**The 2012 application process is now closed. Stay tuned for information about the 2013 cycle and good luck to all those who applied.

About the Foundation

The Ms. Foundation has a proud history of assisting women activists -- particularly women of color, those living in marginalized communities and those from the grassroots -- in developing nascent movements into forces for action. Through leadership development work tied to our grantmaking, we have nurtured talented and dynamic leaders as they created and led movements for change, equality and justice.

Although women have made tremendous progress over the last 40 years, this progress has not been uniform. The recent recession laid bare some of the deep disparities in the experiences of women and girls in the U.S. Nothing less than visionary leadership is necessary to tackle the large-scale issues that continue to plague women:

• Women remain marginalized by economic conditions and continue to struggle for equal pay and basic rights. Mothers in general earn just 38% of what fathers make over the course of their lifetimes. Women, overall, earn 77% on the male dollar. The disparities are even worse for African American and Latina women.
• Quality childcare, critical for women’s full participation in the workforce, is too expensive. In 24 states, center-based childcare fees for an infant exceed the average cost of rent.
• Women’s health – including access to reproductive health and family planning services and accurate sexuality education – is increasingly under threat. State legislatures enacted a record 470 abortion restrictions in the first half of 2011 (vs. 135 in 2010).
• Women and children remain vulnerable to abuse and violence. One in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse before the age of 18, typically at the hands of a member or friend of the family. Female survivors face lasting and devastating effects, with higher likelihood of teen pregnancy, sex work, HIV infection, substance abuse, eating disorders, domestic violence, homelessness and incarceration.

In order to address these issues, we know we must support, nurture and provide resources to visionary leaders.

About the Ms. Foundation Fellowship Program

In keeping with our deep and abiding commitment to developing leadership - and to creative and innovative strategies for lasting social change – we are proud to announce our new Ms. Foundation Fellowship Program. The Fellowship provides a dynamic, pragmatic, early- to mid-career social change activist from within the U.S. the opportunity to spend a year developing their work to elevate the status of women in the U.S.

The Ms. Foundation for Women will select an individual to receive this Fellowship from a diverse pool of applicants working in a variety of fields. Successful applicants will address the critical issues facing women in the U.S., ideally in the areas of: (1) economic justice, particularly full access to quality and affordable child care and improving working conditions for care providers in the informal sector; (2) effectively communicating the need for access to and public funding for reproductive health care and family planning; (3) prevention of child sexual abuse; and/or (4) innovative ways of working - strategies and approaches that cut across these issues. Their idea should have the potential to galvanize large numbers of individuals to make structural change, and to capture the attention of the media and other key influencers.

The Fellowship Work Product

The recipient’s work for the year should include the creation of a publically-accessible product such as a book or report, white paper, video, public hearing, presentation, the launch of an initiative or nonprofit organization, or other creative work product.

The Fellowship may be used for lobbying, within pre-negotiated limits and upon compliance with a tracking system for lobbying expenses. The Fellowship cannot be used to pay academic fees, nor can it be used to pay the salary of an employee working outside of the Ms. Foundation for Women. Recipients work closely with Ms. Foundation for Women staff in the development and marketing of their Fellowship-related work. Descriptions of the work product should include both the intended audience and the impact that reaching that audience will have in accomplishing the goals of the project. 

Qualifications

Applicants should be an early- to mid-career leader with a promising idea about how to shift the circumstances of a large number of women in the U.S., a deep understanding of the overall environment for their work, and a track record of achieving impact.

Applicants should provide evidence of a proven commitment to the issues facing women and communities, an inspiring readiness to innovate, and evidence of background research, networks and other resources necessary to carry out their project work plan. Successful applicants will demonstrate a solid connection between the large-scale change they seek, their planned innovation, and the audiences for their activities. 

The Ms. Fellowship will include the following:

• Financial compensation up to $85,000 for one year (dependent upon project terms and experience)
• Health benefits
• The opportunity to apply for a continuation grant of up to $50,000
• Travel assistance and conference fees
• Office space and equipment at the Ms. Foundation
• Professional development and mentoring
• Networking opportunities

The Residency Requirement

Recipients will work full-time in the Ms. Foundation offices in downtown Brooklyn, New York for one year, beginning September 4, 2012. The Ms. Foundation for Women is unfortunately not able to assist with the housing and/or relocation needs of the Fellowship recipient.

The Application and Selection Process

The Fellowship Jury will consider the following: (1) the applicant; (2) the project; (3) the work product; and (4) the Foundation’s capacity to support the leader beyond the Fellowship. The Fellowship Jury may consist of Foundation staff as well as external stakeholders and experts in the field. Granting of the Fellowship itself is subject to funding availability.

One Fellowship will be awarded in 2012. Applications must be sent to this email address: fellowship@ms.foundation.org. Applications are due by 5 pm EST on May 7, 2012. Applicants should reserve June 4-11 for a possible interview, and the final recipient is notified at the latest by June 29. The final recipient is expected to begin serving her or his one year Fellowship term by September 4, 2012.

Fellowship FAQs

Fellowship Application