Think Tank Fund Fellowships Guidelines

Every year, the Think Tank Fund selects up to ten young, talented researchers from the fund's target countries. Each successful applicant will spend up to three months in one of the leading think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe.

Deadline

The Think Tank Fund accepts fellowship applications throughout the year and considers them on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

Applicants are required to be permanent residents in one of the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Kosovo.
Applicants must be full-time employees at a think tank, policy center or Ngo with strong research component in one of the Think Tank Fund target countries for at least for one year at the time of application and plan to stay for at least one more year. This requirement can be a subject to the sending organization's Human Resource policy.
Applicants should be between 24 and 35 years of age at the time of application.
Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English.

Prospective fellows can choose any Think Tank Fund-supported policy center or similar think tanks in the region outside their country of origin as a host organization. Prior to submitting fellowship proposals to the Think Tank Fund, applicants should directly contact an organization(s) of interest to develop ideas for the fellowship that would mutually beneficial to both parties.

For a non-exhaustive list of think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe, consult the Think Tank Fund website, Policy Association for an Open Society, or the Freedom House Think Tank Directory.

Terms of the Award

Think Tank Fund total awards do not exceed $7,000 per fellowship. These funds are to cover travel expenses (one return ticket, visa fees and visa related expenses, travel or medical insurance) and reasonable accommodation and living costs. For specific budget items, download the budget template below.

The Think Tank Fund co-funds fellows supervision and support by senior policy analysts at hosting organizations (up to 30 hours per month).

Regular monthly salary is maintained by a sponsoring organization during the full period of the fellowship. If requested and justified, Think Tank Fund could provide compensation up to 50% of the full salary.

To Apply

To be considered for the Think Tank Fund Fellowship, applicants should submit the following documents in English (as .doc or .pdf attachments to email):

Motivation/cover letter
- This letter should describe the applicant's interest in the fellowship, the fellowship objectives, his/her skills and qualifications and the value he/she aspires to contribute both to the hosting and sponsoring organizations.
- The letter should also include a brief action plan with clear evaluation indicators for the proposed work and a draft budget in USD (budget template is available for download below).
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- The CV should include academic and professional background, a detailed description of the applicant's current job, and a list of recent policy projects in which the applicant has been involved.
Support letter from a sending organization, written in the name of the Executive Director /or President.
- This letter should describe the rationale, the expected outcomes and the value of the fellowship to the sending organization.
- The letter should be accompanied by a committal statement that the sending organization will cover the salary costs during the fellowship period.
Support letter from a hosting organization in the name of the Executive Director/or President.
- This letter should explain the interest and benefits of the fellowship to the host organizations.
- The letter should be accompanied with bios of assigned mentor(s) and job description for a visiting fellow.
- The letter should also include a committal statement that the host organization will secure supervision from a senior policy analyst (mentor) up to 30 hours/a month; and will render necessary support to the fellow in obtaining a visa and finding accommodation. A brief mentorship plan should also be attached.

Reporting Requirements

At a hosting organization, fellows are expected to engage in ongoing policy research projects and develop concrete policy products.* Throughout the program, fellows' work is to be guided by senior policy analysts. Upon completion, the Think Tank Fund expects a final report from both a fellow and his mentor.

*Policy product refers to:

Research study or survey (fellows are expected to formulate clear tangible outcomes at the end of the study/survey)
Policy papers, briefs, or newsletters
Organized event or conference (fellows should contribute to thematic development of an event organized within the fellowship term)
Any other policy-related product or activity that benefits both the visiting fellow and the hosting organization (e.g. designing and hosting policy blogs)