To make Berkman Klein fellowships a possibility for as wide a range of applicants as possible, in the 2020-2021 academic year we will award a small number of stipends to select incoming fellows chosen through our open call for applications. This funding is intended to support people who:
- are underrepresented in fields related to Internet and society,
- will contribute to the diversity of the Berkman Klein Center’s research and activities, and
- have financial need.
The Berkman Klein Center is committed to ensuring that our research and activities are crafted by and for a wide range of constituencies, and it is important that we actively develop, embody, and support a diverse and inclusive network of scholars, activists, and practitioners.
We seek to embrace differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, ability, discipline, method, approach, and much more – uniting them with the open, inquisitive, and rigorous Berkman Klein Center culture. Our efforts to protect and advance the public interest have been powered by our network, and our capacity to support understandings and change is possible thanks to such wide-ranging participation in our research.
The selected recipients of these stipends will have no additional expectations or obligations of their work with the Center beyond the community participation and contributions expected of all Berkman Klein fellows selected through our open call. Opting into consideration for a stipend will not impact the Berkman Klein Center’s review of your candidacy for a fellowship. More about our overall fellowship selection process may be found in our fellowship FAQ.
We will determine the dollar amount of individual stipends awarded with select fellows on a case-by-case basis in the context of our review of the 2020-2021 fellows cohort. Past awarded stipends have ranged from $5,000-$36,000; the median amount awarded has been $12,000.
The Berkman Klein funding awarded is expected to supplement any other independent funding secured by fellows to help make living in the Cambridge area and actively participating in our community possible. We may extend fellowship offers without financial support to applicants who requested funding.
Please find information from Harvard University about fellowship stipends and payments here.
To be Considered for This Funding
Fellowship applicants who wish to be considered for a stipend should submit all application materials as instructed in the open call for applications, and should reply to three funding related questions within the application tracker.
The questions in the application tracker related to this funding opportunity include two multiple-choice questions about funding needs, and one question about financial need to be answered in a written response up to 250 words. Your answer to the written question will not be assessed as part of your application (which is to say, please do not worry about wordsmithing this response).
The multiple choice questions include:
1. If you would like to be considered for a stipend, what range of funding do you request? Select one of the following:
- $1-$12,000
- $12,001-$24,000
- $24,001-$36,000
2. Would you be able to accept a non-stipended fellowship offer? Select one of the following:
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
3. The question for the written response, to be answered with up to 250 words:
Please describe non-Berkman Klein funding or employment that might support you during your fellowship, and provide other information that would allow us to assess your need for funding. We understand that you may not know what the outcomes of any such efforts will be at the time of answering this question.