Eligibility Requirements and Preferences

Requirements and Preferences for the Host Organization

Only nonprofit organizations based in the Gulf Coast region (in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi; the Gulf Coast of Texas and Florida; and the three cities with the largest numbers of displaced residents (Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston) are eligible.
Only one application per organization or Fellow may be submitted.
The Fellow's proposed work may not be an academic research or dissertation project.
Organizations with budgets over $5 million and under $75,000 are not eligible. Preference will be given to organizations with annual budgets between $75,000 and $2 million.
The organization’s mission and/or the Fellow’s proposed leadership position must clearly relate to one of the seven program areas fields sponsored by New Voices.
Criminal & Civil Justice - Grants in this field of work will aim to strengthen criminal and civil justice systems to be more fair and to promote respect for rights and rule of law. Organizations in this program area may address a range of issues, including equitable and accountable policing; the rights and representation of criminal defenders; detention issues, including prison conditions, racially disparate treatment, immigrant detention and deportation, or over-reliance on incarceration; reentry issues; judicial reform; and access to justice for vulnerable groups including juveniles/youth.

Organizations that only provide direct services to individuals are not eligible. However, organizations that conduct policy research and analysis, policy advocacy, litigation, community organizing, popular education, leadership development, and innovative demonstration projects with a systems change approach and an evaluation component are eligible.

Organizations lacking nonprofit status and submitting an application under the name of a fiscal agent must be explicit about the types of relationships they have with and the forms of support they receive from the fiscal agent.

A university-based or college-based institute or center may apply so long as it has a Board or Advisory Group separate from the university or college, at least 50% of direct income is from sources external to the institution (e.g. foundations, government agencies, private donations), and the Fellow's proposed position is not an academic research project.

The organization must have at least two full-time paid staff members.

The organization must be at least three months old as of the application deadline, January 21, 2008.

Current New Voices grantees are not eligible. Former grantees may reapply, but must propose a new Fellow with a leadership role in the organization different from the previous Fellow.

Organizations with budgets around $2 million or less are preferred since they are often "new voices" within the sponsored fields themselves and/or are often less able to compete for the financial support necessary to build new capacity and achieve strategic goals.

Requirements and Preferences for the Fellow

Proposed Fellows must clearly represent a “new voice” to the organization and its field of work (with no more than two years of paid social justice work). Most Fellows will have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree or have equivalent life experience. While there are no limits with regard to age or professional experience, strong applications will demonstrate that this individual would offer new perspectives, expertise, skills, and/or insights to the organization and sponsored field of work. Work or relevant personal experience will be weighed on a par with educational experience.
The Fellow should assume a role with clear leadership potential within the organization's program or functional activities, helping the organization achieve strategic goals.
The Fellow may not propose to serve as the organization's Executive Director, Office Manager, Development Director, or Program/Administrative Assistant.
Potential Fellows may not be employed at the sponsoring organization at the time of the application, other than as an intern. Board members and former employees of the organization are not eligible.
Fellows must be eligible for employment in a US-based 501(c)(3) organization. Eligibility for such employment will be determined by the sponsoring organization in accordance with relevant US law.

The New Voices program strongly encourages individuals with diverse educational, experiential, and cultural backgrounds. Fellows should have demonstrated leadership ability, integrity, and a commitment to human rights. We strongly encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, diverse ethnic, racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, education and work experiences, geographic and national origins, sexual orientations and ages.

Other Requirements

In addition to ongoing professional collaboration between the New Voices Fellow and his or her Mentor, New Voices requires the Fellow's participation in the Initial Orientation, Annual Summer Conferences, and Annual Winter Retreats and the Mentor's participation in the Orientation held during the first year of the grant.

The New Voices Director or a designee may visit each organization at least once during the duration of the Fellowship to provide technical assistance and to learn about the impact of the program upon the Fellow and the organization.

Fellows are required to participate in monthly readings, online discussions, and a list-serv, and to submit biannual reports of activities and impacts. The organization must assure that the Fellow and Mentor have access to the Internet.