Description

A 24-month grant of $160,000 for the African-American China Leadership Fellows Program.   Total Budget:                                                  $342,000, 47% funded by HLF Other sources of support:                              Carnegie Corporation of New York, Denton’s-ASG, Rhodium Group, Cummins.   The American Mandarin Society (AMS) assists Americans who have returned from study and work in Greater China to maintain and develop their Chinese language skills and build professional networks. Since 2021, HLF has awarded two special grants to AMS to help launch the African-American China Leadership Fellows Program, which aims to attract, develop, and retain a cohort of African American professionals in various China-related fields as a means to improve US national security and competitiveness and better reflect the diversity of the US. As an intergenerational project, the eight–month program pairs ten mid-career fellows with senior African American mentors who share their experiences and contacts with younger colleagues. Activities include professional development seminars, skills building workshops, speaker events, and a trip to DC. AMS seeks funding to implement the program’s third and fourth years.   This grant would advance Asia’s Goal 1(a) (support continued development of China studies), Goal 2 (strengthen US foreign policy on Asia and improve US-Asia relations) and the Goal 2 strategy to support diverse inputs in policymaking.