The Center was founded in 1984 in honor and memory of Howard J. Samuels. It was originally situated at the CUNY Graduate Center. In 2017, it was relocated to Baruch College’s Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. The Center is supported by a grant from the State of New York and an endowment from the Samuels estate.

Samuels Center is currently accepting applications for two of its fellowship programs. This year, there are two fellowships available: the Samuels Doctoral Fellows Program and Samuels Public Affairs Fellowship. The former is for PhD students who have defended their dissertation proposals, and the latter is for academics, researchers, and community leaders who work in the field of public affairs. Up to four fellows in each category will be awarded unrestricted grants of $5,000 each. The application deadline for both fellowships is November 11, 2024. For more details, see the fellowship descriptions below.