The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), in partnership with DonorsTrust, is pleased to announce the launch of the Grace-Marie Turner Fellowship Program. The Turner Fellowship will enable college students to participate in the TFAS D.C. Summer Program beginning in summer 2026, and TFAS is now accepting applications for the first class of Turner Fellows. The Fellowship is named in memory of Grace-Marie Turner, a nationally respected voice for free-market health policy and the founder and president of the Galen Institute.
The Turner Fellowship Program is being financially supported by DonorsTrust. It will provide an opportunity for two outstanding college students with an interest or experience in healthcare and public policy to spend a summer living, learning and interning in Washington, D.C. The Fellows will gain valuable skills and hands-on experience while learning about policies that support individual freedom, consumer choice and competition in the healthcare sector. Turner Fellows will participate in the Summer 2026 TFAS Academic Internship Program in Washington, D.C., and the Fellowship is open to students enrolled in the Public Policy & Economics, Business & Government Relations and International Affairs program tracks.
Turner Fellows will take a 6-credit curriculum centered around freedom-based principles, delivered through courses at George Mason University. The students will participate in an internship related to healthcare policy at a think tank, trade association or other organization engaged in healthcare policy. Students will also attend policy briefings and networking opportunities where they will learn from industry experts, build professional networks with peers and earn valuable training in healthcare policy.
“The U.S. healthcare system is one of the largest sectors of the economy as a whole, employing more than 17 million people and accounting for roughly 18% of the nation’s GDP. As healthcare policy debates continue in Washington, D.C., it’s important for the next generation of America’s leaders to have a strong understanding of this complex yet critical economic sector,” said TFAS President Roger Ream. “The new Turner Fellowship will allow students the opportunity to observe how healthcare policy is developed in Congress, the Administration, and industry associations, while learning about the critical issues currently facing the healthcare sector. Through this new Fellowship, TFAS will continue to advance the ideas of individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic freedom in healthcare.”
The Priority Admissions Deadline for the summer 2026 program is Thursday, Feb. 5. For more information about the Grace-Marie Turner Healthcare Fellowship Program and to apply for the program, please visit dcinternships.org.