May 11, 2026

James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Announces 2026 James Madison Fellows

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia, is proud to announce that it has selected 45 James Madison Fellows for its 2026 class in its thirty-fourth annual fellowship competition. The Foundation awards James Madison Fellowships to outstanding graduate and undergraduate students committed to a career teaching about the development and history of the United States Constitution. The fellowship recognizes promising and distinguished teachers, and it aims to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation’s secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation’s Constitutional heritage.

The 45 James Madison Fellows were selected by an independent academic committee in a competition with applicants from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the nation’s island and trust territories. Fellows were chosen for their scholarly achievements and their demonstrated interest in pursuing a course of graduate study leading to a master’s degree emphasizing the U.S. Constitution. Fellowships were awarded only in states and territories where resident applicants met the James Madison Fellowship’s criteria.

Named in honor of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, who is acknowledged as “the Father of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” a James Madison Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow’s course of study towards a master’s degree. A Fellow’s graduate program must include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution. Recipients are required to teach American history, government, or civics full-time in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of Fellowship support.

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and was created by law in 1986. James Madison Fellowships are funded by income generated through a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States and additional private gifts, grants, and endowments. Additional information may be found at www.jamesmadison.gov.

2026 James Madison Fellows

Senior Fellows (Current Teachers)
Listed by state of legal residence, name, and secondary school where they teach

Junior Fellows (Prospective Teachers)
Listed by state of legal residence, name, and undergraduate school

¹ Rachel Hammond’s fellowship, the Henry J. Salvatori-James Madison Fellowship, is endowed by the
Henry J. Salvatori Foundation.

² Michelle Stern’s fellowship, the J. Seward Johnson-James Madison Fellowship, is endowed by the
Atlantic Foundation of Hamilton, New Jersey.

³ Julia Raudenbush’s fellowship, the Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr.-James Madison Fellowship, is funded by
The Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr. Foundation.

⁴ Michael Lashua’s fellowship, the Admiral Paul A. Yost, Jr.– James Madison Fellowship, is funded by
The James Madison Education Fund, Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia.

⁵ Jose Medrano’s fellowship, the James Madison Fellows’ Fellowship, is funded in part by contributions
from the James Madison Fellows Alumni.