Application Deadline: March 1, 2017,
The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals seeking innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. The fellowship funds work that will enrich public understanding of those challenges and stimulate far-reaching and probing conversations within the Open Society Foundations and in the world.
The Open Society Fellowship was founded in 2008 to support individuals pursuing innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. The fellowship funds work that will enrich public understanding of those challenges and stimulate far-reaching and probing conversations within the Open Society Foundations and in the world.
For the current application round, the Open Society Fellowship invites proposals relevant to the following propositions:
Human rights are under siege everywhere. Why?
- Those who carry out human rights analysis and reporting have been seduced by legal frameworks and largely ignore imbalances of power that lead to rights violations.
- Political leaders increasingly play on fears that human rights are a Trojan Horse, threatening societies by promising rights to dangerous “others.”
- Ideal fellows are specialists who can see beyond the parochialisms of their field and possess the tenacity to complete a project of exceptional merit.
- Proposals will be accepted from anywhere in the world, although demonstrable proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
- Applicants should possess and demonstrate a deep understanding of the major themes embedded within the statement for which they wish to apply and be willing to serve in a cohort of fellows with diverse occupational, geographic, and ideological profiles.
- Successful applicants should be eager to exploit the many resources offered by the Open Society Foundations and be prepared to engage constructively with our global network.
Fellowship Support
- One year fellows will receive a stipend of $80,000 or $100,000, depending on work experience, seniority, and current income. Stipends will be prorated for shorter term fellows. The stipend does not necessarily equal the applicant’s current salary. In certain cases, fellows will receive additional financial support to enable them to meet the residency expectation.
- In addition to the stipend, fellows will receive a project budget. That budget may include expenses such as travel (including airfare and hotel), visa costs, part-time research assistance, conference fees and health insurance.
- Fellowship expenses should not include operational or programmatic costs, such as employees and physical infrastructure. The purpose of the fellowship is to support individual fellows; therefore the program will only cover individual expenses.
The fellowship does not fund enrollment for degree or non-degree study at academic institutions, including dissertation research.
Application and Selection
Letters of Inquiry
Applicants are required to submit a one- to two page, single-spaced, letter of inquiry that outlines the topic of the project, proposed work product, and relevance to the statements above. A CV should accompany the letter of inquiry with a CV.
Letters of inquiry should address the following questions:
o What is the central argument of your proposed project as it relates to the statement?
o How does your project advance or challenge current thinking?
o Who is/are the intended audience/s?
o What are the potential work products?
The letter of inquiry should be submitted here. Letters of inquiry will be reviewed within 6 weeks. Inquiries showing promise will be invited to submit a full proposal.
The fellowship program considers applications subject to funding availability.
Contact Information
For more information please contact: [email protected]
To apply, submit letters of inquiry here. The deadline to submit letters of inquiry on these statements is March 1, 2017, with responses to applicants by March 24, 2017.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Open Society Foundation Youth Fellowships 2017