2024-26 Just Tech Fellowship Program (US)

This fellowship supports and mobilizes diverse and cross-sector cohorts of practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures. Fellows have committed to identifying and challenging injustices emerging from new technologies and pursuing solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights.

What does the fellowship award cover?

The fellowship award is designed to support the whole person, including:

• Awards: The Just Tech Fellowship provides Fellows with unrestricted individual awards of $100,000 per year for two years.
• Supplementary Funding: Supplementary funding packages of up to $30,000 are available to subsidize additional needs such as dependent care, healthcare, equipment, communications, working space, or other needs. Supplementary funding will vary in kind and amount by individual need.
• Collaboration Funding: Each year, Fellows can apply for additional funding to support projects undertaken in collaboration with other Fellows. Collaboration funding is intended to encourage partnerships that would be unlikely outside of the Just Tech Fellowship.

What other support should Just Tech Fellows expect?

• Along with competitive compensation and a robust supplementary funding package, Just Tech Fellows also become part of a vibrant community working to solve critical social problems at the intersection of technological development and social justice. Fellows will have the opportunity to meet regularly and have fruitful exchanges to share their work and learn together.
• At the beginning of the fellowship, Just Tech will conduct an onboarding workshop that will include details on how Fellows will work with the Just Tech program, how Just Tech supports collaboration, and Just Tech’s method of disseminating the Fellows’ work.
• Just Tech staff will work with Fellows to implement and report back on project plans and impact, share ideas for potential collaborations, and provide support to help Fellows scale their work’s impact. The fellowship will be complemented by a dynamic digital platform providing a venue for Fellows to showcase their work via interviews, profiles, essays, and field reviews.

Timeline: The fellowship must not begin earlier than August 1, 2024. The fellowship ends on June 30, 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

• Citizens of any country may apply, but Fellows will be expected to reside in the United States during their fellowship term. The SSRC will not sponsor visas and may not be indicated as an affiliate or sponsor of visa applications.
• Just Tech only accepts applications from individuals. Awards are made to individuals, and the fellowship is intended to support individuals. Applicants may collaborate with other people or organizations, but it must be very clear in applications the distinction between their project (which they must lead) and any possible collaborations they anticipate.
• Applicants must have a demonstrated track record of success in their respective fields. There are no other education or experience requirements.
• The Just Tech Fellowship is a full-time pursuit (36 hours a week) for the two-year fellowship term. Where appropriate, applicants should indicate whether they are eligible and willing to take leave from their current position during at least one of the fellowship years.

For more information, visit Social Science Research Council.