Churchill Fellowships

Open or will open again Age Aged 60+ Animal Welfare Arts, culture and heritage Children (0-12) Communities Craft and design Education and learning environment Family and parenting Health, wellbeing and sport Information Technology Medical conditions Miscellaneous Natural environment and climate organisational development Performing arts Recycling and waste management research School, College and University social enterprise Strategic and project planning Sustainable development Sustainable energy Trading Transport, travel and tourism Verbal arts Young people (13-25) Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Medium (up to £60,000) Micro (up to £1,000) Small (up to £10,000)

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Overview

Churchill Fellows are funded to spend up to two months discovering new approaches and best practice in their chosen topic, from innovators and leading professionals worldwide. Then they support you to share their global insights with communities and sectors across the UK and turn their ideas into action.

For the first time, Fellows can carry out their international research entirely online from the UK, or by travelling overseas, or through a combination of both.

These are not academic research trips, they are journeys to learn about real-world issues from the leading practitioners in the world. And we want you to make a real-world difference with your learning when you come home.

Who can apply

Fellowships are open to all UK adult citizens regardless of their age, qualifications or background. They prioritise applicants and projects that would not receive funding from any other source and welcome applications from those with lived or learned experience of the issue they wish to address.

The Fellowship experience is life-changing for many. In their annual survey of Fellows’ impact, the majority report significant growth in their knowledge, networks, confidence and standing – and projects that may have started with local aspirations have often grown to national scale. In the 2021 survey, 100% of Fellows said they would recommend applying for a Fellowship.

What can you apply for

This year applications can be made in one of these topical themes:

Eligibility

Churchill Fellowships are open to all UK resident citizens aged 18 or above, regardless of their background, qualifications or age. They are looking for people with the passion and potential to make a real difference to their community or professional sector, and they assess on future possibilities not past achievements.

Fellows bring lived or learned experience of the issue they want to address and we recognise the authority and insight this brings. They prioritise those who would not receive funding from any other source.

What they fund

They offer Fellowships within our grants framework of universal themes which cover every aspect of society. Within each of these themes, they offer a programme of Fellowships that addresses a particular topical issue or challenge in the UK. Applicants should apply into one of these programmes. These programmes are refreshed every few years.

A successful application must show them:

An idea that can make a practical and worthwhile contribution to UK society, in any field whatsoever.
A reason why the idea should be researched overseas, anywhere in the world.
An applicant with the potential to make change happen, whoever they are and whatever their background.

You will need to demonstrate all of these aspects:

An idea that aims to solve a clearly stated need or issue in UK society, whether professionally, locally or nationally.
An idea for which there are new approaches and solutions in projects you can research overseas.
An idea that is not already being implemented in the UK.
A clear sense of where and why the idea could be researched abroad.
A clear sense of how the idea could be translated into practical action by the applicant in the UK.

The grant covers:

Economy return flights to the UK.
Internal travel in your destination countries.
Food and accommodation for the duration of your travels.

In addition to the grant, they also pay for:

Visa fees.
Vaccination costs.
Travel insurance.

Subject to approval, they may also pay for:

Conference fees.
Translator costs.
If you have a disability and need someone to travel with you, we will cover their costs for travel and accommodation, but not their fees.
In exceptional circumstances we may make a contribution to home expenses. This should be mentioned on the shortlist form, for discussion at interview. But please note this is rare.

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