Churchill Fellowship Program in the United Kingdom

What is a Churchill Fellowship?

• A Churchill Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds to spend a focused period of time exploring and learning from practice in other countries with the intention of applying that learning for the benefit of UK society.
• Fellows are dedicated individuals who have a vision for change in an issue they care passionately about and the determination to make it happen.
• They fund you to spend between 4-8 weeks learning from leading practitioners, innovators and experts overseas on a subject of your choice and then to use that learning to develop solutions for the UK. Research can be carried out in person or online. They then help you to share and implement your learning with your sector or community here.
• Projects must address a UK issue, require international learning, and have the potential to benefit UK society at a local, regional, national or sector level. The funding does not support academic research, degree placements, gap year studies, courses, training programmes or art projects that have no public benefit beyond raising the profile and expertise of the applicant.
• The Fellows remain part of the community for life, benefitting from the support of the staff, Trustees, Advisory Council and other Fellows.

Current Programmes

• The Fellowship programmes are built around a comprehensive framework of universal themes, which cover every aspect of UK society. Within each universal theme, they offer a programme of Fellowships that addresses a particular topical issue or challenge in the UK.
  • Arts and communities
  • Caring for the natural environment
  • Children and young people with experience of care
  • Climate change
  • Education in schools
  • Palliative and end of life care
  • Physical activity for healthier lives
  • Resilient economies and communities
  • Tech for all

Funding Information

• The funding is calculated on a case by case basis. They look at your project itself, its duration and whether it will be conducted online or through travel. As such, there is no typical funding amount. However, in the experience, a 4 – 8 week Fellowship is typically awarded £5,000 – £10,000.

Are you eligible for a Fellowship?

• To be eligible for a Churchill Fellowship you must be:
  • A UK Citizen holding a UK passport. Irish citizens are eligible if they were born in Northern Ireland and fulfil the remaining criteria.
  • Resident in the UK.
  • Aged 18 or over when submitting the application form (or turning 18 by the end of that calendar year).
• They do not require formal qualifications but you will need to be able to demonstrate knowledge of your subject either through personal or professional experience. If you are interested in applying, they encourage you to start thinking about your project in advance.

For more information, visit Churchill Fellowship.