Alston/Bannerman Fellowships
The Alston/Bannerman Fellowships are annually awarded to ten organizers of color who
have devoted their lives to helping their communities organize for racial, social, economic,
and environmental justice. Fellows receive $15,000 to take sabbaticals of three months or
more for reflection and renewal. Fellows may use their sabbaticals in whatever way they
think will best re-energize them for future work. To qualify for a fellowship, applicants
must be a person of color; have more than ten years of community organizing experience;
be committed to continuing to work for social change; and live in the United States or its
territories. While most fellows have been paid organizers, an applicant's work can be as a
volunteer organizer or leader, or involve a mix of paid and unpaid work. Beyond the basic
eligibility criteria, the program seeks applicants whose work attacks root causes of
injustice by organizing those affected to take collective action; challenges the systems that
perpetrate injustice and effects institutional change; builds their community's capacity for
self-determination and develops grassroots leadership; acknowledges the cultural values
of the community; creates accountable participatory structures in which community
members have decision-making power; and contributes to building a movement for social
change by making connections between issues, developing alliances with other
constituencies, and collaborating with other organizations. For complete program
information and application procedures, visit: http://bannermanfellowship.org/