Application: Public Voices Fellowship

Application due March 20 by 11 am PT/2 pm ET
The Public Voices Fellowship is a national initiative, launched by The OpEd Project in partnership with leading universities, foundations, and other mission-aligned organizations to unlock knowledge, accelerate thinking, and dramatically increase the public impact of our nation’s top thinkers. The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans has partnered with the OpEd Project to offer a third year of the Public Voices Fellowship for 20 PD Soros Fellows (past and present). The fellowship provides extraordinary resources, support, and training over the course of a year, including cutting-edge programming, high-level coaching, and access to a prestigious network of journalists and fellows at peer institutions nationwide. Emphasis is on thought leaders who are underrepresented in the public sphere, including women. Participants can focus on developing their voice around the subject matter that is most important to them.
PROGRAM DETAILS:
  • 20 PD Soros Fellows from all class years and disciplines
  • One-year fellowship (9 months coaching + 3 months resources)
  • Fellows commit to writing and submitting a minimum of two opinion pieces (opeds) and are welcome to focus on developing their voice around the topic(s) of their choice
  • Fellows commit to including the Fellowship in their byline during the program and for at least a year after the program ends
  • Four themed virtual convenings around thought leadership & knowledge:
    • First convening: May 14, 15, 16, 2025 - 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
    • Second convening: August 14 and 15, 2025 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
    • Third convening: November 6 and November 7, 2025 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
    • Fourth convening: January 22 and 23, 2026 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
  • Dedicated coaching and editing from top journalist mentors (weekly/regular)
  • Access to weekly webinars and monthly expert talks with senior media insiders
  • Follow up access to the Op-Ed Project’s pool of journalist mentors, post-fellowship
  • The OpEd Project requires that at least 51% of cohort members in the program identify as women

WHO IS THIS FOR:
  • PD Soros Fellows who are interested in developing their public voice
  • PD Soros Fellows from all class years and disciplines
  • Experience: Some participants will have published an op-ed (or several) previously, while others may never have written an op-ed

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* 1. Full Name:

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* 2. Title (as you would like it to appear in publications):

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* 3. Email:

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* 4. Phone number:

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* 5. PD Soros Fellowship year:

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* 6. Current city and state:

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* 7. Country(s) of heritage:

Questions 8-13 help The OpEd Project understand their Fellows:

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* 8. With which of the following races do you identify? Please choose all that apply.

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* 9. Do you identify as Hispanic and/or Latino/a/e/x?

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* 10. Do you identify as mixed, multi-racial and/or mestizo/mestizaje?

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* 11. Gender(s) - Multiple Choice

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* 12. Do you identify with a trans experience?

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* 13. Pronoun(s):

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* 14. Please provide a professional bio (your PD Soros website bio will work if it's up to date):

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* 15. Upload a resume or CV:

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* 16. In a few bullet points, describe the area(s) of expertise(s) you’d potentially like to focus on in your op-eds. Examples could include your immigrant narrative, public health, criminal justice, issues regarding DEI, scientific research, unions, etc.

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* 17. In a few sentences, can you share how you’ve worked towards having a public voice or if this would be an initial step for you? Note any public social media channels you have, any op-eds or presentations you’ve given.

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* 18. In a few brief bullet points, what audiences are most important to you? Put another way, who do you hope to reach with your message. As examples: scientists, policy makers, hiring managers, young immigrants, people in a specific geographic area, etc.

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* 19. In a few sentences, why are your voice and/or ideas underrepresented or needed more in public discourse?

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* 20. In a few sentences, why now? The Public Voices Fellowship is a significant investment in the collective impact each cohort of fellows will have on the world. Tell us why you are positioned to make the most of this opportunity at this moment in your life and career.

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* 21. Would you be willing to mentor and work with other PD Soros Fellows across class years and disciplines on their writing to share the knowledge of this fellowship and further strengthen the community?

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* 22. If accepted as a Public Voices fellow, will you attend all convenings in FULL, with video on for virtual convenings? The Public Voices Fellowship seeks to interrogate reality (especially false hierarchies of knowledge) and provoke discovery through group interaction. Therefore, only applicants who are able to participate in all convenings in full, and with video on, will be considered.

The convening times are:
  • First convening: May 14, 15, 16, 2025 - 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
  • Second convening: August 14 and 15, 2025 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
  • Third convening: November 6 and November 7, 2025 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day
  • Fourth convening: January 22 and 23, 2026 – 12 pm to 3:30 pm ET each day

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* 23. If accepted, do you commit to writing and submitting (with the support of the program) a minimum of two op-ed essays by February 2026? Because this fellowship explicitly aims to change who writes history, we expect all fellows to commit to publishing.

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* 24. If accepted, do you agree to identify yourself as a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project when you publish (barring any reason that would transcend doing so)? We are explicitly trying to increase fellows’ visibility in the public sphere, not only as individuals, but as a group of necessary new voices, across all fellowship cohorts. Therefore, fellows’ publication byline will include these words: "[NAME] is a (title, partner institution), a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project."

Only complete applications will be considered; other supporting papers will not be reviewed. Applications are accepted in our online application format only. Emailed or printed applications or letters will not be accepted.

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