Architecture and Morality - Serving Humanity

Humanitarian Design: 15 Fellowships for Architects and Designers

By John Cary, March 2012

AmeriCorps, including its VISTA component, is America’s domestic service program that deploys college graduates to fight poverty in low-income communities. The AmeriCorps website sometimes promotes opportunities specifically for architects and designers, with “architectural planning” as an advanced search option. AmeriCorps members receive a modest living allowance, prorated for location (averaging approximately $15,000 annually), plus health insurance, and some programs provide housing assistance. AmeriCorps members who complete one term of service also qualify for an AmeriCorps Education Award, up to $5,500. For information: www.americorps.gov

The Architecture for Humanity (AFH) Fellowship program places participants alongside regular staff, interns, and volunteers, both out of the organization’s San Francisco headquarters and on project sites around the world. The fellowships typically come with a modest stipend, which varies based on the duration of time and location. Opportunities are posted to the AFH website as they become available. Fellows For information: www.architectureforhumanity.org/programs/design-opportunities

The buildingcommunityWORKSHOP Fellowship puts design and other college graduates to work through the AmeriCorps program in Dallas and other locales where the organization is working. Past fellowships have run over the course of a summer, or year-round. A modest living allowance is provided through AmeriCorps; application deadlines and terms vary. For information: www.bcworkshop.org

The Design Corps Fellowship program is among the longest-running, and was previously supported by several state offices of AmeriCorps. Fellows now serve one-year terms, working on Design Corps projects, while also aiding and gaining exposure to the organization’s many other initiatives. One fellow is currently in residence in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Design Corps based. A living allowance of $15,000, health insurance, and other benefits are provided; application deadlines vary. For information: www.designcorps.org/opportunities/fellowship-program/program-description

The Design Impact Fellowship is a six-month program that places U.S. designers in community organizations in India to work on social and environmental design projects. Design Impact covers the cost of all work-related travel (including flights to and from India), room and board, immunizations, visa fees, and health insurance, along with a $300 monthly stipend. For information: www.d-impact.org/fellowship/becomeafellow.php

The Design Trust for Public Space Fellowships engage design and other creative professionals on projects being pursued by the organization. Recent projects have looked at public health issues, urban agriculture, and public life through photography. The number of fellows ranges annually, and stipends run from $5,000 to $15,000; opportunities are announced in the organization’s email newsletter as they become available. For information: www.designtrust.org/fellowships/fellowships.html

Emerging Terrain Urban Design Fellowship is a new program aimed at practicing architects, engineers, landscape architects, and urban designers/planners. Emerging Terrain specifically seeks candidates interested in remaining in Nebraska and contributing locally upon completion of their term. In 2012, three fellowships will be awarded for a 12-month period, with a total stipend of $30,000. The next application cycle is expected to open later this year. For information: www.emergingterrain.org

The Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship is a three-year program through which architecture graduates are placed in community organizations to work on affordable housing and community development projects across the country. Thirty-five individuals have completed the program since its inception in 2000. The fellowship includes an annual salary of $47,500, plus benefits and extensive leadership training. The next applications will be available shortly and likely due in June. For information: www.rosefellowship.org

The Global Health Corps offers a small number of fellowship opportunities for designers to work in Rwanda with MASS Design Group, on projects like its Butaro Hospital and evolving master plan. The deadline for applications is in January or February of each year. This year’s fellows will be provided with a $650 stipend per month, living arrangements in Kigali, transportation, health insurance, and $1,500 on completion of the fellowship. For information: www.ghcorps.org

The IDEO.org Fellowship, or “Global Innovators in Residence” program, has quickly emerged as one of the most coveted and competitive fellowships, with over 500 applications this year for roughly half a dozen slots. The program enables design, business, and social sector leaders to spend one year working with experienced IDEO designers to address poverty-related challenges worldwide. The 11-month fellowship includes a $50,000 salary, plus health insurance and coverage of all work-related expenses. The next deadline for applications will be in late 2012. For information: www.ideo.org/fellows

The Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design confers up to ten fellowships annually on mid-career professionals in design and related areas of work. Public interest design leaders are frequently among the classes of fellows selected annually. The nine-month fellowships include a stipend of $47,500, housing, and full access to the courses and resources of Harvard University and other Boston-area universities. The annual deadline for applications is January 3. For information: www.gsd.harvard.edu/professional/loeb_fellowship

The Public Policy Lab Fellowship offers several multi-month, part-time fellowships to creative professionals, including architects and designers, to aid in their service design work. Fellows selected from its recent February 21 deadline, for example, will partner with the Parsons The New School for Design and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development to deliver more effective, efficient, and satisfying public housing services. Candidates must be able to participate, in person, in New York-area meetings and events. For information: www.publicpolicylab.org/fellowship

The U.S. Peace Corps provides volunteers with a 27-month fellowship to work in one of 76 countries around the world. Like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps does not specifically recruit for design professionals, though a small cohort of architects has taken part in the program over the decades. Peace Corps volunteers receive a modest living allowance based on location, along with housing assistance, health insurance, and travel coverage, as well as a $7,425 transition payment on completion of the 27-month term. For information: www.peacecorps.gov

The Van Alen Fellowship is the latest iteration of several fellowship programs run by Van Alen Institute over the years. Still under development, the organization hopes to call for up to six new fellows later this year to undertake studies and work at the intersection of design and public policy. If anything like Van Alen Institute’s recent New York Prize Fellowship, it will be a multi-month engagement, including a modest honorarium. For information: www.vanalen.org/projects/fellowship