New America Fellows Program Class of 2026

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About New America Fellows Program

In an age where journalism is dominated by the 24-7 news cycle, and academia is becoming ever more esoteric, the fellowships provide opportunities for talented individuals who need support to pursue more ambitious endeavors. Books. Films. Photo essays. Longform storytelling. Policy projects. Work that gets to broad audiences and changes the way we think. Voices that represent the diverse backgrounds and ideologies of the American community.

New America fellows are selected on a highly competitive basis and serve-most on an adjunct basis, some full-time-for a one-year term. During that period, they aim to give them an intellectual home where they have the time, space, and resources to pursue their projects; a community where they can learn from one another; and opportunities to engage with others at New America and help shape the longer-term agenda and focus of the organization.

• Sponsor Organisation: New America

Benefits of New America Fellows Program

• Funding: New America provides stipends at varying levels ($15k-$30k) to support the work of the New America Fellows.
• Community: They are committed to hosting two mandatory cohort gatherings throughout the fellowship year: a new class orientation in October and a closing program in May. In addition, they typically hold convenings for fellows regularly that include "Fellows Toolkit" sessions where industry experts share their knowledge on topics relevant to the Fellows, such as public speaking, preparing for a book tour, or creating data visualizations online.
• Platforms and Partners: New America offers Fellows opportunities to leverage the impact of public conversation. They support this by hosting a public launch event and providing an opportunity to publish with one of our many media partners, such as Slate's Future Tense channel or New America's monthly newsletter, The Thread. Further, Fellows have an opportunity to connect with the network of editors and agents and work with our media relations team as they seek to reach a broader audience. They also encourage Fellows to interact with their 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.

New America Fellows Program Requirements

• Open to thinkers-journalists, scholars, filmmakers, and public policy analysts.
• They consider applications from those who may be based abroad for all or part of the year, and they accept applications from non-US citizens.

Application Date and Process

• Click on the link to the application website to apply.

Account Login:
Before applying, you will be asked to create a SurveyMonkey Apply account (please look for an email from "[email protected]" in your inbox) if you do not have one already. You should already have a SurveyMonkey Apply account if you applied to the program for the last three cycles (Classes 2023-2025). If you have an account but cannot remember your password, click "forgot my password" to receive a link to reset it.

Application Instructions & Writing Samples Cover Page Template:
You can review and print the application instructions file before you begin your application. All submissions are final; you cannot edit your application once submitted.

You can download an editable Word version of the writing samples cover page template here. A cover page is required for all written work samples. However, one is not required for non-written work samples, as you will be asked to enter information about your video or audio samples in the form itself. 

Submitting Your Two Reference Letters:
You will be asked to submit the names and email addresses of two references within your application. References will receive a unique link to upload their letter via the SurveyMonkey Apply portal. Recommendations will be accepted through Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

After you have submitted your request, please ask your reference to search their inbox for an email from "[email protected]" including their spam folder, as some servers may mark the email as spam. If your reference needs support uploading their letter, please ask that they email [email protected] with a PDF version, and we will upload it to your application. 

Status of Your Application:
They will update the status of your application within the portal in late April.

If you have questions about the program or the application process, please visit their FAQ page as your first support source. If you have technical issues with your application or your question has not been addressed in the FAQ, please email [email protected].

Application Deadline

03 February, 2025

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