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- Program
- Open Society Fellowship Program
The Open Society Fellowship is designed to support individuals pursuing innovative and unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges.
The Open Society Fellowship is no longer accepting applications. This page will be updated with any new information on upcoming grant cycles. Inquiries can be directed to osfellows@opensocietyfoundations.org.
Open Society Fellows are currently working on projects that address the following proposition:
New and radical forms of ownership, governance, entrepreneurship, and financialization are needed to fight pervasive economic inequality.
Eligibility Criteria
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 proposition above and be willing to work 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.
Ineligibility Criteria
The fellowship does not fund enrollment for degree or nondegree study at academic institutions, including dissertation research.
This is a fellowship for individuals only; proposals from organizations or individuals acting on behalf of organizations will not be accepted.
Purpose and Priorities
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.
Open Society fellows produce work outputs of their own choosing, such as a book, journalistic or academic articles, art projects, a series of convenings, etc. In addition, fellowship cohorts may develop a joint work product of some sort. Fellowship staff will assist cohorts in brainstorming possible outputs if needed.
Download Files
Download the complete fellowship guidelines.
Download the proposal tips.
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Anat Shenker-Osorio
2018Anat Shenker-Osorio is analyzing materials from advocacy, opposition, traditional media, social media, and popular culture in order to reveal promising and problematic frames and word choices. -
Anna Macdonald
2018Anna Macdonald is investigating whether global treaties—such as the Arms Trade Treaty, which she helped negotiate—are effective at delivering progress on human rights. -
Bilge Yabanci
2018Bilge Yabanci is investigating whether new civil society groups in Turkey are contributing to democratic culture. -
Jonathan Rowson
2018Jonathan Rowson is working to reframe human rights language in a richer understanding of human nature and human experience. -
Jose Miguel Calatayud
2018Jose Miguel Calatayud, a journalist, is investigating the extent to which human rights in Europe can be re-situated within citizen-based political movements. -
Luis CdeBaca
2018Luis CdeBaca will apply lessons from corporate social responsibility campaigns to anti-slavery movements in the United States and globally. -
Manu Luksch
2018Manu Luksch is creating moving image artworks to call attention to the threats posed to human rights by the rise of algorithmically-managed societies. -
Obinna Anyadike
2018Journalist Obinna Anyadike will look into the recruitment and retention practices of Boko Haram to better understand the consequences of military approaches to violent extremism. -
Papa Faye
2018Papa Faye is investigating whether existing legal frameworks effectively guarantee human rights enforcement in resource-rich regions.
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Hanaan Marwah
2020Hanaan Marwah, a finance industry professional and economic historian, will work on a book and conduct a series of seminars about the evolution of state-owned enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa and their influence on economic inequality. -
Leilani Farha
2020Leilani Farha, an expert and advocate on economic and social human rights, will document the growing financialization of residential real estate, globally, and its role as a primary cause of rising inequality. -
Amelia Evans
2019Amelia Evans, an international human rights lawyer, will draw on her experience with multi-stakeholder initiatives to debunk the myth of the “ethical corporation.” -
Bama Athreya
2019Bama Athreya will develop a long-term communications strategy to help workers in the “gig” economy overcome some of the main structural disadvantages which often go ignored by policymakers. -
Delilah Rothenberg
2019Delilah Rothenberg, a finance professional, will co-create private equity fund models to narrow compensation ratios between fund managers, executives, and workers and combat systemic risks like inequality and climate change. -
Fumba Chama
2019Fumba Chama, a musician and activist, will produce an album of 10 new and original songs about economic inequality in Zambia. -
Imani Countess
2019Imani Countess will build a robust new social movement to connect groups working against illicit financial flows with new constituencies in the United States, including African diaspora activists and people of color faith communities. -
Imani Jacqueline Brown
2019Imani Jacqueline Brown, an activist, writer, and organizer, will illuminate fossil fuel corporations’ responsibility for decades of economic and environmental injustice in Louisiana by using advanced mapping techniques. -
Luciana Zaffalon
2019Luciana Zaffalon will investigate how court and legal systems around the world exacerbate inequality and convert her findings into a toolkit for overcoming structural biases.