Deadline: December 3, 2024
Applications are open for the Inter-American Foundation Research Fellowship Program 2025. The Inter-American Foundation (IAF), in conjunction with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), welcomes applicants for its new Research Fellowship Program to advance rigorous field-based research on actionable questions about community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IAF wants to understand whether and how community-led models have brought tangible impacts to their communities over time, and how communities are responding to global trends at a local level. They are especially interested in community-led efforts that strive to promote:
- the generation of economic and other opportunities, particularly for women and youth
- effective ways to address the drivers of irregular migration and/or strengthen rootedness and resilience among vulnerable populations
- integration of migrants and other displaced populations
- responses to chronic violence (including gender-based violence)
- social cohesion
- social inclusion (including of Afro-descendants, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups)
- sustainable agriculture
- disaster resilience,
- community philanthropy
- other development issues in which communities are vested
Fellowship
- Each of the ten fellowships includes a stipend of $20,000 to support an individual researcher working over the course of twelve months in one or more of the countries in the region where the IAF works, participation in a three-day in-person orientation workshop, and engagement with the network of IAF Fellows.
Eligibility
- Open to all researchers who have the expertise, skills, and creativity to answer the questions posed, and who have the availability to do so within the twelve-month period of the Fellowship.
- Applicants must be a citizen of one of the countries in which the IAF works or the United States and must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree.
- Beyond these requirements, they are casting a wide net: Applicants may be enrolled in a graduate program or they may have completed their education; they may be working within academia as teachers or researchers; they may be working in partnership with community-based organizations; they may be part of an institution; or they may work independently. What matters most is that applicants can demonstrate that they can effectively answer the questions.
Requirements
IAF Research Fellows will be required to:
- Prepare and submit to the SSRC a Fellowship Report of 1,250 to 2,500 words, within six months of the expiration of the Fellowship Period, that clearly describes the research question, methods, findings, limitation, and implications for practice and/or policy.
- Develop at least one short, well-crafted, publishable note or other communications piece for the IAF covering key findings and recommendations for local organizations and funders.
- Collaborate with at least one community-based organization in carrying out the field research.
- Participate in a three-day in-person Orientation to better understand the IAF, network with IAF staff and other Fellows, and review Fellowship expectations.
- Participate in IAF-hosted platforms, such as social media and events.
- As required by the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act, Fellows conducting research in a country named in the act would need to clear a country narcotics check and certify compliance with anti-narcotics provisions.
Application
Applicants can apply in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French, and should write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multidisciplinary and cross-regional. Use Times New Roman font, 12-pt., and 1-inch margins. The application consists of:
- A standard online application form.
- A research abstract (250 words max) that summarizes your proposed research.
- An actionable research statement (250 words max) that describes how your findings may inform decisions by a community-led organization, the IAF, and/or other donors and supporters of community-led development.
- A personal statement (500 words max) that explains (a) what is motivating or inspiring you to pursue this research project on community-led development, and (b) how the proposed research will contribute to your understanding of the topic at hand.
- A research proposal (5 pages max) that includes:
- Relevance. Clearly articulate the research question you will answer through this Fellowship and how it advances one of IAF’s Research Topics above.
- Contribution. Describe the practical implications of the proposed research. In other words, how do you expect your research findings may be useful to community-led organizations, donors, and/or other stakeholders?
- Methods. Describe the methods you will use for field research, the type of data you will collect, how you will analyze these data, and steps you will take to ensure that the data and analysis are reliable. The IAF is open to a range of approaches and research designs including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods; single-site, single-country, or comparative approaches. Explain why you have chosen the proposed approach for the given question.
- Work to date. If available, a brief description of any related research work done to date, noting any preliminary analysis informing the proposed research.
- A selected bibliography (2 pages max) relevant to the proposed research. You may use whichever standardized citation style (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago) you prefer.
For more information, visit IAF Research Fellowship.
