Inter-American Foundation Research Fellowship Program

Research Topics

• 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, and
  • other development issues in which communities are vested.
• The IAF welcomes research proposals that speak to the above development topics using one of the following frames:
  • Community-led responses that reflect impact, scale, and sustainability
    • They are interested in understanding whether, how, and to what extent community-led models have expanded opportunities for their communities or made a lasting impact at scale. Consider questions such as what makes some models more effective and/or sustainable than others? Or what are the obstacles that prevent community-led models or organizations from achieving a sustainable impact at scale?
  • Tenets of community-led development
    • They welcome research that tests some fundamental assumptions about the ability of community-led efforts to transform local realities. Consider, for instance, to what extent, and under what conditions, have local organizations promoted social capital, engendered greater social mobility, or inspired policy changes or improved policy implementation? Or when has donor-funded community-led development been particularly effective compared to other models of development assistance?
  • Local responses to global trends
    • They would like to learn more about the solutions communities have developed to respond to the local implications of global trends affecting the world they live in. For instance, how have communities been responding to irregular migration, climate-related shocks and stress, dwindling natural resources and biodiversity, chronic violence, new technologies, or reduced spaces for civic engagement, including in urban spaces? Or how have they been taking advantage of new tools and innovations such as the popularization of new media technologies, AI, REDD+, carbon credits, blended finance and impact investments?  What new partnerships or approaches are being developed?

Funding Information

• The IAF will award up to ten Fellowships in 2025.
• 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 Criteria

• They welcome all researchers who have the expertise, skills, and creativity to answer the questions above, 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 their questions.

For more information, visit SSRC.