Civil Society Leadership Awards 2019

Application Deadline: May 15th, 2018

The Civil Society Leadership Awards (CSLA) provide fully-funded scholarships for master’s degree study to individuals who clearly demonstrate academic and professional excellence and a deep commitment to leading positive social change in their communities.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

be a citizen of an eligible country;
demonstrate maturity, flexibility, and civil society leadership potential
have an earned bachelor’s degree as of May 15, 2018 with an excellent academic record;
demonstrate professional experience related to your chosen field of study;
demonstrate proficiency in the language of instruction (English, German or French) at a level required for admission by host universities;
be able to participate in an intensive pre-academic summer school in July or August 2019 and start their degree program in August or September 2019;
be able to receive and maintain a visa or study permit as required by the host country; and
demonstrate a clear commitment to their home country or region to strengthen open society development.

The awards are available to citizens of the following countries:

Afghanistan
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Cambodia
China
Democratic Republic of Congo
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Laos
Libya
Myanmar/Burma
Republic of Congo
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Benefits:

CSLA

grantees will receive financial and administrative support for the following:

• Pre-academic preparation via summer schools;

• Program-related travel;

• Tuition and mandatory university fees;

• Monthly stipend for room, board, and other living expenses;

• Accident and sickness insurance during the program;

• Funds for educational materials and professional development;

• Attendance at a regional Scholarship Programs conference;

• Accommodations during the application process and the duration of the grant for applicants with disabilities.

Awards are available for study in the following areas:

Communications, Journalism & Media
Culture, History & Society
Development Studies
Economics
Education Management & Leadership
Environment & Natural Resource Management
Gender Studies
Human Rights
Law (including Human Rights law)
Politics & International Studies
Public Health Policy & Health Management
Public Administration
Public Policy
Social Policy
Social Work

Selection and Notification Cycle

Applications must be submitted by midnight, May 15, 2018, Eastern Daylight Time.
Uncompetitive and/or ineligible applicants will be notified in late June. Those chosen to continue will be sent out for external review and notified of their results in early September.
Applicants who pass external review become semi-finalists and will be invited to an interview to be scheduled in late September or October.
Semi-finalists are required to secure two (2) letters of recommendation which must be submitted directly to CSLA by referees by October 1, 2018.
Semi-finalists will be required to take an official language test by the end of October 2018; all candidates invited to an interview are entitled to one (1) language test, arranged and paid for by CSLA.
Final selection will be held in November; results will be sent via email by January 2019.
Successful semi-finalists are now CSLA finalists, and CSLA staff will initiate their host university placement process.
The CSLA university placement process takes time; CSLA will strive to confirm placements for finalists by late April 2019.
Once placement is secured, CSLA finalists will be notified that they are now CSLA grantees, and will be asked to sign and return a formal grant document before any further actions can be taken.

Interested applicants must complete an online or paper CSLA application and submit along with supporting documentation to be considered for CSLA support.

Online Application

All candidates are strongly encouraged to apply online if possible using Submittable, an online platform. To apply online, please register on Submittable and then follow instructions.

Paper Application

Paper applications may be accessed in the Download Files section of this page. Please download the application form before completing or printing, and review the accompanying materials before submitting your application.

Documents:

2019 Civil Society Leadership Awards Guidelines

Download the complete guidelines.

277.96 KB pdf