COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP

Program Overview

The CIP Community Fellowship program fosters and grows a network of practitioners with the goal of building collaboration, sharing ideas, creating new initiatives, and nurturing a more interconnected community that is passionate about the CIP’s mission to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse. Through experiential learning and practical application, the program aims to provide practitioners in wide-ranging fields, such as journalism, education, technology, librarianship, government, community organizations, and law, with opportunities to explore the intersection between research and professional experience. 

The CIP Community Fellowship is designed as an opportunity for participating Fellows to: 

  • Be part of a vibrant, multidisciplinary research community to explore new ideas.
  • Gain knowledge about the current landscape of mis/disinformation and various intervention practices and initiatives. 
  • Lead a strategic and impactful project related to mitigating misinformation 
  • Build connections and engage with CIP-affiliated researchers, staff, and students. 
  • Participate in center events and projects, including giving a talk to the CIP community.
  • Benefit from a “CIP buddy.” 
  • Access the center’s data infrastructure and customized project support. 
  • Showcase their projects through CIP events. 
  • Bring new perspectives, insights, and connections back into their organizations, networks, and communities.

By participating in the program, Fellows will be better equipped to advocate for and lead change that resists strategic misinformation, promotes an informed society, and strengthens democratic discourse.

We are no longer accepting submissions for 2024-2025 Community Fellowship.

Fellowship Details

The Community Fellowship is a cohort-based program, supporting 4-6 Fellows per year with a flexible duration of term (a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 9 months). They will begin their time at the center with defined ambitions, which might include the development of new programs, curricula, technologies, or other activities designed to combat misinformation. Fellows are free to change or modify their plans based on their learnings and experiences over the course of their term. 

Expectations

The Fellowship consists of in-person and remote interactions. Over the course of their term, Fellows are expected to: 

  • Attend a two-day Misinformation Workshop (in person) on September 23-24, 2024 at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus (travel & accommodation paid for and/or arranged by the CIP) 
  • Attend and participate in CIP’s weekly meetings when possible (hybrid format; typically held on Tuesdays, 12:30 – 1:30 PM PT) 
  • Present at least once at CIP’s weekly meeting (in-person or remote)  
  • Connect with CIP buddy and/or Fellowship Program Coordinator at least once a month to share updates and get support (in-person or remote)  
  • Attend and participate in one-hour regular (at least quarterly) all-fellow cohort meetings (remote) 
  • Lead a strategic and impactful project related to combating misinformation 

By the end of the Fellowship: Fellows are expected to: 

  • Complete or make progress on their proposed project 
  • Submit a summary report of their Fellowship experience 

Financial Support

To ensure equitable access to this program, a $5,000 baseline stipend will be provided to all selected candidates over the course of the Fellowship appointment; travel expenses associated with the Fellowship experience will also be covered by the CIP. A limited amount of additional funding is available to Fellows who might wish to participate in the program full-time and request additional financial support for their Fellowship term. For consideration of additional funding, fellows are required to submit additional information in their applications. 

Arrangement Options

We expect the Fellowship experience to be primarily remote/virtual. Arrangements for in-person/hybrid experiences are welcome and available upon request. As part of an in-person arrangement, Fellows will have access to drop-in seating in the CIP office. However, it is the responsibility of the Fellows to coordinate temporary relocation and housing arrangements during an extended in-person term in the program. 

In addition, the Fellowship offers flexible term arrangements to accommodate the varying situations of candidates. The Fellows can commit to a minimum term of 3 months and a maximum term of 9 months.

Eligibility & Qualifications

We welcome interest and applications from professionals who feel that CIP’s Community Fellowship would uniquely inspire or energize their work. We encourage applications from those working in a broad range of fields that are impacted by misinformation, and who would contribute new insights and experiences to the Fellows cohort and broader CIP community. 

Consider applying to the Community Fellowship program if you: 

  • Are a professional or scholar-practitioner with at least 3 years of experience  addressing mis/disinformation; 
  • Have a passion for resisting strategic misinformation, promoting an informed society, and strengthening democratic discourse; 
  • Are willing to commit to the program expectations; 
  • Are able to attend the Misinformation Workshop September 23-24, 2024, in Seattle (CIP will pay for and/or arrange your travel, accommodation, and per diem)

Fellowship selection is based on a number of factors, including: a commitment to the public interest, the potential to advance the field, the capacity to diversify and broaden the CIP’s community, and the degree to which the fellowship has the potential to accelerate the candidate’s impact and contribute to their ongoing development. We will also be striving to assemble a cohort that we believe offers the greatest potential for mutual learning. 

Fellows will be eligible to apply for an extension at the end of their fellowship.

Application Requirements

The following application items are required for consideration. Please review the Application Requirement Details below for more information and guidance. 

  1. A current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) (PDF)
  2. Statement of interest – max 1,200 words total (PDF)
  3. Project Proposal – template available (PDF)
  4. Additional funding request rationale (for those interested)
Application Requirement Details

Timeline: Key Dates

  • May 15, 2024: Applications opens
  • June 30, 2024: Application closes
  • August 1, 2024: Announce decisions
  • September 23, 2024: Fellowship begins
  • December 23, 2024: 3-month term ends
  • June 23, 2025: 9-month term ends
Download Program Overview in PDF
Questions? Contact uwcip@uw.edu

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Center for an Informed Public is strengthened in all ways by the diversity of our community. Catalyzing the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, define and deliver solutions. The CIP’s leadership actively seeks and welcomes community members whose perspectives, values, beliefs, traditions, and world views have been shaped by experiences and backgrounds that may be different from their own, particularly those from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. These differences may include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, socioeconomic status, citizenship, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities.