Harvard Kennedy School 2022 Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program

The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program is designed to provide journalists, scholars, politicians and policymakers with an opportunity for reflection. A Fellowship offers busy professionals the time and resources needed to think, research, and write on issues central to our media and politics.

The primary focus of a fellow is to research and write a paper on a media/politics topic.  The Shorenstein Center strives to create an environment for fellows to do their best work, with faculty support, weekly discussion meetings with peers, and all the resources that Harvard has to offer, including world-class libraries and leading experts on a vast array of subjects.

• Table of Content
• About Harvard Kennedy School
• Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program
• Aim and Benefits of Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program
• Requirements for Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Harvard Kennedy School

Since its founding in 2000 with a generous gift from Leslie and Abigail Wexner, the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School has worked to prepare its students to exercise leadership in a world responding to a rapidly expanding array of economic, political, and social challenges.

Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program

Aim and Benefits of Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program

Fellows receive a stipend of $30,000, paid in monthly installments at the end of each month over the 4-month semester. Travel and living expenses are not covered by the Shorenstein Center.

Fellows are provided with a workstation in the Shorenstein Center fellows’ suite, a computer, phone, Harvard email address, and a Harvard ID allowing access to libraries and other resources.

Fellows are also able to select a paid Harvard Kennedy School student research assistant (eligible to work up to 10 hours per week) to work on their projects.

Requirements for Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program Qualification

Applicants for Shorenstein Fellowships must be a working journalist, politician, scholar or policymaker currently or recently active in the field. The guidelines below offer further detail; however, if you unsure if you are eligible we encourage you to contact our staff to discuss further.

• Journalist: Reporters, editors, columnists, producers, media business executives and related, with a minimum of five years of full-time experience either at professional news organizations or as a full-time freelancer (not including work completed as a university student).
• Politician: Someone who has campaigned and been elected to a national or high-level state office, or communications professionals within politics and policy, e.g. speechwriters, press secretaries.
• Scholar: Tenured or tenure-track professor employed by a college, university or research institution in political science, political communication, journalism, international political communication, or a field relevant to the Shorenstein Center’s areas of inquiry.
• Policymaker: High-level official in a cabinet office or adviser to a candidate for national office.

Applicants should not have participated in another fellowship within the two years prior to their preferred semester.

Applicants must be fluent in English – listening, reading, writing and speaking. Non-native English speakers must provide TOEFL or IELTS score.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Application deadlines 

• Fall Semester (September – December): March 15
• Spring Semester (February – May): September 7

For more details, visit Harvard Kennedy School website.