How to Apply

Please follow our websites for announcements for the next application cycle for the AHDA fellowship. You can subscribe to the Historical Dialogues, Justice and Memory networks newsletter: historicaldialogues.org/newsletter/ or send an email to: ahda@columbia.edu to be informed when the next application cycle is open. 
 
 

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Caption: 
2019 marked the eight-year of the fellowship program.

Selection of Participants

The Program is designed for lawyers, journalists, teachers, social workers, community organizers, artists, scholars and other human rights activists working on issues related to dealing with the past such as: transitional justice, historical dialogue, memory studies, historical justice, oral history, history education.

Participants are selected on the basis of their previous work experience in work that deals with the past, their commitment to the human rights field, and demonstrated ability to pursue graduate-level studies. Full-time students will not be considered. Applicants who are mid-career and hold full or part-time jobs pursuing their advocacy efforts are preferred.

Fellows must work in the country and/or region where they live. Fluency in English is required. Fellows must provide proof of institutional endorsement in English from their organizations for their participation in the Program and must commit to returning to that organization upon completion of the Program. The program lasts a full academic semester, from late August to mid-December, and fellows are required to be in residence in New York City for this period.

Funding

After the ISHR selection committee conducts its selection process, it makes every effort to secure funding for shortlisted Fellows to attend the program. However, some shortlisted Fellows may be asked to secure the funds needed for them to be admitted to the program. Partial funding might be available. 

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2015 Fellows
2015 Fellows Besiana Xharra (left) and Espérance Chantal Gatore (right) at the ISHR end of year celebration.

Application

The completed application must be submitted online by the deadline. Applicants should take into consideration technical issues and begin the process in advance of the deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

Due to the number of applications we receive, we are not able to answer application questions personally. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is available with answers to commonly asked questions. Please email further questions to ahda@columbia.edu. Answers to technical questions will be added as updates to the FAQ page. ISHR strongly recommends completing your application well in advance of this the application deadline.

Columbia University aims to make all websites fully accessible to users with disabilities. If you experience difficulty using this page, please contact ahda@columbia.edu

Applicants will be notified in June of their status. Please be patient as the selection and funding processes are lengthy.

Application Instructions

Applicants are asked to complete the application in its entirety. Please complete all sections in English. Please follow all instructions, including those sent to your email address.

In order to access the application, applicants must register an account on the ISHR website and log in. Once logged in, applicants can begin a new application by Start/Resume An Application from the menu. 

After beginning an application, the applicant can either choose to save the form as a draft, or submit a completed application. If you choose to save the form as a draft, you can return to this page to complete it.  Upon submission of a completed application, a confirmation will be sent to the applicant. Applicants may login to the online application to view or edit their submitted applications until the deadline by choosing Manage My Submission from the menu.

Two signed letters of recommendation are required. Unsigned letters will not be accepted and your entire application will be removed from consideration. The recommenders must provide their contact information (phone number and email address). You cannot submit the proof of institutional endorsement as one of the letters. The letters must be in English. They must be from those who can attest to your work in human rights and dealing with the memory of historical violence. Your letters of recommendation weigh heavily in our consideration. Please reach out to potential recommenders in a timely fashion. Most recommenders require at least one month's notice.