National Poverty Fellow Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where are the National Poverty Fellow positions located and are fellows able to work remotely?
The NPF program is an in-residence post-doctoral training fellowship, thus all positions are headquartered in Washington, DC. Each HHS office determines whether work will be in-person, hybrid, or fully remote. OPRE-DEI, the office hiring in 2025, is open to hiring fully remote fellows. Fellows who relocate to Washington, DC for the fellowship may be eligible for a $5,000 relocation bonus. Fellows who work remotely from a location outside of the Washington, DC metro area are responsible for travel costs associated with travel to Washington, DC. They may also be required to pay other travel costs if the difference in travel cost from the fellow’s home location is more expensive than if they were traveling from Washington, DC.
Can applicants be non-US citizens with either a visa or permanent resident status?
IRP fellowships are restricted to US citizens. To be eligible, applicants must be able to pass a federal security clearance. The security clearance process for non-citizens is extremely lengthy and could not be completed in the timeframe available between applicant selection and start date. Given the short-term nature of the fellowship, HHS has restricted eligibility to US citizens.