Institute for Policy Studies Announces Inaugural Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program

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Washington, D.C. – On June 18, the Institute for Policy Studies announced the new inaugural class of the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program, IPS’s flagship initiative focused on building the next generation of progressive leaders and public scholars.

This new leadership program builds upon nine years of IPS’s Next Leaders program, a groundbreaking 10-week paid summer internship program that provided critical mentorship, training, and research opportunities to young progressive scholar-activists, promoting engagement in public scholarship — the connection between policy research, advocacy, and grassroots activism.

In its inaugural year, the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program consists of 11 Fellows, and will add several elements to that highly successful program. In addition to  individualized mentorship with IPS projects, the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program will sharpen young scholar-activists’ voices and hone their skills through research, writing, organizing, and presenting on issues and movements that are vital to building a progressive future.  The fellowship will also involve the Fellows in several dialogues with IPS senior staff and allies on strategic issues of vital interest to the progressive movement.  It will include an in-depth look at Henry A. Wallace and the movements that shaped the New Deal of the 1930s.  And, it will feature the first annual Henry A. Wallace public symposium in July.

The Wallace Fellowship draws inspiration from its namesake, a visionary progressive leader who helped shape critical labor, economic, and social policies. Henry A. Wallace served as Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, and Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. An architect of the New Deal, Wallace championed domestic policies to advance economic, gender and racial justice, and he worked tirelessly to challenge fascism and promote peace in the United States and around the world. Read more about Wallace’s legacy at HenryWallace.org.

“We are honored to launch the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship this year, strengthening and deepening our work to mentor the next generation of public scholars, while advancing the same principles and ideals championed by Wallace himself,”  said IPS Executive Director Tope Folarin. “Right now in particular, Wallace’s work to advance bold solutions to some of the most urgent and systemic issues of his time– from workers’ rights to racial equity to environmental protections and beyond – serves as a timely source of inspiration for future progressive leaders like our Fellows.”

The Henry A. Wallace Fellowship is supported by the Wallace Global Fund, a foundation dedicated to supporting people-powered movements that advance democracy, protect human rights, and fight for a healthy planet.

“We’re proud to partner with IPS on this important leadership program. This fellowship carries the promise of a stronger democracy and a more progressive future, critical elements of the Henry A. Wallace legacy. My grandfather fought for what he called the ‘common man’ against what he called ‘American fascism’ – what happens when huge corporate interests merge with government to advance their own power and privilege. This fellowship program is an opportunity to teach new generations not only about the perpetual importance of people-powered movements to demand change, but about the fundamental need for our democracy to be structured to be responsive, to level the playing field and foster equal opportunity for all,” said Scott Wallace, Co-Chair of the Wallace Global Fund.

IPS also announced the hiring of the new director of the Wallace Fellowship Program, Timothy Kumfer.  A historian of social movements, cities, and domestic policy, Kumfer holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining IPS, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University and worked for Good Jobs First, an economic development policy resource center.

For further information and to speak with Timothy Kumfer or Tope Folarin, contact IPS Deputy Communications Director Olivia Alperstein at (202) 704-9011 or olivia@ips-dc.org.

About the Institute for Policy Studies

For six decades, the Institute for Policy Studies has served as a leading multi-issue research organization that provides key fact-based support for bold policy solutions to urgent issues from rising inequality to the climate crisis.

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