Soros Criminal Justice Fellowships

Posted by on August 15, 2003

[posted from RFP Bulletin]

Applications Invited for Open Society Institute’s Criminal Justice Initiative Fellowships

Deadline: September 26, 2003

The Criminal Justice Initiative of the Open Society Institute (http://www.soros.org/) supports individuals who will further its mission of “reducing the nation’s over-reliance on policies of punishment and incarceration, restoring discretion and fairness to the U.S. criminal justice system, and encouraging the successful reentry and reintegration of former prisoners.”

Through three fellowships — Soros Justice Advocacy, Senior, and Media — CJI seeks to fund professionals from such varied disciplines as the law, advocacy, public health, and the media to design and implement projects that reflect and support the work of CJI’s programs. CJI also seek proposals that focus on issues not emphasized by its programs but related to its mandate. These may include such issues as immigration detention, drug-policy reform, the tension between public safety and public security, civil liberties, and additional topics that would expand current research and activities within the field. (OSI cannot support lobbying activities.)

Applications are invited for the following programs:
The Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowships (formerly known as the Postgraduate Fellowships) fund outstanding individuals in law, organizing, public health, public policy, and other disciplines in order to initiate innovative projects that will have a measurable impact on issues underlying CJI’s work. Postgraduate Fellowships are two- year projects implemented in partnership with both large and small nonprofit agencies whose mission is related to criminal justice. CJI expects to award up to ten Advocacy Fellowships in 2003. Fellows receive a stipend of $37,500 per fellowship year, $2,500 for an annual professional development budget, $2,500 for an annual health insurance budget, $1,200 for relocation costs, and $6,000 a year to help with payments for graduate school educational loan debt, if needed. Applicants must have demonstrable substantive knowledge of and/or up to three years’ experience with the issues and communities with which they propose to work.

The Soros Justice Senior Fellowships are designed to enable experienced individuals, including activists, academics, lawyers, and community leaders, to raise the level of national discussion and scholarship, organize communities, and prompt policy debate on issues that are key to CJI’s work. Fellows devote up to one year to research, write, or initiate projects. CJI expects to award up to six Senior Fellowships in 2003. Support for Senior Fellows will vary according to the scope of the project, ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 for up to one year of work. CJI seeks applicants with demonstrated expertise, skills, and experience in areas of interest to CJI’s programs.

The Soros Justice Media Fellowship seeks journalists to improve the quality of media coverage of incarceration and criminal justice issues. Through its awards, the program intends to mitigate the time, space, and market constraints that often discourage journalists from pursuing in-depth stories. Fellows devote up to one year to research, write, produce, and widely disseminate stories. CJI expects to award up to six Media Fellowships in 2003.

Fellows receive up to $45,000 to carry out projects in the fields of print, photography, radio, television, and documentary film or video production. Professional journalists with at least three years’ experience are eligible to apply.

For complete guidelines and eligibility requirements, see the Criminal Justice Initiative area of the OSI Web site.

RFP Link: http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_civil_rights.jhtml