MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tufts Fletcher School’s Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion Offers Fellowships for Banking Regulators, Policymakers from Developing Countries

The Fletcher School, US-based Tufts University’s graduate school of international affairs, has announced that it will offer nine-month fellowships within its Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion to representatives of regulatory authorities and policy-making institutions from developing countries. Applications may be submitted through November 16, 2015, and the program is scheduled to start on May 1, 2016.

Fellows will be assigned weekly assignments that may be submitted remotely. Participants are also expected to attend two “in-person residencies”[1], including a two-week workshop to be held in the US city of Boston. Participation also will be mandatory at the “Fletcher working sessions”[1] at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Global Policy Forum, an annual event that is focused on national strategies and policies on financial inclusion, to be held in an unspecified location in late 2016.

The fellowships are funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization that provides grants with the aim of enhancing health care, reducing poverty and expanding access to education and information technology.

The admission guidelines and online application can be found at: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/FinancialInclusion/Admissions#guidelines

As of December 31, 2014, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has total assets of USD 44.3 billion and operations funded in approximately 100 countries. As of 2014, AFI has 117 member institutions representing approximately 90 nations.

By Alíz Crowley, Research Associate

About The Fletcher School at Tufts University

The Fletcher School at Tufts University is a graduate school of international affairs that offers master’s and doctoral level academic programs in three disciplines: international law and organizations; diplomacy, history, and politics; and economics and international business. The Fletcher School was established in 1876 and it is based in Medford, Massachusetts, USA. As of 2015, the institution has 248 students and 56 full-time faculty members.

About Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)

The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), founded in 2008, is a network of policy making and regulatory institutions from developing and emerging economies that aims to increase access to financial services for poor people. AFI uses a “peer-to-peer” model that enables member institutions to share knowledge and identify policy solutions for their home countries. AFI also provides grants to members to help support policy implementation. As of April 2014, AFI’s 124 member institutions represent 95 countries. AFI’s headquarters are located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Launched in 1994, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is a US-based nonprofit organization that provides grants to organizations with the aim of enhancing health care, reducing poverty and expanding access to education and information technology. The foundation’s “Financial Services for the Poor” initiative focuses on providing people with secure places to save money. To support this initiative, the foundation works with financial organizations to increase access to technology and to forge partnerships among mobile phone companies, banks and microfinance institutions. As of December 31, 2014, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has total assets of USD 44.3 billion and operations funded in approximately 100 countries.

Sources and Additional Resources

[1] The Fletcher School, Tufts University, The Fletcher School Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion

MicroCapital Universe Profile: The Fletcher School, Tufts University

MicroCapital Universe Profile: Alliance for Financial Inclusion

MicroCapital Universe Profile: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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