Presidential Leadership Scholars Program 2027

Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) brings together bold and principled leaders who are committed to facing critical challenges and interested in exploring lessons learned during the administrations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. We are looking for people who have the desire and capacity to build upon their strengths to improve people’s lives.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJuly 19, 2026
• ValueFully Funded
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorPredidential Leadership Scholars

Benefits

• All expenses, including housing, meals, and domestic travel during the sessions are provided by the program at no cost to the Scholars.

Requirements

The program assembles a unique and diverse cohort of high-potential leaders. Scholars most successful in the program, share certain characteristics:

• Civically minded: Seeks to make a positive impact.
• Openness to feedback: Seeks, mindfully accepts, and actively responds to assessments of their behavior and performance.
• Acceptance of diverse points of view: Welcomes opportunities to interact with and learn from others with different backgrounds or perspectives.
• Willingness to collaborate: Invites others to participate in addressing problems or pressing issues.
• Meaningful professional experience: Has breadth and depth of professional experience -- typically 10+ years -- and will build on the PLS experience for years to come.
• Record of demonstrated leadership: Presents an established record of engagement and leadership. (PLS is not an introductory course in leadership.) 
• Commitment to the program: Can fully participate in a rigorous and intense six-month program.

APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP

The PLS program challenges participants to develop their leadership skills in an environment in which individuals’ experiences are seen as strengths and are respected, supported, and valued. Within this welcoming and inclusive climate, Scholars are expected to do the following both in and out of the program: 

• Engage in deep reflection about their personal leadership development, including acknowledging habits of exclusion and creating new habits of inclusion.
• Commit to meaningful interactions with others whose life experiences and perspectives are different than their own, even if those interactions are uncomfortable. 
• Include diverse perspectives in the framing of challenges and consideration of responses.  
• Work to ensure the full participation of others in addressing concerns or pressing issues. 
• Seek understanding with others, especially when they disagree.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP PROJECTS

You are required to apply with a Personal Leadership Project (PLP) that you will work on throughout the program. This project might be a component of your day-to-day work or something you are pursuing outside of your day-to-day responsibilities. It may represent an important next step in an initiative on which you are already working, or the first step in a new project. The project should involve a significant leadership challenge that can be addressed by the insights gained throughout the program. We expect Scholars to have adequately thought through many of the important elements required to achieve a significant outcome by the end of the program. The project should:

• Focus on a positive outcome for a specific group of people. 
• Have an achievable six-month goal, even if the broader work itself will take a longer timeframe than six months.
• Leverage the Scholar’s existing knowledge, experience, and/or network.  
• Benefit from participation in the program.  

Check also:
Fairleigh Dickinson Scholarships for International Students 2026

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Presidential Leadership Scholars on gwbpc-pls.secure-platform.com to apply

For more information, kindly visit Presidential Leadership Scholars Program webpage.