The Ford Motor Company International Fellowship of the 92nd Street Y, which is directed by Ms. Alison Gardy, is accepting applications for the 2007 program. I hope to enlist your assistance in distributing the brochure and application to individuals and organizations that would benefit from the program. Applications must be postmarked, faxed, or emailed by June 30, 2006 to be considered. For the 2007 program, applicants must be citizens and residents of the following countries:

Chile
Costa Rica
Israel
Northern Ireland
Russian Federation
Senegal
Sri Lanka
Sudan

This annual fellowship is funded by the Ford Motor Company and organized by the 92nd Street Y to provide education and support to community leaders engaged in the nonprofit sector. To date, 137 individuals from 36 countries have received the Ford Fellowship, which is now in its seventh year.

A successful applicant must demonstrate that he or she:

§ is a community leader engaged in the nonprofit sector, either professionally or as a volunteer;
§ is successfully addressing issues that affect the community’s well-being; and
§ would benefit from an intensive two-and-a-half-week nonprofit management training course in New York.

Previous Ford Fellows include:

§ a South African AIDS educator;
§ the president of a Jewish aid society facilitating Bosnia-Herzegovina’s transition to democracy;
§ a sustainable development expert from Zimbabwe;
§ the founder of an Indian organization that educates women and children working in the silk industry; and
§ an Indonesian advocate for ethnic minorities.

The residency takes place June 1-June 20, 2007 in New York City. Airfare, accommodation, food, transportation, instruction, and other program-related expenses are included in the fellowship, and participants receive a small stipend upon arrival.

During the intensive two-and-a-half-week residency, Ford Fellows take classes in areas including nonprofit management strategy and leadership training at Columbia University’s Picker Center for Executive Education. The academic curriculum is complemented by visits to model nonprofits in New York City and meetings with academic, business, and government leaders. The experience is enhanced by Fellows’ residency at the 92nd Street Y, a community and cultural center founded in 1874 that now serves over 300,000 people annually.

The Ford Motor Company International Fellowship of the 92nd Street Y provides a tremendous opportunity to international community leaders, and I would greatly appreciate your help in distributing the attached brochure and application to people and organizations that could benefit from this opportunity. Again, applications for the 2007 Fellowship must be postmarked, faxed, or emailed no later than June 30, 2006. For more information about the program, please see the attached brochure or visit our website at www.92Y.org/ford. Please contact Ms. Alison Gardy at 212.415.5473 or agardy@92Y.org or myself if you have any question or wish to receive additional brochures and applications by mail. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Jesse Melman
Jesse Melman
Assistant to the Director of International Relations
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10128
Tel: 212.415.5561
Fax: 212.415.5798
jmelman@92Y.org
www.92Y.org/ford