The Biden administration is set to spend roughly $1.6 million on a program named after former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi aimed at making America’s diplomats more racially diverse.
The State Department’s “Nancy Pelosi Fellowship Program” seeks to support “the Department’s goal of cultivating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the United States” by developing a “diverse cadre of future national security professionals and diplomats,” according to federal grant documents. The fellowship fits into the broader focus Secretary of State Antony Blinken has placed on diversity and inclusion during his tenure in the administration.
A State Department official posted a grant solicitation on Monday looking for a non-governmental organization (NGO) to administer the program bearing Pelosi’s namesake, records show. The department expects the NGO running its program to “build diverse pipelines into public service that inclusively represent the cultural, social, ethnic, racial, gender, and geographic diversity of the United States to pursue a career in national security and diplomacy.” (RELATED: Biden State Department Funds Program To Create Army Of 2,500 ‘LGBTQI+ Allies’)
“The Department anticipates awarding this funding this fiscal year, for immediate program implementation,” a State Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The program will be monitored to keep track of “how diverse candidates are represented in outreach, selection, and program cohort[s],” according to the grant document. Through the fellowship, American university students who demonstrate financial need will be placed at either the State Department or a relevant third-party organization to complete a paid internship.
A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility plan is expected to accompany the program, according to grant documents.
The Nancy Pelosi Fellowship Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, according to the grant posting.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are pictured during a joint press conference, on January 30, 2023 in Jerusalem. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/Pool via REUTERS)
Blinken’s push for diversity in the State Department started early in the Biden administration.
In February 2021, shortly after his confirmation by the Senate, the secretary promised that he would be “bringing the diversity and inclusion work already underway at the State Department to the next level” by hiring a chief diversity and inclusion officer for the agency.
Blinken reaffirmed his commitment to diversity in September 2022 when he announced that the State Department would be releasing a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan. Through the plan, the department was to set goals on recruiting and retaining “a diverse workforce” while also promoting “greater inclusivity for women, employees with disabilities, LGBTQI+ employees, and religious, racial, and ethnic minorities.”
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