Open Society Foundation Civil Society Scholar Awards (CSSA) 2021 for Doctoral Students & University Faculty.

Application Deadline: July 20th 2020

The Scholarship Programs’ Civil Society Scholar Awards support doctoral students and university faculty to undertake academic projects that will enrich socially-engaged research and critical scholarship in their home country or region.

Civil Society Scholars are selected on the basis of their outstanding academic record as well as their active engagement with local communities, their potential to champion open society values in their home regions, and their ability strengthen critical scholarship and academic networks within their fields. Proposals may include international travel, but this is no longer required.

Eligibility Criteria

The awards are open to the following academic populations:

• doctoral students of eligible fields studying at accredited universities inside or outside of their home country
• full-time faculty members (must have a minimum of a master’s degree) teaching at universities in their home country

Candidates must be citizens of the following countries: 

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Haiti, Kosovo, Laos, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar/Burma, Nepal, Palestine, Rwanda, Serbia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. 

• Project duration: between three and 10 months
• Eligible dates: March 1, 2021—December 31, 2021
• Maximum funding requests: $15,000

Maximum Funding Request: $15,000
Applicants may NOT request grant assistance for the support of:
• federal and/or state taxes;
• computer hardware, software or other computer-related equipment;
• tuition fees;
• conference attendance which is not part of the applicant’s research project;
• applications from more than one individual;
• honorarium payments to the applicant; or
• honoraria or other payments made to third parties, such as hired researchers. In exceptional cases a small percentage of the award, not exceeding 15%, may be considered for this purpose

Selected grantees may be invited to attend a participant conference during the grant period. Travel costs and accommodation for this event will be covered by CSSA.

CSSA look to support academic research conducted within any field of the social sciences and humanities, but will prioritize research which specifically addresses pressing societal issues within the following themes, broadly defined:  

• defense against rising authoritarianism
• sustainable development, climate action, and mitigating the effects of climate change
• economic justice and worker rights
• information democracy
• addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an applicant’s home country or region

The program does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, pregnancy and maternity, or marriage and/or civil partnership.

Documentation:

• Civil Society Scholar Awards Guidelines (221.93 KB PDF FILE)
• Download the complete guidelines.Civil Society Scholar Awards Frequently Asked Questions (135.97 KB PDF FILE)
• Download the list of frequently asked questions.Civil Society Scholar Awards Application Form (334.32 KB DOCX FILE)

For More Information:

Visit the Official webpage of the Open Society Foundation Civil Society Scholar Awards 2020