Soros Justice Fellowships

Posted by on August 13, 2007

Open Society Institute Seeks Applications for Soros Justice Fellowships
Deadline: October 17, 2007

A program of the Open Society Institute (<a href="http://www.soros.org/">http://www.soros.org/</a>), the Soros Justice Fellowship Program seeks applications from outstanding individuals — including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, activist academics, journalists, and filmmakers — to implement innovative projects that address one or more of the criminal justice priorities of OSI’s U.S. Justice Fund (<a href="http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/">http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/</a>).

Projects should seek to accomplish one or more of the following: advance death penalty reform and abolition efforts; improve public defense services; combat racial profiling; promote leadership in progressive justice reform efforts among people who are or have been imprisoned; encourage systemic reforms that create incentives for community-based solutions over parole and probation revocation; challenge unreasonable civil and legal barriers to the reintegration of people returning from prison; redirect criminal justice monies to strengthen community resources and responsibility for public safety and justice; advance sentencing and drug policy reform efforts; curtail prison expansion; and empower communities most affected by mass incarceration to develop and advocate for alternative policies that address underlying social, racial, and economic inequality.

The Soros Justice Fellowships fund individuals through two programs:

1) The Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowships provide funds to outstanding individuals, including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, and activist academics, to initiate innovative policy-advocacy projects that will have a measurable impact on one or more of the U.S. Justice Fund’s criminal justice priorities. Advocacy Fellowships are eighteen months in duration and may be implemented in conjunction with not-for-profit organizations. The awards include a stipend of from $69,750 to $79,500 each, as well as other support and resources. The fund expects to award seven Advocacy Track I Fellowships and four Advocacy Track II Fellowships by the end of 2007.

2) The Soros Justice Media Fellowships support mid-career and veteran print and radio journalists, filmmakers, and individuals with unique voices proposing to write books or complete other writing projects. The program seeks to improve the quality of media coverage and representation of issues at the core of the U.S. Justice Fund’s criminal justice priorities. Media Fellowships are one year in duration and support print and radio journalism, film and video post-production and dissemination, and book projects. The award includes a stipend and project budget of up to $45,000 and other support. The fund expects to award five Media Fellowships by the end of 2007.

For complete fellowships guidelines and application procedures visit the OSI Web site.

RFP Link: <a href="http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10008204/soros">http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10008204/soros</a>

For additional RFPs in Public Affairs, visit: <a href="http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_public_affairs.jhtml">http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_public_affairs.jhtml</a>