Civic and Voter Engagement FellowshiP
Fall 2023-Spring 2024

Project Pericles invites applications from faculty and staff for our nationally competitive Civic and Voter Engagement Fellowship supported by the Mellon Foundation. Fellows are awarded a $1,000 grant to use Periclean Civic Engagement Resources in the humanities for Fall 2023-Spring 2024. They will build on our modules, participate in virtual learning communities, and contribute new materials to our Civic Engagement Resource Database.

About the Fellowship

The current times demonstrate the crucial need to develop a new generation of diverse civic leaders that embrace their role in making a difference in society. Voter participation is a key component of our democracy, and yet, many barriers exist to full participation—especially for youth and historically underrepresented populations. This fellowship empowers faculty, staff, and students to effectively engage with relevant social justice issues and address these inequalities. Fellows are faculty and staff who implement Periclean Civic Engagement Resources in the humanities or through a humanities lens (see fellowship tracks below). A goal of the fellowship is to demonstrate the relevance of the humanities in addressing real-world issues. Please refer to this explanation, “What are the humanities?,” by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

There are two Fellowship Tracks:

1. Deliberative Dialogue (Faculty)
​This track supports faculty to use our Deliberative Dialogue Discussion module to conduct a discussion in a humanities course. The goal of the discussion is to demonstrate the connections between academic content, real-world issues, and elected officials. Fellows use the Voting Modules to build on the discussion and emphasize the importance of voting.
2. Voting Rights Expansion (Faculty and Staff) 
This track supports faculty and staff to implement our new Voter Suppression Module. Fellows educate students about voter suppression in a humanities course, or, in a co-curricular activity through a humanities lens (example: through art, dance, history, languages, and/or literature). Fellows also empower students to address present-day challenges to voting using the module’s resources and activities. 
“The program provided valuable insights and strategies for integrating civic engagement and community-based learning into the college experience. Through discussions, resources, and mentorship, I learned effective ways to connect course material to real-world issues, encourage student involvement in local communities, and foster a sense of civic responsibility among students.” 

- Aaron Lawler, Associate Professor of Humanities, Waubonsee Community College (IL) and Spring 2023 Fellow

In addition, fellows will: 

  • Contribute Resources and Module Feedback: Fellows capture what they accomplished in the form of a short guide summarizing their work and sharing resources built on the Project Pericles modules. Fellows’ materials and feedback inspire future iterations of the modules. Their work will be featured on our Civic Engagement Resources Database. The goal is to collaboratively expand Periclean civic engagement resources, and, for fellows’ work to inspire colleagues across the nation to facilitate deliberative dialogue, promote voter engagement, and address voter suppression. 
  • Participate in Virtual Learning Community: Project Pericles will organize “Virtual Learning Communities” for fellows during Fall 2023-Spring 2024. These energizing convenings are a chance to share resources, work through challenges, and create a sense of community among civically engaged scholars and student affairs professionals. Fellows will participate in one or more convening. 

​Application 

Please submit your application through the Civic and Voter Engagement Fellowship Application Form in the button below. Applications are a brief proposal of how the applicant intends to use the modules and fulfill the expectations of the fellowship. Applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis so it is advantageous to apply as soon as possible. The priority deadline to submit is October 6, 2023.

More information

Eligibility
Faculty and staff from higher education institutions in the U.S. are eligible to apply. Applicants may only apply for one track. Faculty awarded a fellowship in Spring 2023 may apply to the Voting Rights Expansion track.

​Those working with historically underrepresented groups, MSIs, community colleges, and Pericleans are encouraged to apply. Selection criteria include: academic or co-curricular rigor, quality of project, replicability, relevance to current social issues, and creativity.
​​Award Use and Distribution
The grant award should be used at the discretion of the institution and the awardee. The $1,000 will be addressed to the college/university after evaluation materials from the fellow are received. Evaluations are due by June 2024. For more information or any questions, please contact Arielle del Rosario at arielle.delrosario@projectpericles.org.

Project Pericles appreciates the support of the Mellon Foundation, The Eugene M. Lang Foundation, and The Students Learn/Students Vote Coalition. ​
​The Civic and Voter Engagement Fellowship is part of a three-year initiative, “Curricula for Social Change: Empowering College Faculty, Students, and Communities through Voter Engagement.” This is funded by a $900,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation with additional support from. The Eugene M. Lang Foundation (see the press release for more information). The initiative supports faculty to integrate voter education and social justice issues into humanities curricula through deliberative dialogue and community-initiated projects. By incorporating academic content with civic issues students are passionate about, this initiative will transform the lives of hundreds of faculty, thousands of students, and more than 50 communities by empowering them with the skills and resources necessary to build a more inclusive and equitable society.
All information about the Civic and Voter Engagement Fellowship on this page is also written on the Request for Proposals (RFP) document, accessible below.