To continue empowering tomorrow’s leaders, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Student Veterans of America (SVA) will once again host the 2024-2025 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship, providing exemplary student veterans the opportunity to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and in their community. This program has been held annually since 2014.
Candidates will undergo evaluation based on the following criteria:
- Current VFW membership (or eligible for VFW membership)
- Proof of current enrollment (e.g. unofficial transcript, class schedule, letter from school, etc.) at an accredited college or university during the fellowship program
- Proof of military service (DD214-member 4 copy, preferred). Click here to make sure you are protecting your personal information on your DD214.
- This program is open to all majors, and some may be eligible for college credits.
- Submission of an essay (length 3-5 pages)
- Explain the importance of advocacy for veterans’ issues
- Submission of a 30 to 60 second video describing why you want to become a VFW-SVA Legislative Fellow. For help with your video submission, click here.
- Virtual or phone interview with the selection committee
The 2024/2025 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship program is scheduled from October 2024 to March 2025. Chosen Fellows will work with VFW and SVA staff on a shared policy priority. Fellows will travel to NATCON 2025 in January and the 2025 VFW National Washington Conference in Washington, D.C. in March. During the VFW event, they will engage with Congress members, educating them on the challenges faced by today’s veterans. Fellows can also join VFW advocates from their respective states and form teams to directly meet with the leadership from the committees responsible for veterans’ issues, including the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees.
Travel expenses will be covered for both trips to include airfare, hotel accommodations, local transportation to/from meetings and a per diem allowance.
The application period for the 2025 fellowship class has closed.
If you have questions on the VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship program, please contact us.