RDL Convening Day 2 Interactive Breakout Rooms

Faculty and Staff Democracy Fellowship

The RDL Faculty and Staff Democracy Fellowship supports Rutgers faculty and staff who wish to develop, pilot, or scale innovative projects that strengthen democratic culture, practice, and knowledge.

An Invitation to Build Democracy

Rooted in the mission of the Rutgers Democracy Lab (RDL), the Fellowship recognizes that democratic renewal occurs not only through research, but also through teaching, public engagement, institutional experimentation, and community collaboration. The Fellowship is designed to foster interdisciplinary exchange, provide structured support for project development, and cultivate a campus-wide community of democratic practice.

Fellowship Focus Areas

Proposed projects must clearly align with at least one of the following thematic areas:

Projects that explore, mobilize, or interrogate the role of the arts in democratic life. This includes creative practice, cultural production, and arts‑based research that foster civic imagination, collective memory, political expression, public dialogue, or democratic belonging.
Initiatives that foster constructive dialogue across political, racial, economic, religious, generational, or ideological divides, particularly those that embed deliberative dialogue into campus or community life.
Projects that encourage democratic participation, civic learning, or public problem-solving at local, state, national, or global levels, including partnerships with communities, governments, schools, or civil society organizations.
Projects that critically examine or creatively deploy technology in democratic life, including AI, social media, civic tech, platform governance, digital equity, and the future of democratic institutions in a technological society.

Fellowship Structure and Expectations

The Fellowship embeds participants within the intellectual and programmatic life of the Lab. As such, fellows are expected to actively contribute to RDL-affiliated programming while also sharing and developing their own work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary setting.

The Fellowship spans One full Academic Year* (Fall 2026 - Spring 2027) and is open to Rutgers staff and faculty (full-time tenure and non-tenure track only).
*Fellowships may have the possibility of renewal or continued affiliation after the Academic Year
All Fellows will become members of the 2026-2027 RDL Faculty and Staff Fellowship cohort, a model designed to create a structured intellectual community and collaborative peer exchanges. Outside of regular cohort meetings, Fellows will be expected to establish a presence as an RDL Fellow through participation in convenings, workshops, or other events hosted by RDL.
Through this reciprocal model, fellows both benefit from and help shape a vibrant community dedicated to advancing democratic research, dialogue, and impact.
Democracy Fellows are expected share quarterly work-in-progress reports with RDL Staff and any relevant partners. Fellows will also be asked to plan at least one public-facing RDL event (talk, workshop, brief, etc.) highlighting their efforts, along with a written blog post on their project for the RDL Blog.
Fellows are encouraged to develop projects that align with their interests and expertise. As such, projects may be research-based, practice-oriented, pedagogical-centered, or experimental in nature.
RDL Democracy Fellows become part of an ongoing network of faculty and staff committed to democratic renewal. Fellows should also work towards producing public products that have lasting value (policy papers, Op-Eds, toolkits, etc.), with plans for sustainability beyond the life of the Fellowship.
Additionally, students are at the heart of RDL's mission, so Fellows are highly encouraged to work collaboratively with undergraduate and/or graduate students.

Application Information

The Fellowship uses a two-stage selection process designed to reduce applicant burden and encourage early-stage ideas.

Phase 1 (Project Abstract): due for submission by July 31, 2026

Phase 2 (Full Invited Application): due for submission by August 31, 2026

Prospective applicants must first submit a program abstract for consideration using this Qualtrics form, which asks for the following information:
- Project Title, Description, and Core Goals
- Fellowship Focus Area and Fit with RDL
- Planned Student Engagement Activities
Download a full copy of the Qualtrics form here.
Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full Fellowship application (Phase 2) the first week of August.
Abstracts must be submitted by July 31, 2026
Applicants whose abstracts are selected will be invited to submit a full application, which will include a 2-3 page proposal using this template.
The proposal will ask you to expand on your ideas from the abstract and include additional details like:
1. Project Overview & Description
2. Community Challenge & Fellowship Category
3. Project Format & Timeline
4. Anticipated Outcomes & Deliverables
5. Alignment with RDL's Mission
6. Itemized Budget Sheet
For complete information, please see the full proposal template here.
Invited applicants must fill out the full application by August 31, 2026.
- Open to Rutgers faculty and staff across all campuses and units
- Projects may be individual or collaborative
- Interdisciplinary and cross‑unit collaborations are strongly encouraged
- Fellows must be able to participate in cohort activities during the Fellowship year (Fall 26 & Spring 27 semesters)