Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity Programme 2025-26

They are looking for Fellows who are bold and ready to challenge power; who see the bigger picture of how inequalities are playing out; who are imaginative and daring in the way they envision solutions; who bring care and collaboration into their practice; who recognise the significance of lived experience of inequality, whose own lived experience informs their practice; and who focus not on advancing their careers, but on their commitment to changing the world through collective and collaborative approaches.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are especially keen to support applicants who meet at least one of the following criteria:
  • Candidates who live in the Global South (although this factor will never be considered in isolation)
  • Candidates who come from marginalised and/or historically underrepresented groups such as Black, Latin x/o/a/e, Indigenous, Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, refugee, biracial, multiracial, female-identifying, the disability community, LGBTQIA+ etc.
  • Candidates who do not otherwise have the resources to finance their participation in activities such as the AFSEE Fellowship and/or have not already had significant access to fellowships or scholarships.
• Residential Fellows:
  • Applicants must qualify for admission to the London School of Economics’ MSc in Inequalities and Social Science. These requirements include a 2:1 degree or equivalent in any discipline. A background in social science and/or work experience in the social policy field are advantageous but not essential.
  • Applicants must meet LSE’s standard English Language Requirement.
  • Applicants must have at least 7 years of experience demonstrating courage, care, leadership and commitment in advancing equitable solutions to inequality.
  • Applicants who have attained a PhD, who have completed an MSc within the past three years, or who are currently studying for a degree, will not normally be considered for the Residential track.
• Non-Residential Fellows:
  • Applicants must meet LSE’s standard English Language Requirement.
  • Applicants must have at least 7 years of experience demonstrating courage, care, leadership and commitment in advancing equitable solutions to inequality.
  • For the Non-Residential track, they aim to be inclusive and to encourage applications from non-traditional applicants. They therefore welcome applications from both those applicants who hold an undergraduate degree (2:2 and above) and to those who do not hold an undergraduate degree.

Selection Criteria

• Your application should give them a clear idea of you, your values, and your work, in relation to the following criteria:
  • Experience:
    • Deep commitment to social change, backed by at least seven years of substantive real-world experience in challenging inequalities in policy-making, research, movement-building, activism, or related settings.
    • The fellowship has no lower or upper age limits, but rather focuses on experience.
  • Clarity of Vision and Future Impact:
    • Innovative ideas, a clear sense of purpose, the courage to pursue lasting and meaningful change, and a plan for using the learning offered by the programme to produce real future impact, through an idea for a dissertation or project.
    • Readiness to evolve and develop as a leader in ways that embrace and advance the principles of social and economic equity, and their practice.
    • Potential to be instrumental in shaping an inspiring vision, direction and agenda for social change in specific geographies, fields, professions and beyond.
  • Commitment and Readiness:
    • Interest in learning from and engaging with different perspectives and experiences from across a range of contexts, and a willingness to navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent in complexity and diversity.
    • Openness to fully engage with the whole Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity learning journey, including the intellectual and personal transformation this process entails.
    • Willingness to actively contribute to a sustained peer-led, values-driven community.
    • Commitment to work with and support others in achieving individual and collective impact.
• Criteria for Residential Fellows only:
  • Ability to make a compelling case for how undertaking and successfully completing the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science will make a contribution to the applicant’s social change agenda.
  • A focused agenda and plan to use the knowledge and skills gained from the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science.
• Criteria for Non-Residential Fellows only:
  • A plan for a clear and achievable project, to be undertaken during the course of the fellowship, that challenges structural inequality. The project will seek to advance understanding of or challenges to inequalities.

Application Requirements 

• All applicants must complete an online application through the LSE’s Graduate Application System during the application period. Please make sure you have allowed yourself enough time to complete the application, including providing all the required supporting documents. It can take time to request documents from educational institutions, and many will be closed over the winter break, so they would advise starting the process early. If your application is incomplete when the applications close, it unfortunately will not be considered. In addition to filling in an application form, you will also need to:
  • Request references: Nominate two referees and make sure that both references have been submitted by the reference deadline.
  • Upload documents: Upload documents, including your transcripts or a document stating that you do not hold an undergraduate degree; your statement of academic purpose; and your CV.
  • Meet language requirement: Take necessary steps to prove that you meet the minimum English-language requirements. However, please note that applicants are not required to sit an English-language test before they submit their application.

For more information, visit Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity.