Funding

Self Funded

Program dates

TBA

Fellowship•USA · Cambridge · Hybrid

Carr-Ryan Center Fellowship

Harvard Kennedy School — Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights

Application Deadline

Closed · February 22, 2026

Reopens ~Feb 2027

Official Page

The Carr-Ryan Center Fellowship is an open-call affiliation run by the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It gives selected fellows a one-academic-year connection to the Center, where they pursue their own research and writing on human rights while drawing on Harvard’s faculty, classes, and community. Fellows are based at the School but the affiliation is primarily non-residential, so participation can be shaped around a fellow’s existing role. The Center runs the fellowship as a recurring annual cycle across several tracks, of which this general open call is one.

Benefits & funding

  • One academic year (September 1–June 30) of affiliation with the Carr-Ryan Center.
  • Access to Harvard Kennedy School faculty, experts, classes to audit, and Center programming and events.
  • Ability to lead student study groups and take part in other learning opportunities.
  • Limited shared office space may be available for fellows who wish to be in residence, but this is not guaranteed.
  • The fellowship is unpaid: it provides no stipend or salary. Fellows typically bring their own funding from an employer, home institution, or an external grant to cover their expenses.

Eligibility

  • Open to post-docs, scholars, academics on sabbatical, human rights defenders, senior leaders in international organizations, and heads of human rights organizations.
  • No nationality or residency restriction is stated; applications are welcomed broadly.
  • Applicants are expected to have their own means of funding for the fellowship year.

Can you apply?

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  • Education required

    Master · PhD

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Application process

  1. 1
    Prepare a CV or resume.
  2. 2
    Write a research proposal (up to 3 pages) and an executive summary (up to 200 words).
  3. 3
    Provide two reference contacts.
  4. 4
    Include a writing sample (up to 10 pages) and a publication list with links or up to three attachments.
  5. 5
    Submit through the Center’s online application before the annual deadline. Applicants are asked not to contact the Center directly due to application volume.

Program timeline

  1. December 2026

    Applications for the 2027-2028 cohort expected to open.

  2. Late February (annual)

    Application deadline (the 2026-2027 cycle closed 22 February 2026).

  3. Fellowship year begins.

    September 1

  4. Fellowship year ends.

    June 30