Apply Now: India Fellow Fellowship Programme

The learning structure of the fellowship is unique, it tries to promote as much openness, adaptability and flexibility. A big part of that also requires them to constantly evolve based on the cohort and India’s ever changing social fabric. They are not used to such learning patterns and understandably it may cause some anxieties. But they will keep fellows posted on the required aspects, adequately ahead of time.

The fellows will be assigned to projects after careful consideration of various factors like skillset, aspirations and experience of the fellows along with those of the requirements of the project. While the expectations may be high from a fellow, there will be some time to settle down and understand the new ecosystem that you would be in. Because this is a big decision from the fellow’s point of view to invest 18 months of their time in what could be an entirely new experience, everyone will expect fellows to be proactively taking initiative in whatever they are engaged in. Wherever there is some technicality, they will be trained and equipped with skills accordingly by the host organization and the fellowship. Community immersion, development program management and communication, engaging in team capacity building are some key ingredients of all the projects.

The fellowship is a learning experience by working hands-on with grassroots organizations and also accessing high-quality training and expert mentorship. This is alongside being a part of the wider network. Above all, you need not pay any fee for it.

In terms of monetary contribution – fellows collectively fundraise, which is INR 1,00,000 per head. This also entails a lot of learning on how collectives work and skills of fundraising. All the travel cost to reach the four in-person trainings is to be borne by the fellow. All costs and arrangements during the training (accommodation, food, resource persons, material costs, etc.) is borne by the fellowship.

Funding Information

• For the duration when the fellow works with the host organization, the organizations pay them a stipend, which is basically to cover the living expenses of the fellow. To keep parity, this amount is as follows:
• For rural areas, if the organization provides accommodation (some organizations have their field offices and/or guest house where you can stay) the stipend is INR 15,000 per month. If the organization does not provide accommodation then the stipend is INR 18,000 per month
• For metropolitan areas of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Hyderabad, the stipend is INR 17,000 and 22,000 respectively with and without accommodation
• The fellow is expected to use the stipend for living expenses like accommodation, food and local transport. Please remember that it is not a salary but a stipend. For long-distance travel, which is work-related, the organization reimburses the amount. Any other personal travel has to be borne by fellow. While the organizations are not mandated to provide accommodation to fellows, their team will be supportive and will help you make suitable arrangements on arrival at the assignment field areas.

Eligibility Criteria

• You are between 20 to 30 years of age
• You are already a graduate (in any discipline) or will be before the fellowship begins
• You are ready for an 18-month full time commitment to the fellowship
• You understand that this is not just a job and will expect you to be engaged 24X7 with the local community
• You understand that you can be placed in any part of India (outside your hometown) on any social issue
• You have read, understood and align with the philosophy and values of India Fellow.

For more information, visit India Fellow.