The Swiss Society Fellowship Program

 The Swiss Society of New York is very proud to have introduced the annual Swiss Society Fellowship Prize & Program in 2008.

The annual Swiss Society Fellowship Prize is a financial grant in honor of the theme of each year’s Swiss Ball or Guest of Honor. Through the Prize the Swiss Society supports a deserving candidate or organizations in their pursuit of educational excellence, social awareness, and humanity’s general body of knowledge. The recognition of the prize grows with each year and it serves to increase interest in Switzerland with its rich culture and heritage and also highlights the achievements of Swiss in the United States.

We wish to thank all of our sponsors, but in particular those that contribute to the Silent Auction held at the annual Swiss Gala. The Silent Auction is the source of funding which sustains our ability to award the Swiss Society Fellowship as well as our other cultural sponsorships and events.

To secure the future of the Swiss Society Fellowship Prize & Programs, the Swiss Society has established the Swiss Society Fellowship Endowment Fund in 2013.

The impact of the Fellowship Prize

In our 2023 edition of the Gala, the Severin Hacker, co-founder of the language learning app Duolingo, joined us as Guest of Honor. In theme with the Swiss Gala 2023 main focus - learning languages to understand cultures better - the Swiss Society Fellowship Prize was granted to the Intercultural Exchange Program Youth for Understanding. As Swiss living in the US, we can very much stand proud behind that cause and wholeheartedly support their mission.

The impact the Fellowship prize had, was directly visible in the eyes and the speech of Scott J. Messing throughout the evening. However, another endorsement highlighting the impact such a fellowship prize can have arrived just shy of 2 years after the event.

The endorsement in Youth for Understanding enabled the cultural exchange and extended stay of a young American student Everett in Switzerland. In his letter he candidly shared the struggled of adapting to a new langauge and culture, the joy of discovering new friendships and landscapes, and the personal growth that will serve him throughout his life. Everett’s full experience and thank you letter can be read here.

We are immensely happy to have been able to support this experience and hope to have your support for the future Fellowship Prizes during the Swiss Gala.