Emerson Collective Fellowship

At Emerson Collective, we believe that individuals have the power to untangle hard problems with ingenuity, to excavate human truths through art, to bring justice to our most calcified systems. We believe that an individual voice can inspire us, unite us, and show us the way forward.

We also believe that such individual innovation requires both support and freedom to flourish—so that individuals can follow their creative instincts, take risks and make big bets, and set off on paths with unknown destinations.

Emerson Collective supports visionary indviduals to pursue such intellectual, creative, and professional ambitions through the Emerson Collective Fellowship. Each Fellow’s work and projects advance the public understanding in Emerson Collective’s priority areas, creating new avenues for progress.

Often structured as one year of direct support, the Emerson Collective Fellowship is designed to help a remarkable individual advance a new project. With minimal ongoing programming, the fellowship gives individuals the autonomy to advance their current work, pursue exciting new chapters with unknown destinations, and make lasting breakthroughs. Emerson also works directly with Fellows to help their work reach greater exposure and impact.

Fellows are selected through an invitation-only application process. We select Fellows based on an established track record of excellence and originality; a deep engagement in education, immigration, social justice, the environment, and health; and the potential to pursue vital new work with the support of a fellowship.

Occasionally, an Emerson Collective Fellow will return as a Senior Fellow to pursue a new project or body of work over the course of 12 months. Emerson Collective Senior Fellows engage deeply with the extended Emerson Collective network, and their insight, creativity, and expertise help inform our priorities.