Soros Justice Fellowships

Overview

The Soros Justice Fellowships support outstanding individuals— including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, writers, print and broadcast journalists, artists, filmmakers, and other individuals with distinctive voices—to undertake full-time projects that engage and inform, spur debate and conversation, change policy or practice, and catalyze change around the U.S. criminal legal system at the local, state, and national levels. Fellowships can be either 12 or 18 months in duration, may be undertaken with the support of a host organization, and should begin in the fall of 2023.  

The Soros Justice Fellowships will consider projects that focus on any aspect of the U.S. criminal legal system—which we broadly see as a set of institutions and actors (law enforcement, courts, prosecutors, and corrections) and a related set of policies, practices, narratives, and orientations that exert coercive control over individuals and communities in this country.

This includes, but is not limited to, projects that seek to:

• reduce the number of people who are incarcerated or under correctional control;
• challenge the extremely long prison terms that have become the accepted norm as a response to serious and violent crimes;
• end the punishment and harsh treatment of youth who come into conflict with the law;
• promote police accountability; contest prosecutors’ orientation toward harsh charging and sentencing practices;
• expose the increased merger of the criminal legal and immigration enforcement apparatuses;
• undo the “perpertual punishments” facing people with criminal records; and
• foster health-informed responses to drug use.

There are two fellowship tracks:

• Track I, which is for people at the earlier stages of their careers and who demonstrate the potential to develop into leaders and important voices in their respective fields; and
• Track II, which is for more experienced individuals with a proven record of achievement and expertise.

Track I comes with an grant of $100,000 over 18 months

Track I applicants must have at least two (2) years of relevant experience, which may include: full-time and part-time employment; paid or unpaid internships; sustained volunteer work; or other pertinent experience (e.g. advocacy while incarcerated). Track I is for people at a range of phases in their careers, including but not limited to: people just entering the field following post-graduate education; advocates or media makers with several years of work experience and some degree of achievement; and those beginning to work on criminal legal issues after a career in another field or after some other life experience.

Track II comes with a grant of $140,000 over 18 months (grants for both tracks are prorated for 12- month projects)

Track II applicants must have at least ten (10) years of relevant experience. Track II is for seasoned, established, and accomplished leaders and voices in the field—ideally people who have distinguished themselves on a local, state, or national level; and who have the kind of stature, record of accomplishment, experience, and capacity necessary to have a meaningful impact on the issue or issues their projects seek to take on.

Up to two (2) individuals can apply jointly for a fellowship. However, joint applications will share a single fellowship award.

There are three stages to the application and selection process.

1. First, all applicants must submit a full application by the application deadline.
2. Second, from the pool of applicants, we will select a group of finalists, who will be invited to interview with a selection committee consisting of Open Society Foundations staff and outside experts.
3. And finally, from the pool of finalists, we will select 12 – 15 individuals to receive fellowships (the final number of fellowships awarded is contingent on availability of funding and subject to change).