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Grantee loginThrough this grant, RAF intends to increase the number of seats allocated to Romanian leaders who are eligible to participate in the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) Program, run by the GMF in the US and in Europe.
CONTEXT
Marshall Memorial Fellowship is the most important leadership program run by the German Marshall Fund (an organization founded in 1972 through a donation by the German Government). MMF was created in 1982 with the purpose of creating a new generation of American and European leaders to strengthen transatlantic relations.
MMF scholars come from all over the United States and 20 European countries and, until now, more than 2,500 business, non-governmental, governmental or media leaders have benefited from the program.
GMF works with more than 50 partners on both continents to support the program, which includes 6 months of training and 24 days of “travel exchange”. It is an accelerated program in knowledge development and relationship building.
Out of this community of 2,500 alumni, 64 are Romanians. In time, the funding for Romania decreased from 4 positions per year in 2004, to only one in 2013.
STRATEGY
Annually, two series of 24-day travel exchanges are organized, in spring or in the fall. During these exchanges, MMF scholars meet prominent government, business, politics, NGO and media leaders, in formal or informal settings. Interacting with partner institutions and participating at the meetings provide scholars with a better understanding of relevant transatlantic or domestic topics.
American scholars start their journey in Brussels and visit Northern, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Bucharest is always the last stop during the spring program. European scholars start their U.S. journey in Washington DC and end it in New York.
The network of 2,500 MMF alumni is a global community, which works to strengthen transatlantic relationships, create common agendas for discussion and improve the connections between the two continents. Leaders who now hold some of the highest positions in their governments, businesses or societies have attended programs of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship.
By supporting this program, RAF intends to increase the number of Romanian leaders who are exposed to these learning and development experiences by one seat a year.