About
The Professional Fellows Program (PFP) for the Middle East and North Africa is a two-way exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The program is designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance leadership and professional skills, and build lasting, sustainable partnerships between mid-level emerging leaders committed to strengthening their communities through community leadership, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Our program base is Washington DC with fellowship placements in either Austin, Texas, Detroit, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or Washington DC.
Upcoming U.S. based programs include:
Fall 2025 - 50 MENA fellows from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.
Spring 2026 - 26 MENA fellows from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
PFP programs include a reciprocal exchange of US Fellows traveling to the MENA region during the community initiative phase.
Between September 2022 and June 2024, four cohorts of fellows participated in high-impact business fellowships, working alongside U.S. hosts in Austin, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. The leaders came from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia to gain firsthand experience in economic development, innovation, and community development. Thanks to the generosity of over 70 U.S. organizations, fellows explored practical, real-world solutions, adapting best practices to drive progress in their home communities. Through this exchange, they continue to foster regional collaboration, economic growth, and sustainable impact.
Participating in PFP has been pivotal for both my personal and professional growth. On a personal level, I enhanced my communication skills by actively participating in cross-cultural groups and facilitating discussions on community empowerment. Professionally, I significantly expanded my network through interactions with fellow participants and staff from the host organization...PFP has provided me with invaluable skills and experiences that continue to positively shape my career trajectory.
Lora, PFP Fellow from Lebanon
This was a fantastic experience! Our fellow was an absolute joy and so helpful. He did an outstanding job of jumping into our complicated ecosystem of programs and people. He meaningfully contributed to our different programs and projects. He helped us see our programs in a new light, asked us critical questions, trained us on AI apps, helped us make a logo and MOU. The list goes on! He was so kind, fun, extremely intelligent and helpful.
Kerstin Johansson, Fellowship Host from Austin, Texas,