nomination of candidates for the Clements International Foreign Service Youth Award for Community Service. The Clements Award honors teenagers who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts overseas either in community service or in service to their peers while facing the challenges of growing up in an internationally mobile lifestyle.

Two first place awards for community service include a certificate of recognition for their volunteer work and a $1,500 savings bond. All award winners will be invited to the Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State to receive their certificates. The winners will be announced in late May 2008. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, April 25, 2008. For more information please go to: http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c24723.htm 2008.

Other Awards and Contests

2008 Young Diplomat's Essay Contest

The Foreign Service Youth Foundation is sponsoring the Worldwide Young Diplomat's Essay Contest, open to eligible high school and middle school youth. The first place high school winner receives $1,000 cash and the second place high school winner receives $500 cash. The first place middle school winner receives $250 cash. Diplomatic Automobile Sales is providing the prizes for the winners. Winners also will be invited to the annual Youth Award Ceremony held in the summer. Essays must be emailed or postmarked by April 15, 2008. If mailed, the essay must be received by May 1, 2008. For more information please visit: http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c24703.htm.

2008 Foreign Service Youth Art Contest

Foreign Service Youth ages five to 18 are invited to submit flat art work for the 2008 Foreign Service Youth Art Contest sponsored by the State Depart-ment Federal Credit Union. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each age group. The theme for this year’s contest is “My Life, My World, My Dreams.” Artwork must be received by April 30, 2008. For more information go to: http://www.fsyf.org/award/artContest.html