Washington, DC – The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) has received a grant of $100,000 from the Hungary Initiatives Foundation (HIF) to underwrite its Coalition Internship Program (CIP) through December 2017.

This signature program of the Coalition was established in 2005 for the purpose of bringing young Hungarian Americans, and English-speaking Hungarians from Hungary and the neighboring countries, to gain first-hand experience at various Washington-based institutions. Internship participants are expected to complete a Coalition research project that enables them to become familiar with the Hungarian-American community. Through assignments to think tanks and non-government organizations, CIP participants learn about the workings of both the U.S. government and the non-profit world. Their experience helps them establish contacts in the U.S. in their chosen field, and motivates them to enter public service in their country of origin.

Host institutions have included: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); Heritage Foundation; William Penn Association and the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation; German Marshall Fund of the United Sates; Global Entrepreneurship Network; Meridian House International; Design Museum Boston; The European Institute; International Market Analysis; Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development; Pinnacle Care Health Advisory; Center for Open Data Enterprise; Center for European Policy Analysis; Experience Corps; International Cybersecurity Dialogue; Blue Medium, Inc. etc.

Seventy-five students have completed the Coalition Internship program since 2005.

The Hungary Initiatives Foundation is an independent, U.S.-based non-partisan and non-profit organization committed to strengthening the understanding and cooperation between Hungary and the United States of America. The Foundation is the first of its kind in the long history of the Hungarian diaspora. The Foundation wishes to take an active part in the educational, academic, personal, and professional exchange between Hungary and the United States. For more information, go to the organization’s website.