Grants for the Study of East and Southeast Asian Languages

Since 1990, the Blakemore Foundation, with the support of The Freeman Foundation, has awarded over $17 million in grants to college graduates and young professionals for an academic year abroad in full-time intensive language study. The fellowships cover tuition and a stipend for related educational expenses, basic living costs and transportation.

Superior candidates pursuing careers in fields such as academia, international business, accounting, law, medicine, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), journalism, architecture, teaching, social or NGO work, and government service are encouraged to apply.

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year of advanced level language study in East or Southeast Asia. Eligible languages are Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese.

The Blakemore Foundation makes grants for study only at specific language programs. Please refer to the current list of approved programs.

To be eligible for a Blakemore Freeman Fellowship, an applicant must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States.
• Be pursuing a professional, business, or academic career that involves the regular use of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, or Khmer.
• By the start of the grant, have at least a bachelor's degree.
• Be at or near an advanced level in the language. By the start of the grant, applicants must have completed (at minimum) the third year of language classes at the college level, through formal classroom study at a college or university and/or in rigorous college-level language programs. Be able to devote oneself exclusively to full-time intensive language study during the term of the grant. Grants are not made for part-time study or research.

Superior candidates pursuing careers in fields such as academia, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), international business, accounting, law, medicine, journalism, architecture, teaching, social or NGO work, and government service are encouraged to apply. 

Please be aware that our grants are highly competitive. In recent years, we were able to fund less than 10% of applicants.

• Applicants need to apply independently to the approved language program.  Follow the language school’s posted deadlines for applications. 
• Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded contingent upon the applicant's acceptance by the language program for which the fellowship is awarded. This means that an applicant may receive a grant offer for a Blakemore Freeman Fellowship before the notification of admission by the language school involved; should the grantee subsequently not be admitted, the Blakemore Foundation’s grant offer will be rescinded.
• An applicant applying for admission to a language program must not be required by that program to complete a summer program as a prerequisite to academic year admission.

No grants are available for study in the United States.

Length of Study, Start Dates and Deferral Policy

Study will normally start in fall, but must start no later than May, limited by the start dates of school terms at the language school or tutoring program involved. Grant start dates may not be deferred beyond May.

• senior
• graduate

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident

Get details and apply at https://www.blakemorefoundation.org/. 

Blakemore Freeman Fellows are expected to remain in the study country during the entire period of their grant, except in the event of an emergency, required visa renewal travel or for absences approved in advance by the Foundation. Therefore, a Blakemore Freeman Fellow should not plan to return to the United States for Christmas or other holiday periods.

We encourage Blakemore Freeman Fellows to use holidays and school breaks for modest travel within their study country and to participate in other activities to expand their language usage outside the classroom.

Blakemore Foundation
P.O. Box 50347
Bellevue, WA 98015

(206) 427-4838

ContactUs@blakemorefoundation.org