Opportunity Fund Fellowship Call

Due date: August 31, 2023

About the Fellowship: Through the Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund, we aim to support a new generation of broadband scholars, practitioners, and advocates working on broadband access, adoption, application and equity. Our inaugural cohort of fellows are conducting research and documenting best practices—within academia, nonprofits and
government agencies—on critical questions about the future of the internet in our communities

For the 2023-24 cycle, we are interested in supporting projects that can better inform our current or emerging policy debates in broadband access, adoption, and application. In particular, we invite proposals that focus on:
● Coalitions and capacity building at the state and local levels to implement and influence broadband programs;
● The extent and impact of digital discrimination;
● Building sustainable, affordable broadband for BEAD and beyond
● The impact of broadband on communities – the benefits and the vulnerabilities; and
● Evaluation frameworks to measure the impact of broadband funding.
This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and you should feel free to propose other ideas of critical importance to our field, in terms of research and practice. We especially welcome applications that focus on historically marginalized communities. Proposed projects can yield either practice or research-focused publications or multimedia content. Fellowships will range
from $5,000-$20,000, with a tenure ranging from 6 months to 2 years.

Application Guidelines

To apply, please submit a resume or CV (no more than 3 pages) and a project proposal (no more than 1000 words). The proposal should include:

A research question or project topic and an explanation of how your project will support the goals of the fellowship program
A description of the research methods or the work you’ll do over the fellowship tenure
A rough timeline, budget, and whether you are applying as an individual or affiliated with an organization(1)
Proposed outputs (reports/toolkits/webinars/podcasts)

Submit the documents as PDFs by email to [email protected] by August 31, 2023.

Contact

Please feel free to email us ([email protected]) if you have questions about the fellowship, your eligibility, and the application process.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society believes we need to build resilient, high-speed broadband infrastructure that reaches everywhere in the U.S.; to connect everyone to affordable internet service and equip people with the devices and the skills they need to use these connections; and to ensure broadband applications serve opportunity and equity for all. We accomplish our goals by making sure people have the timely information, rigorous evidence, and practical guidance they need to implement a ‘broadband for all’ agenda.

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