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The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Institute was co-founded in 1974 as a joint initiative of Ambassador George F. Kennan, then Wilson Center Director James Billington, and historian S. Frederick Starr. The Institute was named in honor of Ambassador Kennan's relative, George Kennan "the Elder" (1845-1924), a nineteenth-century explorer of Russia and Siberia.

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About the Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Institute was co-founded in 1974 as a joint initiative of Ambassador George F. Kennan, then Wilson Center Director James Billington, and historian S. Frederick Starr. The Institute was named in honor of Ambassador Kennan's relative, George Kennan "the Elder" (1845-1924), a nineteenth-century explorer of Russia and Siberia.

The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American expertise and knowledge of Russia, Ukraine, and the region. Through its residential fellowship programs, public lectures, workshops, and publications, the Institute strives to attract, publicize, and integrate new research into the policy community.

Our Fellowships

The Institute offers residential fellowships in the humanities and social sciences to academic scholars and specialists from government, the media, and the private sectors. Thanks to its location in Washington, D.C., scholars at the Kennan Institute have access to libraries including the Library of Congress, as well as to archives, research facilities, policy makers, and other resources that are among the finest in the world.

Our Scholars

We offer our scholars comprehensive media trainings to refine their communications skill set. These trainings include sessions on television and radio presence, as well as op-ed writing. Our scholars also frequently contribute their expertise on an array of topics through masterclass sessions and lectures on Capitol Hill with congressional staff.

In addition to our presence in Washington, we maintain a steady stream of outreach around the US We provide our scholars the opportunity to take part in the Kennan Conversations program which brings our current scholars and alumni from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine to locations throughout the country to give lectures and conduct media outreach. We aim to connect with Americans across the nation who are interested in events transpiring in Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, but who do not always have the opportunity to hear from leading experts and academics firsthand.

Our Events and Publications
The Institute also administers an active program of public lectures and conferences featuring scholars and public figures from the United States, Ukraine, Russia, and other states from the region. The Institute makes all of its events and research publicly available through a variety of publications including blogs, audio and video recordings, special reports, articles, and commercially published books. Our Russia File and Focus Ukraine blogs, along with our KennanX podcast, serve as a platform offering insight into current events in Russia and Ukraine, as well as US-Russia and US-Ukraine relations.

Kennan Institute Advisory Council and Partners

  • Kennan Institute Advisory Council

    The Advisory Council advises the Kennan Institute on all scholarly aspects of its work, including the review of scholarship applications. Council members, who normally serve for four years, also assist the Institute individually by advising staff members and helping to organize conferences.

     

    Michael Kimmage
    Chair
    Catholic University of America

    Anna Artutunyan
    Mayak Intelligence

    Maria Blackwood
    Congressional Research Service

    Oleksander Fisun
    V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

    William H. Hill
    Wilson Center

    Mark N. Katz
    George Mason University

    Lucian Kim
    International Crisis Group

    Suzanne Loftus
    National War College

    Lauren McCarthy
    University of Massachusetts Amherst

    Grace Kennan Warnecke
    Advisory Council Emerita

  • Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State
    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports the Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholarship program and the Galina Starovoitova Fellowship on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

    Carnegie Corporation of New York
    Carnegie Corporation of New York is a foundation that promotes the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.

    US Department of State Title VIII Program
    The Title VIII Program, administered by the US Department of State, seeks to build expertise on the countries of Eurasia and Central and East Europe through support to national organizations in the US for advanced research, language and graduate training, and other activities conducted domestically and overseas. The Department of State brings this expertise to the service of the US Government.

    Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation
    The Foundation’s vision is to be a catalyst for change in the communities we serve. It seeks to have a significant impact on the capacity of the nonprofit sector to elevate opportunities for youth and raise a community’s quality of life now and well into the future.

    SAGA Foundation
    The SAGA Foundation assists organizations focusing on the issues of leadership, underserved youth, safety and security, and global peace.