FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, PLEASE REPLY TO: Kate, Black
KBlack@sorosny.org
**This is not a CRP-sponsored Fellowship**
SOROS JUSTICE FELLOWSHIPS ANNOUNCEMENT
DEADLINE: September 26, 2003
The Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) of the Open Society
Institute supports individuals who will further its mission of
reducing the nation's over-reliance on policies of punishment
and incarceration, and restoring discretion and fairness to the
U.S. criminal justice system. Through three fellowships - Soros
Justice Advocacy, Senior, and Media - CJI funds dynamic
individuals from various fields such as the law, public health,
community organizing and the media, to design and implement
projects that will reflect and support the work of CJI's
programs: The Gideon Project, The After Prison Initiative, The
Community Advocacy Program, and the Policy and Research Programs.
The Fellowships are a program of the Criminal Justice Initiative
(CJI) at the Open Society Institute.
Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowships
The Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowship funds outstanding
individuals from a variety of disciplines in order to initiate
innovative projects that will have a measurable impact on issues
underlying CJI's work. The program seeks to identify and nurture
new voices and advocates for change at either the local or
national level. Advocacy Fellowships are two-year projects
implemented in partnership with leading nonprofit agencies whose
mission is related to criminal justice.
Eligibility
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. Applicants can but
are not required to have an undergraduate or graduate degree in
law, public health, public policy, or other fields related to
criminal justice. If the applicant is currently in a graduate or
undergraduate degree program, he or she must have completed the
degree at the start of the fellowship (either March or August
2004), as the fellowship is full-time. Applicants may not
already be employed by their proposed sponsoring organizations.
All applicants must demonstrate that the project does not
duplicate the sponsoring organization's existing programs.
Awards of up to $98,200 are granted for two-year projects.
Soros Justice Senior Fellowships
The Soros Justice Senior Fellowship enables experienced
individuals, including activists, academics, 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. The program seeks to identify
and nurture leaders and advocates for change at the national and
regional level. Fellows devote up to one year to research,
write, or initiate projects.
Eligibility
The Criminal Justice Initiative seeks applicants with
demonstrated expertise, skills and experience in areas of
interest to CJI's programs. Proposals from doctoral candidates
will not be considered. Please note: The Open Society Institute
cannot support lobbying activities.
Awards range from $50,000-70,000 for one-year projects.
Soros Justice Media Fellowship
The Soros Justice Media Fellowship seeks dynamic journalists
working in print, photography, radio, and documentary film and
video to improve the quality and depth of media coverage of
incarceration and criminal justice issues. As a program of the
Open Society Institute's Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI), the
Fellowship funds projects that will further CJI's mission of
reducing the over-reliance on policies of punishment and
incarceration in the United States, and restoring discretion and
fairness to the U.S. criminal justice system.
The program intends, through its awards, 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. Awards
are up to $45,000 for full-year projects; shorter projects will
be pro-rated.
Eligibility
Professional journalists working in print, photography, radio,
and documentary film and video with at least three years of
experience are eligible. Applicants may be freelance journalists
or employees of news organizations. They should have well-
established records of publication or broadcast in regional or
national markets. All fellows are expected to publish articles
or books or broadcast or exhibit-ready pieces, with the number
of works to be determined at the outset of the fellowship.
Documentary film or video projects that are in the post-
production or distribution stages are eligible. Book proposals
must include plans to write companion magazine or newspaper
pieces.
Awards are up to $45,000 for one-year projects.
For application and program information, please visit our
website at
www.soros.org/crime
The Open Society Institute is a private operating and
grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open
society around the world. OSI's U.S. Programs seek to strengthen
democracy in the United States by addressing barriers to
opportunity and justice, broadening public discussion about such
barriers, and assisting marginalized groups to participate
equally in civil society and to make their voices heard. U.S.
Programs challenge over-reliance on the market by advocating
appropriate government responsibility for human needs and
promoting public interest and service values in law, medicine,
and the media. OSI's U.S. Programs support initiatives in a
range of areas, including access to justice for low- and
moderate-income people; independence of the judiciary; ending
the death penalty; reducing gun violence and over-reliance on
incarceration; drug policy reform; inner-city education and
youth programs; fair treatment of immigrants; reproductive
health and choice; campaign finance reform; and improved care of
the dying. OSI is part of the network of foundations, created
and funded by George Soros, active in more than 50 countries
around the world.
