Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

The Heritage Congressional Fellowship is a training and educational program to instruct junior congressional staffers in the key ideas—from the principles of the American Founding to the fundamentals of economic freedom to the leading concepts of conservative thought—necessary for them to address current legislative issues and grapple with contemporary politics and policy.

The Heritage Congressional Fellows Program consists of a one-hour luncheon program on Capitol Hill every Friday which includes: a brief update on legislative matters pending before Congress; an informal presentation and discussion of a previously announced topic; and a brief “good of the order” discussion to brings new topics to the group's attention.A recognized leader in a particular field—scholars, writers, members of the media and top congressional staffers—will lead each week's program.While there is no limit to the number of participants from each office, participation is limited to junior staffers (Staff Assistants and Legislative Correspondents).In most cases, Heritage Congressional Fellows will be nominated to participate in the program by the Chief of Staff or Legislative Director in their respective offices.The program, including the lunch and reading material, will be at no cost to the participants or their offices.Regular participants will be notified about programs and reading materials by e-mail.

Topics

The program is broken into three subject areas.

Ground Rules

1. All comments, particularly from fellow participants and speakers, are off the record.
2. Participants should be prompt, as the program each week will start and end on time.
3. Regular attendance is recommended, and generally expected.
4. It is important to read assigned materials as much as possible prior to the meeting.
5. Individual participation is strongly encouraged, but the views expressed should not to be offered or defended as the position of the participant's office.

Registered individuals who attend a significant amount of programs over the course of the year (75%) will receive a Heritage Congressional Fellowship certificate of participation from The Heritage Foundation, a copy of which will be forwarded to the individual's nominating Chief of Staff or Legislative Director.

Application and Nomination Process

Heritage Congressional Fellowship Application

Please fax completed form to Eric Heis, Deputy House Relations at (202) 675-1778.

If you would like to nominate a juniorstaffer, please e-mail Eric Heis the staffer's name and contact information. We appreciate your help!

What Our Graduates are Saying

"HCF helped reinforce a basic foundation of conservative thought from which to grow. It provided an invaluableforum to speak with leading conservatives, discuss a wide range of policy issues, and develop relationships with conservative staffers on the Hill."

-- Thomas Bean, HCF Graduate 2003

Chief of Staff, Office of Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart

"HCF allowed me to meet other new staffers in Washington, DC and build relationships with them. It is a great way to start building your network in DC. It also gave me the opportunity to hear from leading conservative thinkers and have dinner with some of them. HCF discussions on policy taught me about policy and helped me gain institutional knowledge. It is a great way to learn, meet people, and get grounded in DC."

-- Deborah Shelby, HCF Class of 2003

"The Fellows program enriched my understanding of relevant and diverse topics by providing comprehensive overviews on each topic. More importantly, the program provided me with important resources and contacts that will aid me in my work as long as I am working on the Hill."

-- Hendrik Van Der Vaart, HCF Class of 2006
Office of Senator Tom Coburn