A key objective of the Open Society Institute’s Roma work is to build capacity among Roma activists to make their own case in all spheres of political, economic, social, and cultural life. The Roma Initiatives Fellowship plays a critical part in achieving this objective.
Each year OSI invites a small number of individuals from different spheres of life to develop a range of initiatives in line with, and to strengthen, OSI’s policy objectives. Working mostly in residence at OSI offices or Soros foundations in Europe, fellows work on questions of social policy, human rights protection, employment policy, culture, education, health policy, and other topics important for the inclusion of Roma in society. Fellows’ projects and initiatives should also contribute to advancing the goals of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015.
Previous fellowship-sponsored initiatives included the establishment of a national Roma Civic Alliance, an anti-racism campaign in football stadiums, and the creation of a Roma culture initiative.
For more information, please see the Roma Initiatives Fellowship grant guidelines.