Questions

Can I apply for the Fellows Program if I have and plan on keeping a full-time position?

Yes! Many of our current Fellows continue on with full-time positions outside of New America during their fellowship year. Some also keep these positions part-time or take book/project leave at various points during the year. We do want you to carve out time and space to pursue your fellowship proposal and expect that you will make considerable progress on these projects, but do not require you to drop other professional obligations to do so.

Can I apply for the Fellows Program if I:
-Haven't completed a formal book proposal?
-Haven't secured a publishing or equivalent contract?
-Do not have an agent?

Yes to all of these. We take on Fellows at various project stages--from those who are still writing their book (or documentary or other) proposal to those who are well on their way to completing their second or third book. What we do look for is individuals who have well-articulated and compelling ideas that they want to develop.

We also have resources available for those who are new to the process including professional development sessions with experts in the industry, contacts with agents and publishers, and a host of current and alumni Fellows who have published books, produced documentaries, etc. that can help answer questions that come up.

Hello,
I've looked through your application, and I don't see any indication that applicants need to submit letters of recommendation. Is this true? Thank you.

That's correct, we do not require any documentation other than the three outlined application components: statement of interest, resume, and work samples.

We may ask the 30-40 candidates who make it to our final round of consideration for contact information for recommendations, but do not want that kind of documentation before that time.

If you are writing with a co-author, can you apply as a team?

The short answer is yes, we do consider teams of two or more (co-authors or otherwise).

We also have supported individual members of pairs and larger teams in the past (e.g., we have a documentary filmmaker in our current class of Fellows that is part of a directing team).

Although applying as a team would not disqualify you, especially if an outstanding project was proposed, it would raise funding concerns that single applicants usually do not. We will also note that we have never funded two or more members of a project team in the past, but we've only had a handful of applicants who have applied as such.

If you would like to apply as a team, we suggest that one of you apply and explain what kind of team arrangement you would like to have--if you would be co-Fellows, one Fellow and an outside collaborator, etc.--either in the statement of interest or in a separate addendum.

By what time on February 15th do applications have to be submitted?

Applications are due Feb. 15th at 11:59 p.m.

I am attempting to upload a short video clip, but I get an error message. What do you recommend? I would really like to include in my application. Thank you!

Yes, some applicants have had issues uploading videos. This seems to be either because 1) the files are too large or 2) the applicant's Internet connection is too slow to support the upload.

As a first step, please try to reduce the file size of the video and try re-uploading it. If that does not work, you may contact Kirsten Berg (berg@newamerica.org) to send the file to her. Please either attach the file directly to the email or send it in some way (DropBox, Google Drive, link with password to download, etc.) where the file can be directly downloaded and added to your file.

Thank you!

I know it is now several days past the due date for applications. But is it possible to replace part of the writing sample and substitute another article in its place? Thanks.

Yes, applicants who have already submitted proposals may make requests to edit their proposals until February 22nd at noon. All requests must be made and submitted within the online portal.

What formats of "writing samples" will you accept beyond pdf? I'm attempting to upload a clip from a video and am having trouble.

We only accept PDFs for our writing samples. If you are submitting non-written work, you have the option to upload that in a separate part of the form (there's a drop-down question that asks if you are submitting non-written work--if you are, select "yes" and it will generate a section for you to upload other file types).

Is the New America Fellows Program the same as the New America Cyber Fellows Program? Are Cyber Fellows accepted through the same application or is there a separate application/deadline for the Cyber program?

Cybersecurity Fellows, as well as other program fellows, are independent of the New America Fellows Program and have a different consideration process. Please contact those programs directly about deadlines and submissions.

How selective is the application process?

Our application process is highly selective. For our last class of New America Fellows, we received over 300 applications--more than double we had in years prior. We accepted 20 Fellows last cycle--an approximate acceptance rate of six percent. The number of Fellows we take on each year varies and is subject to funding and other considerations.

What kind of support does the Fellows Program offer?

Funding: New America provides stipends at varying levels to support the work of our fellows. Precise terms and stipend amounts vary, as some fellows work full-time at New America developing their projects, while others maintain outside professional commitments during the term of their fellowship.

Community: In addition to supporting individual projects, New America encourages fellows to engage with each other. We typically hold two to three gatherings for fellows each month, including lunches where fellows take turns presenting their work to the staff of New America; casual get-togethers where fellows compare notes on topics such as dealing with prickly sources, organizing research, or finding an agent; and informal learning sessions where professionals share their expertise on skills such as talking on television or creating compelling data visualizations online.

Platforms: New America offers fellows leverage for joining the public conversation, including opportunities to hold and attend events at our DC and New York spaces, to publish with our digital magazine The Weekly Wonk or with one of our many media partners such as Slate and Foreign Policy, to connect with our network of editors and agents, and to work with our media relations team on reaching broader audiences. We also encourage the fellows to interact with our various policy programs, which house some of the top thinkers in their respective fields, and to contribute more broadly to the intellectual verve of New America and its longer-term focus.

Can I apply for the Fellows Program if I am not based in Washington, DC?

Yes! New America is headquartered in Washington, DC, but we also have an office in New York and a newly-opened office in San Francisco. We also welcome those outside these metropolitan areas to apply.

The important consideration is that no matter where you are based, you are able to involve yourself in the New America community. That may involve traveling to our Washington space for events, attending or calling in to our Fellows Program sessions, and otherwise being engaged in conversations we are having at New America.

We also consider applications from those who are based abroad all or part of the year. We generally look for those who have compelling reasons to be based abroad (e.g., we have current Fellows developing on projects related to Russia and Syria, and we understand how important it is for them to do their reporting from those respective regions).

We also accept applications from non-U.S. citizens under the same considerations as above.

I live on the west coast and couldn't attend the information sessions offered this month in NY and D.C. Are there videos available?

Yes! We have a recording of last year's Fellows Program Information Session that was held in DC available to those who missed this year's sessions.

Please email Kirsten Berg, berg@newamerica.org, directly to get the link. Since it was an off-the-record session, we don't want to post the recording publicly. But we're happy to share it to with those who agree to keep it private.

I understand that funding varies widely but can you share the range of funding amounts?

Stipend amounts vary and are generally negotiated after finalists have been selected for fellowship offers. There is no need for candidates to address stipends, budgets, etc. in their proposal--he or she should use the space in their Statement of Interest to pitch their ideas, unless certain funding considerations are directly relevant to the ability of the individual to complete their proposal (e.g., you have secured outside funding for expensive travel).

There are a number of factors that contribute to funding decisions, including whether or not the individual will be pursuing their project full time or keep other professional obligations, how involved the individual will be in the New America community, and whether or not the individual secures outside funding on their own or one of our funders is interested in supporting their work.

Stipends generally fall into the following levels: $15k, $30k, $60k, $90k. Most in our last class were funded at the $30k level, but the mix of stipends offered each class varies widely depending on the type of applicants we take on and the funding we get for that year. Most Fellows are not offered a benefits package as part of their fellowship, but again is subject to case-by-case consideration.

Fellows are free to use the stipends they receive in the manner they choose: it may be full or supplementary income that year; it may be used for travel, research assistance, multimedia help, or other expenses related to developing the project; etc. Again, how you use the stipend does not have to be addressed in the application--we are far more interested in the ideas upon first consideration.

What is your timeline for decisions?

As stated, the deadline for applications is February 15, 2016.

The timeline for reviewing applications is subject to change and depends on the number of applications received and the availability of reviewers.

We anticipate that the program will review applications in March and April. This first review of applications will winnow the group down to 30 to 40 finalists. Those who have not made it to the next round will likely be informed in May that they will not be receiving fellowships this year. Those who are selected as finalists will likely be contacted in May as well.

At this point, finalists will be asked to schedule interviews with the program as part of the selection process. We may also ask for contact information for references at this stage (they are not requested before this time).

Concurrently, we will send applications for review by our Selection Committee, which made up of the Director of the Fellows Program, the Deputy Director of the Fellows Program, New America’s President, current and former New America Fellows, and others in New America’s network. Applications are private—we ask anyone involved in the selection process not to share or discuss any of the candidates or materials with outsiders.

We expect to make our final selections in June or July and contact finalists about our decisions at that point.

Fellows will be publicly announced and begin their fellowships in September 2016.

What kind of work samples are you looking for?

Please pick out the work that best shows of your abilities related to the project you are proposing (within the limits of the page count, of course).

For writing samples, this could be drafts, unpublished works (book proposals, excerpts from sample chapters, etc.), or published works (articles, book excerpts, op-eds, blog posts, etc.). It is up to you which you would like to include. Please note that we only allow three samples--anything beyond three, even if it falls within the page count limit, will not be considered.

For certain proposals, it may also make sense to include non-written works. This could be documentary clips, highlight reels from television appearances, photo essays, etc. Please note that we allow only three total work samples (e.g., three written works and an additional three video clips would not be considered).

We would suggest choosing work that best represents:

1) Your ability to communicate to broad audiences--with storytelling and narrative, clarity of explanation, compelling arguments, striking images, etc.

2) Your expertise in the area that you are proposing AND/OR your abilities to do the kind of research, reporting, thinking, or other type of work required for your proposed project.

3) Shows off any other talents you would like to showcase that you think would be helpful for us to consider as we weigh your proposal.

Applications are kept private, so any work in progress will not be shared beyond those involved in our selection process.