Scott Family Liberia Fellows

The Scott Family Fellows program recruited young professionals to support the Government of Liberia as it recovers from 14 years of brutal civil war. These young professionals filled a huge capacity gap and worked in Liberia as "special assistants" to senior Liberian government officials, primarily Cabinet ministers.  They typically had a Masters degree and one to two years of relevant experience. The program put a special emphasis on encouraging qualified Liberians to apply. The Fellows worked long hours on a range of activities from administrative tasks to policy issues, all with the goal of helping Liberia in its urgent reconstruction and development efforts.

The Scott Family Fellows program was founded with a generous $1,000,000 grant from the family of Edward W. Scott, Jr. When announcing the program in February 2007, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said, "This is just the kind of support we need from our friends. I am very grateful to Ed Scott and his family for their generous support."  Since its inception, the program has expanded to include other fellows funded by Humanity United, the McCall MacBain Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Nike Foundation.

The initial program was a collaborative effort between the Liberian government, the John Snow Research and Training Institute, Inc. and CGD.  The John Snow Research and Training Institute, Inc. now fully administers the Liberia Fellows Program.