How to Nominate or Apply to the Scholar Rescue Fund

General information
Selection Criteria
Application Process & Deadlines
How to apply

General information

Eligibility: Applications from scholars in any field or discipline and from any country or region will be considered. Fellowships are intended for established academic professionals, not students, and generally will not be granted for continuing academic training.

Duration: Fellowships ranging from three months to one calendar year will be considered. Awards may be renewable for a second term.

Amount of award: The final award amount will depend upon available funds, needs of the scholar, costs of living, and duration of the visit.

Number of awards: Up to 25 fellowships will be awarded annually.

Security & Confidentiality: The Scholar Rescue Fund and Scholars at Risk will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of application materials and all communications concerning candidates. However neither the SRF nor SAR can guarantee the complete security of information received, or during transmission. Applicants are advised to consider their own personal safety, and to omit sensitive information, if any, or arrange communication of sensitive information by secure means, including third parties. Applicants are further advised that, given the nature of scholarship and academic employment, the Scholar Rescue Fund and Scholars at Risk may need to identify applicants and share application information with third-parties in order to verify application information or to identify a suitable university or college for applicants without a pre-determined host. Applicants may explain in a letter or other statement any specific security concerns and requests to restrict the disclosure of their application information. Applicants should recognize that any such restriction may delay or impede the processing of the application.

Questions: Applicants are encouraged to contact the Scholar Rescue Fund or Scholars at Risk with any questions about the fellowships or the application process.

Selection Criteria

Applications are reviewed for academic qualifications, the quality/potential of the candidate’s work, and the urgency of risks faced.

Preference may be given to established scholars with a Ph.D. or other highest degree and who have been employed at a college or university for an extended period, however junior, independent and nontraditional scholars, writers and artists will also be also considered.

Additional considerations include:

• benefit to the scholarly communities in the home and host country or region;
• strength of commitment by the hosting institution;
• likelihood of the candidate continuing scholarly activities after the fellowship period; and
• likelihood of the candidate’s return to the home country or region, when conditions permit.

Application Process & Deadlines

Direct application & third-party nomination: Candidates may apply directly or be nominated by a third-party. Although the Fund invites applications from individual scholars, it does not provide awards directly to individuals. Fellowships are awarded to host institutions for support of specific individuals.

Joint-applications encouraged, but not required: Matching support must be provided by the host institution or other source. For this reason, candidates are strongly encouraged--but not required--to apply jointly with a university or college that has agreed to host the visit and to provide the necessary matching funds. The Fund, through Scholars at Risk, will work to identify a suitable host for successful candidates who apply without a pre-arranged host institution.

Deadlines: Applications and nominations are accepted at any time throughout the year, on a rolling basis. Applications will be considered by the Selection Committee three (3) times per year, generally in October, January and April. Non-emergency applications must be received at least 4 weeks before a committee meeting in order to be considered. Decisions will be announced approximately two (2) weeks after the committee meets. Application deadline

Emergency applications will be considered earlier if a candidate's circumstances do not permit waiting for the next regular meeting of the Steering Committee.

How to Apply / Nominate a scholar

Applications materials must be in English or the language of the proposed host institution/country. A complete application package consisting of the following materials may be submitted by fax, e-mail or postal mail. (E-mail submission is preferred and will expedite processing.)

• Application Coversheet, available here in PDF.
  
  
• CV or resume for the candidate (including degrees obtained, dates obtained, any academic employment and listing, if available, any publications)
  
  
• Letter from or on behalf of the scholar explaining the situation of threat/risk from which the candidate seeks relief;
  
  
• the research, writing, teaching or other work the candidate would like to complete during the proposed visit
  
  
• the amount of financial support requested.
  
  
• Two or more reference letters (ideally including at least one professional reference and one from a person familiar with the candidate's situation of threat/risk); and
  
  
• For joint applications only: a letter from the university or college that has agreed to host the visit, including a proposed budget showing the amount of financial support requested and the matching support (direct and in-kind) being provided by the institution or other source.
  

Please send completed application and direct all inquiries to:

IIE Scholar Rescue Fund
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
1-212-984-5472 (tel)
1-212-984-5401 (fax)
http://www.iie.org/SRF