Countries: All
Application language: English Only
Deadline: February 1, 2016, 12:00 p.m. EST // June 2016: fellowship winner chosen and announced.
Grant size: $25,000 awarded to the individual or organization with the most innovative project
Innovation Fellowship
DESCRIPTION
In honor of its 75th anniversary the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) announces the launch of the Human Rights Innovation Fellowship to support innovations with the potential to affect systemic change in the field of human rights. Innovations may be technological or financial products or apps, path-breaking applied research, advances in corporate accountability, legal arguments, methods of mobilization, or methods of community outreach.
UUSC’s work is guided by the conviction that all people have inherent power, dignity, and rights. It seeks innovative approaches to realizing those rights, especially for populations who face oppression due to such factors as race, ethnicity, class, gender, or disability.
Economic justice is essential for securing basic human rights, alleviating local and global poverty, and achieving a more peaceful and just world. UUSC recognizes that workers' rights are human rights and works to improve the lives of the world's most marginalized and vulnerable workers. UUSC's Economic Justice Program develops strategic partnerships and networks, builds movements, and influences local, statewide, and national policy on workers' rights and living wages. To this effort UUSC brings staff advocacy, a faith-based activist constituency, and educational tools.
The fellowship should address a major challenge in realizing economic justice. In particular, it should contribute to UUSC’s goal of ensuring all people have access to economic opportunities as well as the ability to work in safe conditions that are free from harrassment and discrimination and promote their economic rights and well-being.
ELIGIBILITY
UUSC is seeking innovations that:
- Align with UUSC’s mission and vision;
- Address human rights violations with a focus on the most marginalized populations;
- Use a systems-thinking, legal, technical, or other relevant approach for framing, analyzing, and addressing the problem;
- Produce a tangible new product, service, model or approach applicable to economic justice;
- Have a demonstrable, direct impact on low-income rural or urban communities, indigenous people, racial, ethnic, or religious minorities, women, children, people living with disabilities, displaced persons, or the elderly.
Individuals and organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit, with an innovative project that is relevant to the fellowship’s theme can apply. In addition, advocacy organizations, academic institutions, research centers, grassroots organizations, and UUSC partners may apply for the fellowship. However, UUSC partners’ proposed innovations must be separate from ongoing grants. Collaboration by applicants is encouraged. There are no age, geographical, or educational criteria for fellow selection. However, applications must be submitted in English.
For more information:
Please e-mail any questions at that time to innovation @ uusc.org