Securing a host affiliation can be one of the more difficult aspects of a Fulbright application. But doing your homework and starting early can make it a lot easier. The best affiliation is one that comes out of your existing network. Consider:

Who are your mentors connected to internationally?
What about the international connections of their closest collaborators?

Mizzou is a destination for many international students. Try:

connecting with one from your target country and see if they can make any connections for you
contacting former Fulbrighters from your host country

Don't be shy about sending cold-call emails. Try an internet search for a professor or a nonprofit in your host country that closely fits your interests and contact them for a conversation about a host affiliation. The email on the right is an example cold-call email sent by a grad student looking to do a dissertation project through a Fulbright research grant. Don't be intimidated by the level of research sophistication. Instead, look at the main components of the letter:

Who I am
My qualifications
Why I’m interested in you
What I’m asking of you
What I’m not asking of you
What I’m offering you

Sample Email

Letter of Affiliation Example Email.docx

This student already had a fairly complete study design to propose. Yours might not be as fleshed out and could benefit from a conversation with the person. That’s OK too. You can sketch out the basics of what you want to do, how you see it fitting with what the person is already doing, and then ask for a conversation to figure out more. That’s really the goal of the initial email — a conversation. Keep in mind that as a Fulbrighter you’ll be coming with your own funding and a stamp of approval from the U.S. government. People want to be affiliated with Fulbright. Don’t feel like you’re imposing when you’re making this request.

For additional host-affiliation advice pages check out these resources: