Deadline: 13 February 2020
Open Society Foundation is seeking applications for its Soros Equality Fellowship to support emerging mid career professionals whom they believe will become long-term innovative leaders impacting racial justice.
The Open Society Foundations seek a diverse and dynamic cohort of applicants, including but not limited to activists, lawyers, artists, journalists, and organizers with unique perspectives, to produce projects with meaningful impact.
Award Information
The fellowship award provides individuals with $100,000 to support the production of an innovative racial justice project over the course of 18 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Fellowship Term and Time Commitment
- Applicants must be able to devote at least 35 hours per week to the project if awarded a fellowship; and the project must be the applicant’s only full-time work during the course of the fellowship. Fellows cannot be full-time students during their fellowship. In addition, if awarded a fellowship, applicants must be available to attend a set of activities during the fellowship term: New Fellows Orientation in New York (tentatively set for July 2020); the Soros Equality Fellowship retreat (tentatively set for fall of 2020); fellowship class network calls; and a Rockwood Leadership Institute training. Exact dates and locations will be confirmed upon fellowship selection.
- Projects Based Outside the United States
- Applicants may be based outside the United States, provided their work directly pertains to a U.S. racial justice issue and are able to demonstrate a proficiency in spoken and written English.
- Joint Applications
- Up to two individuals can apply jointly for a Soros Equality Fellowship. However, joint applications will share a fellowship award of $100,000 over the 18 months. A joint application should be completed together as a single submission. For joint applicants, the full-time work requirement does not apply to each applicant. All other restrictions associated with an individual application still apply. Be sure to explain why this particular partnership is necessary to fulfill the objectives of the project and how responsibilities will be distributed.
- Lobbying
- Projects that include electioneering, lobbying, or other activity that does not fall within IRS 501(c)(3) guidelines will not be funded. Please carefully review the Tax Law Lobbying Rules before submitting an application. If awarded a fellowship, applicants are required to attend a training session on the tax law lobbying rules, conducted by the Open Society Foundations’ General Counsel’s Office; and must agree to refrain from engaging in restricted lobbying and political activities during the term of the fellowship.
Ineligibility Criteria
The program does not fund the following:
- enrollment for degree or non-degree study at academic institutions, including dissertation research
- projects that address racial justice issues outside the United States (applicants themselves, however, can be based outside the United States, as long as their work directly relates to a U.S. issue)
- projects that serve as proxy for an organizational grant
- lobbying or political activities
For more information, visit https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/soros-equality-fellowship